Former boxing and kickboxing champion Tyrone Spong was a scorching commodity within the fight sports activities house within the 2010’s, coaching with UFC stars at fBlackzilians and contemplating a transfer to MMA to hitch the UFC. He went 2-0 within the sport beneath the World Sequence of Combating umbrella, however opted to pursue different avenues in kickboxing and boxing as an alternative.
A decade later, as he prepares for his Karate Fight title match with Sam Alvey in Dubai on Could 2, Spong displays on what his profession might have been.
“At the moment, I had a great contact and conferences with the UFC, with Dana White,” Spong advised MMA Combating. “I really like what Dana’s doing. I feel by far he’s the most effective promoter in fight sports activities. However at the moment I used to be the person on the town. I had so many choices, which is a blessing and a curse on the similar time as a result of it makes you indecisive.”
Spong received 12 of 13 kickboxing matches in a span three years, the identical interval during which he received two MMA bouts. The one kickboxing loss was a leg harm that saved him on the sidelines for nearly a 12 months earlier than he transitioned to boxing in 2015. Spong then received 14 boxing matches in a row with 13 knockouts. He paused his profession in 2019 and solely returned three years later, giving MMA one other attempt however dropping to longtime veteran Sergei Kharitonov at Eagle FC.
“I used to be combating MMA, boxing, kickboxing, all collectively,” Spong stated of the time he had conversations with the UFC. “I feel if you wish to go into the UFC, it’s important to solely give attention to that. One, as a result of the extent of competitors. And two, I didn’t need that at the moment as a result of I had these different nice choices, objectives and achievements. And whenever you signal there, you’re caught on that contract. At the moment, the cash and being caught there was not price it for me. However like I stated, if it makes {dollars}, it is smart, and the problem is correct, why not?”
If the value is correct, Spong would take into account going again to MMA sooner or later, however he’s now centered on competing for Karate Fight.
“My final MMA combat I did from an extended layoff, very quick preparation time,” Spong stated. “If it’s attention-grabbing, why not? Like I stated, I’m all about difficult myself and defeating the percentages. That’s the story of my life. I’ve defeated the percentages loads of instances and that’s the pink line in my life and my drive. We’ll see.”
Fellow kickboxer Artem Vakhitov was the most recent pure striker to think about leaving GLORY for MMA, chasing fellow opponent Alex Pereira to the octagon. He had an opportunity on Dana White’s Contender Sequence, and got here out victorious, however turned down the contract provided to as an alternative return to GLORY to face their celebrity Rico Verhoeven.
“I perceive the UFC runs their firm in accordance with a sure enterprise mannequin,” stated Spong, who educated with Vakhitov earlier than his DWCS combat. “I do assume that there are some [exceptions], they do some stuff in a different way for sure folks. Artem is a man that completed rather a lot. I feel he beat their champion — or their ex-champion — a couple of times. Excellent fights, shut fights. He wins the Contender Sequence and you then wish to give him a contract on the identical worth of simply each different man? I imply, the man has a reputation. I don’t know his enterprise, I don’t know his life scenario, but when he turns it down, it was in all probability not attention-grabbing for him.
“So I feel he stands by his choice. Was it the best name? Solely he is aware of, I can’t reply for him, however if you happen to made that call, it was in all probability the best choice for him.”
Spong, who turns 40 in September, doesn’t assume that will have occurred with him.
“I’m fairly certain I might get a greater supply from the UFC,” Spong stated. “I imagine so as a result of I do know what was provided to me years in the past. It was not a bullshit supply. I received’t go into particulars, but it surely was not a nasty supply. Under no circumstances. It was not unhealthy, however like I stated, I had so many choices the place I might do extra and had extra challenges and cement my legacy in fight sports activities typically that I opted to not take it at the moment.
“Do I remorse it? What ifs don’t rely. It occurred. I didn’t do it at the moment. For those who go and assume, what if I had achieved it? For those who take a look at sure guys, and the successes that they’ve whereas I do know that, as a fighter you’re assured, the place I do know that I might beat these guys. Possibly I made the unsuitable choice, possibly not. Who is aware of? We’ll by no means know.”
