MMA News Thread
- Thread starter Shogun Locc
- Start date
Kickboxing champ Tyrone Spong considering MMA debut, promises title run
Sick and tired of lay-and-pray? Tyrone Spong might just be your new favorite fighter.
The soon-to-be-26-year-old Dutch-Surinamese kickboxer, who opened his striking career unbeaten in his first 65 outings, may soon make the transition to mixed martial arts in the U.S.
If (when) he does, Spong has one promise: You will be entertained.
"The American fans have shown me a lot of love and a lot of respect," Spong recently told MMAjunkie.com. "They motivate me. It's guys like that help you keep pushing to get better. If I do come here to the U.S. to do MMA, I will entertain you. That's a promise."
Long a staple of the kickboxing scene, MMA fans recently took notice of the knockout artist after he defeated Ray Sefo in a K-1 bout this past October and then took a much-larger Alistair Overeem to a hard-fought decision in a December 2010 K-1 World Grand Prix quarterfinal contest.
Spong was then linked to former UFC champ Rashad Evans, who worked with the striking expert in preparation for a UFC 133 bout with Tito Ortiz. Spong said he took the time working with "The Blackzilians" to pick up a few groundfighting techniques in preparation for a potential move to MMA.
Spong hasn't made a firm commitment to switch over, but he said those around him are encouraging him to consider the shift.
"Everybody is very enthusiastic about it, so I'm just taking it one step at a time," Spong said. "I've had some big organizations offer me some stuff, but I don't know where my head is right now. I'm just orientating myself and taking it one step at time."
It's not the first time Spong has considered a move away from his core discipline. A few years back, Spong said he was offered a contract to box. But even then, he was toying with the idea of MMA. He ultimately elected to remain a kickboxer, but he said the confidence shown in him by some of boxing's elite proved to him that the sky was the limit when it came to his future.
"The first time I thought about trying MMA was about five years ago," Spong said. "I came into the States and trained with Floyd Mayweather Sr. for almost three months in Las Vegas. Before I was there, I was in Miami and trained with the Gracies. They told me I should start thinking about MMA because I was picking up the ground game very quickly. At the same time, when I was working in Vegas, Floyd Sr. and Bob Arum wanted to offer me a three-year contract for boxing, only. At that moment, realized I know how to adjust.
"When I train, I pick up things very fast. I can do anything in fighting, in this game. It's just about how you adjust and how you utilize your abilities. At a certain level, it just comes down to how talented you are. I think I'm very talented, and I want to prove it."
Of course, Spong wouldn't be the first high-level striker to transition to MMA, and many have them have struggle to pick up both the submission techniques necessary to survive on the ground and the wrestling prowess necessary to keep the action on the feet.
Spong said he knows the transition won't be easy, but he also feels he possesses the necessary athletic ability and work ethic to take on an entirely new set of skills.
"I believe in myself, and I believe I can do everything," Spong said. "I'm blessed with some God-given abilities, and I think I have a good chance to be very successful in MMA. One big advantage I believe I have is my ability to adjust. I don't think other strikers who have tried MMA necessarily had that same ability. I think that will make the difference.
"You've got to adjust because it's another game. If you know the rules of the game, if you know how to play the game, then it's an easy game. Try to know the game and understand and adjust. You can't stand the same in a kickboxing fight or a boxing fight. It's an entirely different stance because you have to defend the takedown. I think I can make those adjustments."
Spong said he doesn't have any targeted date for his potential MMA debut. Instead, he's going to wrap up a few commitments in the kickboxing world and then evaluate his opportunities. He knows nothing will come easy, but then again, that's just the way he likes it.
"I like a challenge," Spong said. "Throughout my whole career, I have always searched for new challenges. That's why I moved up in weight, too. I started out as a welterweight. I was very small. I became champion. When I was champion of a weight division and couldn't find a challenger, I moved up. Now I'm world champion in six different weightclasses.
"I'm a nine-time world champion. The only thing missing for me was the K-1 heavyweight grand prix world title. I was very close last year. I fought a hell of a fight with Alistair Overeem. He beat me by decision.
"I'm looking forward to trying MMA. It is a challenge, for sure. It's MMA. It's not my thing. But I think I can master it and do it well."
