Unable to find fights at light heavyweight, UFC veteran Dan “Dragon” Spohn (11-4) is moving on up.
The Ohio native has decided to bump up to heavyweight, and he already has his first fight set, as he’ll travel to Philadelphia on Dec. 4 to challenge Azunna Anyanwu (9-3) for the Cage Fury Fighting Championships heavyweight title at CFFC 53.
Spohn competed on the 19th season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” and he made headlines when his record-setting 10-second knockout earned him a spot in “the house.” Spohn went on to make it to the semifinals in the tournament, but he received his release from the UFC after losing to Patrick Walsh on the live finale last summer.
Since appearing on the show, Spohn is 3-0, as he has earned victories over Michael Cockerham, Marcus Finch, and Lewis Rumsey in his return to regional competition.
But an inability to consistently find fights at light heavyweight has left the Columbus resident with a tough choice, and he decided to make the jump to the higher weight division.
He’ll face CFFC champ Anyanwu, a Philadelphia native who earned the title with a split decision victory over Plinio Cruz at CFFC 50 in July. The onetime Bellator veteran has earned seven of his victories via stoppage, including four via knockout and three via submission.
Spohn made the announcement on his Facebook fan page last week:
“#DragonFans it’s on December 4th in Philadelphia PA! I’ll be moving to heavyweight to fight Azunna Anyanwu for the Cage Fury Fighting Championships heavyweight title. More info coming soon!”