The Rise and Resurgence of Tyrone Spong: From Kickboxing King to MMA Prospect

Remember when Tyrone Spong was the scariest man in combat sports that most casual fans had never heard of? The Surinamese-Dutch striking phenom was tearing through kickboxing’s elite while simultaneously building a boxing record and flirting with an MMA career that had hardcore fans salivating.

If you trained at the legendary Blackzilians gym in the early 2010s, you knew exactly how dangerous “The King of the Ring” truly was. Just ask former UFC champions like Rashad Evans and Anthony Johnson, who regularly shared mat space with the striking specialist.

From K-1 Glory to the Blackzilians

Spong built his reputation with devastating performances in K-1 and GLORY, establishing himself as one of the most feared kickboxers on the planet. His thunderous leg kicks and blistering hand combinations left opponents crumpled and fans mesmerized.

But what made Spong truly fascinating was his versatility and ambition. While dominating kickboxing, he began training alongside UFC elites at the Blackzilians camp in Florida. The squad, which included Rashad Evans, Anthony Johnson, and Vitor Belfort, embraced Spong as he expanded his skillset.

I remember watching footage of their sparring sessions and thinking, “If this guy commits to MMA full-time, the heavyweight division is in serious trouble.”

The MMA Experiment That Almost Was

Spong did dip his toes into MMA waters, compiling a 2-0 record with World Series of Fighting between 2012 and 2013. Both wins came via knockout, naturally. The combat sports world buzzed with speculation about his potential ceiling in the sport.

Would he be the next high-level striker to successfully transition to MMA? Could he follow the path of fighters like Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira, who parlayed kickboxing success into UFC gold?

The questions remained unanswered as Spong decided to pursue professional boxing instead, amassing an impressive 14-0 record with 13 knockouts between 2015 and 2019.

What Could Have Been in the UFC

The question that still haunts MMA fans: What if Spong had fully committed to mixed martial arts? His training partners at the Blackzilians saw his potential firsthand.

“Tyrone was a different animal,” former UFC champion Rashad Evans once said. “His striking was so advanced compared to most MMA fighters. When he started picking up wrestling and grappling concepts, you could see the potential was limitless.”

The UFC’s heavyweight division during that era featured formidable strikers like Junior dos Santos and devastating wrestlers like Cain Velasquez. Where would Spong have fit in that landscape? We’ll never know for certain, but his fellow Blackzilians believed he had championship potential.

The Current Chapter

After a failed drug test derailed a high-profile boxing match against Oleksandr Usyk in 2019, Spong has remained active in both boxing and bare-knuckle fighting. At 38, he’s still showing flashes of the devastating striker who once terrorized the kickboxing world.

But for MMA fans, there will always be that lingering “what if” – what if the kickboxing king had fully embraced the cage? What if the Blackzilians’ secret weapon had been unleashed on the UFC’s heavyweight division?

You can’t help but imagine an alternate timeline where Spong stands across the octagon from Francis Ngannou or Stipe Miocic with UFC gold on the line. Sometimes the most intriguing MMA stories are the ones that never fully materialized.

The Legacy of Combat Crossovers

Spong remains one of combat sports’ most intriguing “what if” stories – a multi-discipline threat who dominated in kickboxing, looked promising in MMA, and remains undefeated in boxing. His career reminds us of how difficult it is to truly excel across different combat sports simultaneously.

While fighters like Adesanya and Pereira eventually found their greatest success by focusing exclusively on MMA, Spong’s journey took a different path. Yet his influence on the Blackzilians camp and his brief MMA career remain significant parts of combat sports lore.

What do you think? Would Tyrone Spong have become a UFC champion if he’d fully committed to MMA? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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