In the meantime, Spong will split his time between his residence in Holland and in Florida with "The Blackzilians" of Imperial Athletics. But when he finally decided the time is right, Spon said he won't be happy until he's wearing MMA gold around his waist.
"Everything I do, I do it to be the best at it," Spong said. "If I compete, I don't think – I know for sure – that I will get a title for sure. Otherwise, it doesn't make sense for me to compete in a sport. Why should I compete in a sport if I don't want to be a champion? I want to be the best at it.
"If I do try MMA, I know I will get a title."
Sick and tired of lay-and-pray? Tyrone Spong might just be your new favorite fighter.
The soon-to-be-26-year-old Dutch-Surinamese kickboxer, who opened his striking career unbeaten in his first 65 outings, may soon make the transition to mixed martial arts in the U.S.
If (when) he does, Spong has one promise: You will be entertained.
"The American fans have shown me a lot of love and a lot of respect," Spong recently told MMAjunkie.com. "They motivate me. It's guys like that help you keep pushing to get better. If I do come here to the U.S. to do MMA, I will entertain you. That's a promise."
Long a staple of the kickboxing scene, MMA fans recently took notice of the knockout artist after he defeated Ray Sefo in a K-1 bout this past October and then took a much-larger Alistair Overeem to a hard-fought decision in a December 2010 K-1 World Grand Prix quarterfinal contest.
Spong was then linked to former UFC champ Rashad Evans, who worked with the striking expert in preparation for a UFC 133 bout with Tito Ortiz. Spong said he took the time working with "The Blackzilians" to pick up a few groundfighting techniques in preparation for a potential move to MMA.
Spong hasn't made a firm commitment to switch over, but he said those around him are encouraging him to consider the shift.
"Everybody is very enthusiastic about it, so I'm just taking it one step at a time," Spong said. "I've had some big organizations offer me some stuff, but I don't know where my head is right now. I'm just orientating myself and taking it one step at time."
It's not the first time Spong has considered a move away from his core discipline. A few years back, Spong said he was offered a contract to box. But even then, he was toying with the idea of MMA. He ultimately elected to remain a kickboxer, but he said the confidence shown in him by some of boxing's elite proved to him that the sky was the limit when it came to his future.
"The first time I thought about trying MMA was about five years ago," Spong said. "I came into the States and trained with Floyd Mayweather Sr. for almost three months in Las Vegas. Before I was there, I was in Miami and trained with the Gracies. They told me I should start thinking about MMA because I was picking up the ground game very quickly. At the same time, when I was working in Vegas, Floyd Sr. and Bob Arum wanted to offer me a three-year contract for boxing, only. At that moment, realized I know how to adjust.
"When I train, I pick up things very fast. I can do anything in fighting, in this game. It's just about how you adjust and how you utilize your abilities. At a certain level, it just comes down to how talented you are. I think I'm very talented, and I want to prove it."
Of course, Spong wouldn't be the first high-level striker to transition to MMA, and many have them have struggle to pick up both the submission techniques necessary to survive on the ground and the wrestling prowess necessary to keep the action on the feet.
Spong said he knows the transition won't be easy, but he also feels he possesses the necessary athletic ability and work ethic to take on an entirely new set of skills.
"I believe in myself, and I believe I can do everything," Spong said. "I'm blessed with some God-given abilities, and I think I have a good chance to be very successful in MMA. One big advantage I believe I have is my ability to adjust. I don't think other strikers who have tried MMA necessarily had that same ability. I think that will make the difference.
"You've got to adjust because it's another game. If you know the rules of the game, if you know how to play the game, then it's an easy game. Try to know the game and understand and adjust. You can't stand the same in a kickboxing fight or a boxing fight. It's an entirely different stance because you have to defend the takedown. I think I can make those adjustments."
Spong said he doesn't have any targeted date for his potential MMA debut. Instead, he's going to wrap up a few commitments in the kickboxing world and then evaluate his opportunities. He knows nothing will come easy, but then again, that's just the way he likes it.
"I like a challenge," Spong said. "Throughout my whole career, I have always searched for new challenges. That's why I moved up in weight, too. I started out as a welterweight. I was very small. I became champion. When I was champion of a weight division and couldn't find a challenger, I moved up. Now I'm world champion in six different weightclasses.
