Ryan Spann lost his chance to main event UFC Vegas 70 earlier tonight (Sat., Feb. 25, 2023) live on ESPN+ from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, when light heavyweight opponent, Nikita Krylov, pulled out of the fight due to illness with just hours left.
Unfortunately, a foodborne illness was the culprit for Krylov’s last-second withdrawal. The UFC contender tried to work with UFC doctors and his team to push through and make the walk, but “Miner” simply couldn’t compete.
Spann, who did everything he needed to do in order to get to tonight’s main event, found out about Krylov’s illness when the UFC Vegas 70 main card broadcast started. It was a shock to say the least and an unfortunate series of events that Spann discussed with reporters backstage (shown in the above video player).
“F—k,” responded Spann when asked if he can put his feelings into one word. “I just found out not even 10 minutes ago. Still trying to process.”
“Man I was peeing,” said Spann when asked what he was doing when UFC officials informed him of Krylov’s illness. “I had USADA in the back. My coach stormed in yelling for me. It was him, Hunter [Campbell], and Sean [Shelby], let me know that I wasn’t going to be able to fight.”
When asked if he looks at this training camp as a waste “Superman” touched on his maturation as a fighter and overall disappointment that he couldn’t showcase his talents for his team.
“I wouldn’t call it a wasted camp because we weren’t training for this specific fight. We’re in champ camp,” he said. “The disappointment comes from me not getting to show off some of the s—t that we’ve been doing. My team invested a lot of time in me.”
Spann, 31, has won his last two trips to the Octagon with finishes over Ion Cutelaba and Dominick Reyes. The light heavyweight contender was hoping to parlay a win over Krylov into a shot at the division’s top five, but he’ll have to wait just a little longer. It’s unknown at this time if the promotion is looking to re-book the 205-pound matchup.
For complete UFC Vegas 70 results and coverage click here.