Misha Cirkunov vs. Ryan Spann added to UFC Vegas 17: Edwards vs. Chimaev

A light heavyweight bout between top-15 ranked contenders Misha Cirkunov and Ryan Spann has been added to UFC Vegas 17: Edwards vs. Chimaev.

Marcel Dorff of MMA DNA was the first to break the news that Cirkunov vs. Spann will take place on the undercard of the upcoming UFC Vegas 17 card, which takes place on December 19 at the UFC Apex. The main event of the card is an intriguing five-round welterweight bout between Leon Edwards and Khamzat Chimaev.

***BREAKING***

Misha Cirkunov (@MishaC911) vs. Ryan Spann (@Superman_Spann) set for #UFCVegas17 on December 19th in Las Vegas. pic.twitter.com/LAMinfPgwQ

— MMA DNA (@MMADNANL) November 17, 2020

***BREAKING*** Misha Cirkunov ( @MishaC911 ) vs. Ryan Spann ( @Superman_Spann ) set for #UFCVegas17 on December 19th in Las Vegas.

Cirkunov (15-5) is the No. 10 ranked light heavyweight in the UFC. The 33-year-old Canadian is 6-3 since joining the UFC back in 2015, with wins over Jimmy Crute, Pat Cummins, Nikita Krylov, Ion Cutelaba, Alex Nicholson, and Daniel Jolly. His three losses came against Johnny Walker, Glover Teixeira, and Volkan Oezdemir, with all three of those losses by stoppage. Cirkunov’s submission win over Crute by Peruvian necktie in September 2019 won him a 50k bonus for “Performance of the Night.”

Spann (18-6) is the No. 12 ranked light heavyweight in the UFC. The 29-year-old American saw an eight-fight win streak snapped in his last bout when he was knocked out by Johnny Walker. Prior to that, Spann was unbeaten in the Octagon with four wins in a row against Sam Alvey, Devin Clark, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, and Luis Henrique. In his career, he has 15 wins by stoppage, including 11 wins by submission, making this stylistic matchup against Cirkunov highly intriguing.

Look for close odds for this fight as both men are ranked around the same spot in the 205lbs rankings. The winner of this fight will be due for a top-10 opponent in their next fight, while the loser will be looking to stay afloat in the division’s top-15.

Who do you think wins, Misha Cirkunov or Ryan Spann?