What’s next for Anthony Smith and Ryan Spann after UFC Vegas 37?

In the main event of UFC Vegas 37, top-15 middleweights collided as Anthony Smith looked to extend his winning streak against surging contender, Ryan Spann.

Smith entered the fight coming off back-to-back stoppage wins over Jimmy Crute and Devin Clark. Prior to that, “Lionheart” had some setbacks as he lost to Aleksandar Rakic and Glover Teixeira. Ryan Spann, meanwhile, was coming off a first-round KO over Misha Cirkunov after a loss to Johnny Walker which had some controversy to it.

In the end, it was Smith who dominated the fight from start to finish as he submitted Spann in the first round. He had dropped Spann in the fight and rocked him a few times before sinking in the choke. Now, following UFC Vegas 37, here is what I think should be next for Smith and Spann.

Anthony Smith

Anthony Smith has had to fight up and comers in his last three fights as he looks to defend his spot in the light heavyweight rankings. After not only three wins in a row, but three stoppage wins, it’s time for Lionheart to face someone ahead of him in the rankings.

After his win, Smith called for a rematch with Rakic, and despite them only fighting last August it does make sense. Rakic is without a dance partner as Jiri Prochazka is set to be the backup for the title and next in line for the belt. Although it was one-sided, Smith says he wasn’t mentally there and wants to prove he can do better. It’s also a scrap that can headline a Fight Night card in December where the winner could earn a title shot.

Ryan Spann

Ryan Spann had a chance to enter the top-10 at light heavyweight but came up short and will now be back to the drawing board.

The Fortis MMA product will take some time off and likely return sometime next year and a logical next fight is to face the loser of Jimmy Crute vs. Jamahal Hill. It still would be a ranked opponent but the loser of that fight would then have to face some unranked opponents and defend their spot. It would also be a fan-favorite fight between two KO artists regardless of who it is. It can be on the main card of a pay-per-view or a Fight Night card sometime in February or March.

WhAT do you think should be next for Anthony Smith and Ryan Spann after UFC Vegas 37?