Just two months into the new year, the UFC action has delivered in the handful of events that have taken place. This Saturday at UFC Vegas 70 live from the APEX in Las Vegas, things don’t appear to be slowing down. In the headliner, No. 8 Ryan Spann aims to climb the light heavyweight division ladder against No. 6 Nikita Krylov. Supporting as the co-main event is the unranked Brendan Allen as he hopes to secure a spot in the middleweight rankings with his battle against No.11 Andre Muniz. The preliminary card gets started at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN+, while the main card begins at 7 p.m. ET.
Watch UFC Vegas 70 Live
- When: Saturday, February 25, 2023
- Preliminary Card Start Time: 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT
- Main Card Start Time: 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT
- Location: UFC APEX – Las Vegas, Nevada
- UFC Vegas 70 Live Stream: ESPN+
One of the major stories at UFC Vegas 70 is the return of the undefeated Tatiana Suarez (9-0-0) who last fought in 2019. She got off to a 5-0 start in the UFC after debuting in 2016, taking down Alexa Grasso and Carla Esparza in the process. Her last appearance was a three-round unanimous decision victory over Nina Nunues before injuries kept her sidelined until now. She is a heavy favorite on the main card to win her contests against Montana De La Rosa. The line opened in her favor this week at -740.
In a late-week update, the preliminary card bout between Garrett Armfield and Jose Johnson was cancelled. As confirmed by Armfield himself, Johnson wasn’t cleared by the doctors, scrapping the fight from the card altogether.
Main Event Preview
Main events in the UFC are five rounds, but the headliner at UFC Vegas 70 live from the APEX likely won’t last nearly that long. Both Spann (21-7-0) and Krylov (29-9-0) are pace-pushers, with 15 and 22 first-round finishes respectively in their professional careers. Of course, their styles don’t always pay off, and they can find themselves defeated just as quickly as they defeat others. Nonetheless, they are exciting to watch, making this weekend’s headline bout one to watch.
Krylov’s resume in recent years reads like a list of division champions, featuring losses to Jan Blachowicz, Glover Teixeira, and Magomed Ankalaev. The quality of his opponents is a large contributing factor to his 4-4 record since 2018 during which he has collected key victories over Johnny Walker, Alexander Gustafsson, and most recently Volkan Oezdemir at UFC 280. If Krylov can be the kryptonite to “Superman”, he could possibly find himself just one fight away from the elusive title shot.
Spann’s time in the UFC may not have the list of opponents that Krylov’s does, but he’s put in the work, posting a 7-2 record since joining the promotion in 2018. Of the nine contests, six of those contests didn’t make it past the first round, including his last five in which his record is 3-2. Fortunately for him, the momentum is moving in the right direction as he submitted Ion Cutelaba and knocked out Dominick Reyes in 2022, putting him in the Top 10 of the division.
UFC Vegas 70 Fight Card and Odds
*Odds subject to change
Main Card
- #6 Nikita Krylov (-165) vs #8 Ryan Spann (+140) – Light Heavyweight
- #11 Andre Muniz (-190) vs Brendan Allen (+160) – Middleweight
- Augusto Sakai (-115) vs Don’tale Mayes (-105) – Heavyweight
- Tatiana Suarez (-740) vs Montana De La Rosa (+540) – Women’s Flyweight
- Mike Malott (-215) vs Yohan Lainesse (+185) – Welterweight
Preliminary Card
- Jasmine Jasudavicius (+105) vs Gabriella Fernandes (-125) – Women’s Flyweight
- Jordan Leavitt (-120) vs Victor Martinez (+100) – Lightweight
- Joe Solecki (-580) vs Carl Deaton (+440) – Lightweight
- Ode’ Osbourne (+160) vs Charles Johnson (-190) – Catchweight
- Rafael Alves (+160) vs Nurullo (-190) – Lightweight
- Hailey Cowan (-120) vs Ailin Perez (+100) – Women’s Bantamweight
- Jose Johnson (–) vs Garrett Armfield (–) – Bantamweight – CANCELLED
- Erick Gonzalez (+185) vs Trevor Peek (-215) – Lightweight
