Spann’s effort is particularly noteworthy because Nzechukwu really does feel like the little brother in that particular light heavyweight set of siblings. He’s the same height as his Top 10-ranked teammate, with a longer reach, while similarly carrying nasty power in both hands.
While he doesn’t have Spann’s arsenal of chokes, the Nigerian-born emerging talent has shown impressive resiliency, and continues to make strides in all areas of his game with each subsequent appearance.
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In discussing Spann’s performance, I asked Nzechukwu if Saud came into the gym on Monday and told him that he’s more than capable of turning in a similar effort this weekend and every time he steps into the Octagon.
“He always says that!” he said with a laugh. “I don’t think he said it Monday, but he always says we’re destined for greatness and we’re capable doing great things if we just lock in and pay attention.”
For the longest time, Nzechukwu wasn’t quite sure what his coach was talking about, but over the last couple of fights, things have really started to click, and he expects to show that on Saturday.
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“I never understood what he meant about paying attention, but now I can see it with the experience that I’m racking up,” he said. “I can see what he meant because sometimes we get into our own heads, feel like we can do this on our own, but nothing ever works out good that way.
“This fight with Ion Cutelaba, I’m going to perform even better because of all the experience that I’ve racked up,” he added. “I’ve learned. I don’t just win or suffer losses and forget about it — I watch the tape, I learn from it, and I’m going to be a different animal on Saturday night.”
And what exactly does that look like this weekend?
“I just have to have fun,” said Nzechukwu. “If I have fun, I win, every single time.
“Go there, have fun, win, and then fly back and take these kids to bible study on Sunday morning; give God all the glory.”
