Paul Craig vs. Ryan Spann announced for UFC London

Paul Craig is going from fighting a living legend to a potential future title contender.

Officials announced Thursday that Craig (12-4-1) will face Ryan Spann (17-5) in a light heavyweight bout at the UFC’s return to London on March 21.

In his last appearance, Craig fought former UFC champion Mauricio Rua at UFC Sao Paulo in November. The bout was declared a split draw, leaving Scotland’s “Bearjew” with a 2-1-1 record in 2019. He scored submission wins over Vinicius Moreira and Kennedy Nzechukwu earlier this year.

Spann, a Contender Series contract winner, is 3-0 since debuting with the UFC in September 2018. After winning a decision over Luis Henrique, he defeated Antonio Rogerio Nogueira by first-round knockout and followed that with a second-round submission of Devin Clark in October.

UFC London takes place at O2 Arena, with a headliner yet to be announced. The main card will air live on the ESPN+ streaming service.