Spann-Cutelaba UFC Fight Night 202 Co-Main Postponed Due to Spann Injury

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A big Ultimate Fighting Championship bout at 205 pounds will have to wait a bit longer.

In the light heavyweight division, Ryan Spann (19-7) and Ion Cutelaba (16-6-1) were set to throw down at UFC Fight Night 202 on Feb. 26. The 205-pound banger has been postponed as of Thursday, when Sherdog learned of the fight’s removal from the UFC Apex-based card. Cutelaba has since posted on his Instagram that Spann suffered an injury, and that the fight will be pushed back to a later date instead of seeking a replacement opponent.

Spann was looking to get back in the win column after alternating victories and setbacks in his last four. While he has beaten Sam Alvey and Misha Cirkunov in the last two years, a pair of first-round stoppages against Johnny Walker and Anthony Smith has blunted his momentum as of late. “Superman” burst on to the scene in a trio of first-round destructions of LeMarcus Tucker, Myron Daniels and Alex Nicholson under the Legacy Fighting Alliance banner to earn a place on the second season of Dana White's Contender Series. Spann made good on his second effort to earn a contract, tapping Emiliano Sordi in less than 30 seconds to snag a place on the roster.

Moldova’s Cutelaba pocketed the second decision win of his career in his last time out by dominating Devin Clark over three hard rounds in September 2021. The triumph put an end to a three-fight streak without a win for “The Hulk,” who succumbed to two knockouts by Magomed Ankalaev and fought to a draw with Dustin Jacoby. While Spann celebrates a career finish rate of 84%, Cutelaba one-ups him in this regard with 87% of his wins coming inside the distance.

UFC Fight Night 202 will carry on at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Feb. 26, and the new co-headliner has not yet been determined. The marquee matchup on the event comes in the lightweight division between Islam Makhachev and Beneil Dariush in a potential title eliminator. Additional main card tilts include a middleweight battle between Cirkunov and Wellington Turman, and lightweight delight pitting Arman Tsarukyan against Joel Alvarez.