Tyrone Spong set to make MMA debut for Titan FC November 2nd
Posted on September 5, 2012, 09:26 PM by Mike DrahotaFormer K-1 kickboxer Tyrone Spong is making his way into the MMA arena this fall. With a weight cut down to 205 lbs. Spong will make his debut for Titan FC this November 2nd. Spong has been training with Rashad Evans, Alistair Overeem and the rest of the Blackzillians in Florida in preparation for his MMA debut. The former It's Showtime! champion is rightfully regarded as one of the finest pure strikers immediately upon his entry into the sport, as he narrowly lost a K-1 Grand Prix bout to Overeem when The Demolition Man claimed the title in late 2010.
No opponent has been named for Spong's debut, which will take place on Hammond, Indiana. Spong could make a mark upon the sport if he can show some wrestling and submission defense. MMA is far from kickboxing as we know, but Spong has some great training partners to help him along the way. One would have to think that if he can keep fights standing and not get submitted, anyone will have a tough time handling him on the feet. Spong possesses an impressive kickboxing record of 68-6-1, so his fights should be exciting. He commented on his forthcoming debut with the following, via MMAMania.com:
"I was usually the smaller guy, so I didn't have to cut weight. So now, I'll be fighting at 205 (pounds) and I'll be happy to face anyone that Titan will offer me."
Spong also appeared in an interview courtesy of HDNetFights.com to confirm his debut:
Comments
If he can stop the TDs and get up off his back... we could be looking at a monster here.
If people think Jon Jones, Shogun and Machida have good stand up wait till you see this guy.
Nevermind MMA, this guy is one of the best strikers on the planet
A bit premature Keith, wait until he gets a top opponent. Lets not do a Hector double.
Hector? Not sure how he relates?
Hector had a lot of hype as a MMA champ and a big unknown factor about how good he is... With Tyrone there is no questioning about his striking, he is without a doubt one of the top strikers alive and is proven.
There is no question about his skill level, only if he can implement in to a MMA style
I see the relation. He is a fighter with a great record starting in a new promotion. That being said I think Keith has a point getting excited. The guy has like 60 something wins and he's only 27. How could you not get excited? Light heavy aswell. A division that imo is in danger of stagnating. We don't wanna see jones fight rashad, bader, Lyoto and shogun over and over.
I know spong in the UFC could be a long way off but I reckon two solid wins would catch Danas eye. Particularly since he has been training at blackzillians for a while now.
So there is a a question about him striking in MMA? Right? KFC has a new meaning, Keith Farrell Contradiction.
haha fair play Hunter. I meant that Hector had more of a mystique about him... almost like Fedor did - people wondering if he just looked good against cans or if he had the skills to hang in the UFC.
With Tyrone there is on doubt he has world class skills, some of the best out there. The question is if he can use them in MMA.
You're ding a fine job of hyping him Keith.....carry on good sir.
Yeeeesssss! If all that time spent with Rashad pays off, we could be looking at the next best sprawl and brawler at 205
wonder if this is why Evans has said he might look to drop to 185? So he doesn't fight his teammate, or just because on paper after the Sonnen fights Evans looks good against Silva
Woa, nice analysis. Could be both
No Evans is moving to 185 because he cant beat Jones, not because Tryone has yet to make his mma debut and in Titan to boot, AJ is at 205 and fighting in Titan, maybe thats the real reson
That was also my first thought. What happens when he gets put on his back ? I don't know if there's anyone at Titan who can exploit that though, we'll see. He is tough as nails and good striker.
It's a shame Rumble is his teammate, he is basically the only high level LHW in Titan
Too early to tell. mma stand up is different to any other stand up cos of the takedowns and BJJ. All the best successful strikers in mma all seem to be highly skilled in BJJ.
I don't think it means BJJ guys are better at MMA striking, I think it just shows the best strikers put there mind to BJJ and.become great at it aswell (Silva, Wand, GSP, Aldo etc.).
Overeem uses similar striking style in MMA and K-1 yet he has become good at wrestling and BJJ after doing kickboxing
never said bjj guys are better at mma striking!
just ment you need a great ground game if your a traditional striker.
well titan fc is like a good place for some warmup fights before entering the big Arena...
I bet nobody there will try to stand up with this guy... :)
The idea that Rashad would go to 205lbs because of Tyrone is off base. Tyrone just recently renewed his K1 contract. He extended I believe 3-5 years. Meaning, there's no way he can secure a UFC contract during that time period. Obviously UFC fighters aren't allowed to fight in other organizations - which is why Overeem had to give up K1 and one of the reasons why Fedor wouldn't come to the UFC (because of sambo and his douchey manager).
Here you go. It was actually posted on here. 2 year contract with Glory.
" has signed a multi-fight, two-year exclusive deal with GLORY to compete in the world’s premiere kickboxing league. He is slated to make his GLORY debut at the GLORY World Series mega-event in Tokyo, Japan on a December date to be announced soon."
http://lowkick.blitzcorner.com/K-1/heavyweight-superstar-tyrone-spong-signs-with-glory-17048
im sure Zuffa has no problem buying out his contract if they really want him
Best we can hope for is Strikeforce or Bellator. After Bellator's champ just lost in a non promotional match in Brazil, their CEO has said that champions won't be allowed to fight out of the organization once Bellator comes to Spike in 2013. So the chances of seeing Spong in Bellator also seem slim. We have Titan and the other small leagues or at best Strikeforce.