Marcus Buchecha vs. Ryan Spann prediction, pick for UFC Fight Night 274

Marcus Buchecha and Ryan Spann meet in the UFC Fight Night 274 main card opener Saturday at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom.

• Last event's results: 3-2
• UFC main cards, 2026: 36-19

Marcus Buchecha vs. Ryan Spann UFC Fight Night 274 preview

Buchecha (5-2-1 MMA, 0-1-1 UFC) will look for his first UFC win after a decision loss and a draw in his first two appearances. The high-level grappler's last win came by submission against Amir Aliakbari at ONE 169 in November 2024.

Spann (23-11 MMA, 9-6 UFC) continues his heavyweight journey, looking to build upon a first-round submission of Lukasz Brzeski at UFC 318 last July. He's 1-1 at heavyweight so far, with his first appearance being a second-round loss to Waldo Cortes-Acosta last March.

Marcus Buchecha vs. Ryan Spann UFC Fight Night 274 expert pick, prediction

Despite having a decent selection of lighter-weight action fights to choose from, it wouldn't be an Apex Fight Night if Mick Maynard and Sean Shelby didn't force-feed us big guy circus bouts on the main card.

Luckily for the matchmakers, this fight will likely be wild for as long as it lasts.

Buchecha, who was initially slated to face Max Gimenis, will now face a short-notice replacement in Spann.

Spann is coming off his first win up at heavyweight, but I'm not sure that this move up will benefit a fighter who is notorious for not taking training as seriously as he should.

It's a tricky fight to call given that Spann will be incredibly live to win early. However, between the smaller cage and shorter notice for Spann, I have to side with the superior submission grappler in Buchecha.

The pick is for Buchecha to secure a submission by the end of Round 1.

Marcus Buchecha vs. Ryan Spann UFC Fight Night 274 odds

The oddsmakers and the public favor the Brazilian fighter, listing Buchecha -136 and Spann +116 via FanDuel.

Marcus Buchecha vs. Ryan Spann UFC Fight Night 274 start time, how to watch

As the main card opener, Buchecha and Spann are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 8:10 p.m. ET. The fight streams live on .