"I'm a nine-time world champion. The only thing missing for me was the K-1 heavyweight grand prix world title. I was very close last year. I fought a hell of a fight with Alistair Overeem. He beat me by decision.
"I'm looking forward to trying MMA. It is a challenge, for sure. It's MMA. It's not my thing. But I think I can master it and do it well."
In the meantime, Spong will split his time between his residence in Holland and in Florida with "The Blackzilians" of Imperial Athletics. But when he finally decided the time is right, Spon said he won't be happy until he's wearing MMA gold around his waist.
"Everything I do, I do it to be the best at it," Spong said. "If I compete, I don't think – I know for sure – that I will get a title for sure. Otherwise, it doesn't make sense for me to compete in a sport. Why should I compete in a sport if I don't want to be a champion? I want to be the best at it.
"If I do try MMA, I know I will get a title."
hell yeah, HDNet's going to show DREAM.17 live!!
September 24th
Welterweight bout: Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Yan Cabral
Middleweight bout: Kazuhiro Nakamura vs. Gerald Harris
Bantamweight Tournament Quarterfinal bout: Hideo Tokoro vs. Antonio Banuelos
Bantamweight Tournament Quarterfinal bout: Bibiano Fernandes vs. Takafumi Otsuka
Bantamweight Tournament Quarterfinal bout: Masakazu Imanari vs. Abel Cullum
Bantamweight Tournament Quarterfinal bout: Rodolfo Marques vs. Yusup Saadulaev
Featherweight bout: Tatsuya "Crusher" Kawajiri vs. Joachim "Hellboy" Hansen
Lightweight bout: Shinya Aoki vs. "Razor" Rob McCullough
Lightweight bout: Satoru Kitaoka vs. Willamy Freire
Featherweight bout: "Lion" Takeshi Inoue vs. Caol Uno
September 24th
Welterweight bout: Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Yan Cabral
Middleweight bout: Kazuhiro Nakamura vs. Gerald Harris
Bantamweight Tournament Quarterfinal bout: Hideo Tokoro vs. Antonio Banuelos
Bantamweight Tournament Quarterfinal bout: Bibiano Fernandes vs. Takafumi Otsuka
Bantamweight Tournament Quarterfinal bout: Masakazu Imanari vs. Abel Cullum
Bantamweight Tournament Quarterfinal bout: Rodolfo Marques vs. Yusup Saadulaev
Featherweight bout: Tatsuya "Crusher" Kawajiri vs. Joachim "Hellboy" Hansen
Lightweight bout: Shinya Aoki vs. "Razor" Rob McCullough
Lightweight bout: Satoru Kitaoka vs. Willamy Freire
Featherweight bout: "Lion" Takeshi Inoue vs. Caol Uno
all I know is that he's 30 and trains with BJ lol.
UFC 138 main card set with five bouts
The televised main card is set for next month's UFC 138 event.
The overseas show, which airs via same-day delay on Spike TV, features five main-card bouts, including a middleweight headliner between Mark Munoz and Chris Leben.
UFC 138 takes place Nov. 5 at LG Arena at National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, England.
The event's preliminary card is expected to stream on Facebook.
In addition to Leben (26-7 MMA, 12-6 UFC) vs. Munoz (11-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC), the main card features bantamweights Brad Pickett (20-5 MMA, 0-0 UFC) vs. Renan Barao (26-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC), welterweights Thiago Alves (18-8 MMA, 10-5 UFC) vs. Papy Abedi (8-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC), lightweights Anthony Njokuani (14-5 MMA, 1-1 UFC) vs. Paul Taylor (11-6-1 MMA, 4-5 UFC), and welterweights Matt Brown (12-10 MMA, 5-4 UFC) vs. John Hathaway (15-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC).
In addition to the main card, officials have finalized a preliminary-card fight between heavyweights Phillip De Fries (7-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) and Oli Thompson (9-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC).
