Anthony Smith, left, punches Ryan Spann in a light heavyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on Sept. 18, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada.Jeff Bottari/Getty Images
Anthony Smith defeated Ryan Spann by submission in the first round of their light heavyweight main event bout Saturday night at UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas.
Smith used a rear-naked choke to end the fight at 3:47. It was Smith’s fifth first-round finish since 2018, according to ESPN.
Smith now turns his attention to Aleksandar Rakic, who defeated Smith by unanimous decision in August 2020.
“He’s just sitting around,” Smith said. “He’s not next in line for the title. Either I want that fight or I skip it.”
Smith improves to 36-16 while Spann falls to 19-7.
Earlier, Ion Cutelaba defeated Devin Clark by unanimous decision in their light heavyweight fight. Cutelaba took the cards 30-26, 29-26, 29-27. Cutelaba finished with nearly nine minutes in control.
Other winners include Ariane Lipski, Arman Tsarukyan, Nate Maness and Joaquin Buckley.