Ryan Spann says the same mistake has led to all seven of his losses

LAS VEGAS – If Ryan Spann’s theory is accurate, if he’s gotten out of his own way come Saturday, Ion Cutelaba could be in some trouble.

Spann (19-7 MMA, 5-2 UFC) fights Cutelaba (16-6-1 MMA, 5-5-1 UFC) in the UFC on ESPN 36 light heavyweight co-main event. He’ll be trying to rebound from a first-round submission loss to former title challenger Anthony Smith this past fall.

But Spann said all seven of the losses in his career, five of which have been by stoppage, can be attributed to one thing.

“That (losing) sh*t is for the birds, man. I like winning, so we’re going to take our time and do it right,” Spann said at Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN 36 media day. “I have to get out of my way. … All of this is a part of my life. Generally speaking, in life I just had to get out of my way. There are lessons in everything. My lesson I’ve learned, and I’ve had to learn it seven times now, is to get out of my f*cking way.”

UFC on ESPN 36 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card airs on ESPN2 and streams on ESPN+ following prelims on ESPN2/ESPN+.

Check out the full pre-fight interview with Spann in the video above.