The latest UFC 138 card now includes:
MAIN CARD (Spike TV)
Chris Leben vs. Mark Munoz
Renan Barao vs. Brad Pickett
Papy Abedi vs. Thiago Alves
Anthony Njokuani vs. Paul Taylor
Matt Brown vs. John Hathaway
PRELIMINARY CARD
Terry Etim vs. Edward Faaloloto
Cyrille Diabate vs. Anthony Perosh
Michihiro Omigawa vs. Jason Young
Philip De Fries vs. Oli Thompson
Chris Cope vs. Che Mills
Chris Cariaso vs. Vaughan Lee
James Head vs. Mark Scanlon
UFC 138 main card set with five bouts
The televised main card is set for next month's UFC 138 event.
The overseas show, which airs via same-day delay on Spike TV, features five main-card bouts, including a middleweight headliner between Mark Munoz and Chris Leben.
UFC 138 takes place Nov. 5 at LG Arena at National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, England.
The event's preliminary card is expected to stream on Facebook.
In addition to Leben (26-7 MMA, 12-6 UFC) vs. Munoz (11-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC), the main card features bantamweights Brad Pickett (20-5 MMA, 0-0 UFC) vs. Renan Barao (26-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC), welterweights Thiago Alves (18-8 MMA, 10-5 UFC) vs. Papy Abedi (8-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC), lightweights Anthony Njokuani (14-5 MMA, 1-1 UFC) vs. Paul Taylor (11-6-1 MMA, 4-5 UFC), and welterweights Matt Brown (12-10 MMA, 5-4 UFC) vs. John Hathaway (15-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC).
In addition to the main card, officials have finalized a preliminary-card fight between heavyweights Phillip De Fries (7-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) and Oli Thompson (9-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC).
The latest UFC 138 card now includes:
MAIN CARD (Spike TV)
Chris Leben vs. Mark Munoz
Renan Barao vs. Brad Pickett
Papy Abedi vs. Thiago Alves
Anthony Njokuani vs. Paul Taylor
Matt Brown vs. John Hathaway
PRELIMINARY CARD
Terry Etim vs. Edward Faaloloto
Cyrille Diabate vs. Anthony Perosh
Michihiro Omigawa vs. Jason Young
Philip De Fries vs. Oli Thompson
Chris Cope vs. Che Mills
Chris Cariaso vs. Vaughan Lee
James Head vs. Mark Scanlon
Nick Diaz Pulls a Nick Diaz, No-Showing for UFC 137 Press Week and Losing Title Shot Against GSP to Carlos Condit
You would think Nick Diaz would have taken Dana White’s warning that he better start “playing the game” when he re-signed him to the UFC. Apparently he doesn’t know the two golden rules: One, Dana White always wins and two, Dana White never forgets.
Case in point, after not showing up for a scheduled press conference in Toronto on Tuesday, Diaz once again went MIA for another presser today in Las Vegas, and as a result White yanked away his UFC 137 title shot against Georges St-Pierre and instead gave it to former WEC welterweight champion Carlos Condit.
An obviously infuriated White, who said that in 1600 events he has promoted he has never had such issues with unprofessionalism with a fighter, broke the news via a highlight reel featuring Condit and St-Pierre. He explained that they twice rescheduled Diaz’s flight and that neither he nor Nick’s longtime trainer Cesar Gracie have been able to reach the sociopathic former Strikeforce champion since Monday. During the event today, Gracie called White to tell him he agrees wholeheartedly with his decision to swap opponents and apologized for his fighter’s lack of professionalism. White revealed that Gracie had Diaz cornered in his house after he finally found the AWOL fighter on Monday and that Diaz snuck out the back door when his coach’s back was turned. Gracie has been chasing him all over Stockton ever since.
St-Pierre, who says he has never trained with Condit despite being under the same Team Jackson banner, believes that “The Natural Born Killer” is a more well-rounded opponent than Diaz and it’s unlikely that he will have to worry about him dropping out of the fight.
“I want to say thank-you to Carlos for stepping up and taking the big fight,” St-Pierre said.
As far as Condit’s scheduled UFC 137 opponent, BJ Penn, White said that he hasn’t told the former UFC lightweight and welterweight champion that the fight is off, but said he has another opponent in the works for “The Prodigy” that will make people say he’s crazy if he gets it done.
White stopped short of saying whether or not Diaz would be cut for his actions, but judging by the damage he’s caused from tickets having to be reprinted to new ads and trailers having to be cut, there’s a pretty good chance.
You would think Nick Diaz would have taken Dana White’s warning that he better start “playing the game” when he re-signed him to the UFC. Apparently he doesn’t know the two golden rules: One, Dana White always wins and two, Dana White never forgets.
Case in point, after not showing up for a scheduled press conference in Toronto on Tuesday, Diaz once again went MIA for another presser today in Las Vegas, and as a result White yanked away his UFC 137 title shot against Georges St-Pierre and instead gave it to former WEC welterweight champion Carlos Condit.
An obviously infuriated White, who said that in 1600 events he has promoted he has never had such issues with unprofessionalism with a fighter, broke the news via a highlight reel featuring Condit and St-Pierre. He explained that they twice rescheduled Diaz’s flight and that neither he nor Nick’s longtime trainer Cesar Gracie have been able to reach the sociopathic former Strikeforce champion since Monday. During the event today, Gracie called White to tell him he agrees wholeheartedly with his decision to swap opponents and apologized for his fighter’s lack of professionalism. White revealed that Gracie had Diaz cornered in his house after he finally found the AWOL fighter on Monday and that Diaz snuck out the back door when his coach’s back was turned. Gracie has been chasing him all over Stockton ever since.
St-Pierre, who says he has never trained with Condit despite being under the same Team Jackson banner, believes that “The Natural Born Killer” is a more well-rounded opponent than Diaz and it’s unlikely that he will have to worry about him dropping out of the fight.
“I want to say thank-you to Carlos for stepping up and taking the big fight,” St-Pierre said.
As far as Condit’s scheduled UFC 137 opponent, BJ Penn, White said that he hasn’t told the former UFC lightweight and welterweight champion that the fight is off, but said he has another opponent in the works for “The Prodigy” that will make people say he’s crazy if he gets it done.
White stopped short of saying whether or not Diaz would be cut for his actions, but judging by the damage he’s caused from tickets having to be reprinted to new ads and trailers having to be cut, there’s a pretty good chance.
Jon Fitch vs. Johny Hendricks targeted for December's UFC 141 event
A welterweight matchup between perennial contender Jon Fitch (23-3-1 MMA, 13-1-1 UFC) and fast-rising prospect Johny Hendricks (11-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) is in the works for December's UFC 141 event.
UFC officials today announced the bout.
As MMAjunkie.com first reported, Fitch and Hendricks were originally linked together for a possible appearance at UFC 139 but instead meet at UFC 141.
UFC officials have since confirmed the booking.
Featuring a heavyweight main event between Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem, UFC 141 takes place on Dec. 30 at Las Vegas' MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Fitch fights for the first time since a February draw with B.J. Penn. The two were expected to meet in a rematch at this summer's UFC 132 event, but Fitch was forced to withdraw from the contest due to injury. Penn has since been matched up with Nick Diaz at UFC 137.
Meanwhile, Hendricks looks to build on the the strength of back-to-back wins over Mike Pierce and T.J. Waldburger. The four-time All-American wrestler has lost just once as a professional, but the bout with Fitch provides his highest-ranked opponent to date.
A welterweight matchup between perennial contender Jon Fitch (23-3-1 MMA, 13-1-1 UFC) and fast-rising prospect Johny Hendricks (11-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) is in the works for December's UFC 141 event.
UFC officials today announced the bout.
As MMAjunkie.com first reported, Fitch and Hendricks were originally linked together for a possible appearance at UFC 139 but instead meet at UFC 141.
UFC officials have since confirmed the booking.
Featuring a heavyweight main event between Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem, UFC 141 takes place on Dec. 30 at Las Vegas' MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Fitch fights for the first time since a February draw with B.J. Penn. The two were expected to meet in a rematch at this summer's UFC 132 event, but Fitch was forced to withdraw from the contest due to injury. Penn has since been matched up with Nick Diaz at UFC 137.
Meanwhile, Hendricks looks to build on the the strength of back-to-back wins over Mike Pierce and T.J. Waldburger. The four-time All-American wrestler has lost just once as a professional, but the bout with Fitch provides his highest-ranked opponent to date.