Tyrone Spong, a former champion in boxing and kickboxing, was highly sought after in combat sports during the 2010s. Training with UFC athletes at Blackzilians, he considered transitioning to MMA to join the UFC. He competed twice in MMA under the World Series of Fighting banner, winning both bouts, but ultimately chose to continue his career in kickboxing and boxing.
A decade later, as he prepares for his Karate Combat title match against Sam Alvey in Dubai on May 2nd, Spong looked back on the trajectory his career could have taken.
“At that time, I had significant contact and meetings with the UFC, specifically with Dana White,” Spong recounted. “I admire what Dana has accomplished; I believe he is, by far, the premier promoter in combat sports. However, back then, I was at the peak of my popularity, presenting me with numerous options – a situation that can be both advantageous and lead to indecision.”
Over a three-year span, Spong achieved 12 wins out of 13 kickboxing fights, concurrently winning his two MMA bouts. His single kickboxing loss was due to a leg injury that sidelined him for nearly a year before he moved into boxing in 2015. There, he built an impressive record of 14 consecutive wins, 13 by knockout. After pausing his career in 2019, he returned three years later to try MMA again, facing veteran Sergei Kharitonov at Eagle FC, where he suffered a loss.
Discussing the period when he talked with the UFC, Spong stated, “I was simultaneously competing in MMA, boxing, and kickboxing. I believe that to truly succeed in the UFC, you need to dedicate your sole focus to it, partly due to the high level of competition. At that point, I wasn`t ready for that singular focus because I had other significant goals and opportunities. Signing with the UFC at that time meant being tied to a contract. The financial terms and the contractual obligations didn`t make it worthwhile for me then. However, as I often say, if the financial aspect makes sense and the challenge is appealing, why not consider it?”
Spong mentioned that he would be open to returning to MMA in the future if the terms were favorable, but his current focus is on his Karate Combat competition.
“My last MMA fight was after a long break and with very limited preparation time,” Spong explained. “If an interesting opportunity arises, I`d consider it. As I`ve said, I`m driven by challenging myself and overcoming obstacles. Defeating the odds is a recurring theme throughout my life – it`s my fundamental motivation and what drives me. We`ll just have to wait and see what happens.”
He also commented on fellow kickboxer Artem Vakhitov, who recently considered leaving GLORY for MMA, following Alex Pereira to the octagon. Vakhitov successfully competed on Dana White’s Contender Series, securing a victory, but ultimately declined the offered contract to return to GLORY and challenge their superstar, Rico Verhoeven.
“I understand the UFC operates based on a specific business model,” Spong, who had trained with Vakhitov before his DWCS fight, commented. “However, I do believe they sometimes make exceptions or handle things differently for certain individuals. Artem has achieved a great deal. He defeated their champion – or former champion – multiple times in highly competitive bouts. He wins the Contender Series, and then they propose a contract comparable to that of an unproven newcomer? The man has established a name for himself. I`m not privy to his financial affairs or personal circumstances, but if he chose to decline the offer, it likely wasn`t appealing enough for him.”
“Therefore, I believe he stands by his decision,” Spong concluded regarding Vakhitov. “Was it the correct choice? Only he can truly know; I cannot answer for him. But if he made that decision, it was probably the right one for him at that time.”
Spong, who will turn 40 in September, doesn`t think his situation would have played out the same way as Vakhitov`s.
“I`m quite confident I would have received a better offer from the UFC,” Spong stated. “I believe this because I`m aware of the offer I received years ago, and it was a serious, significant proposal. Without getting into specifics, it was far from a poor offer. It was genuinely good. However, as I mentioned, I had such a wealth of other opportunities that allowed me to achieve more, face different challenges, and build my legacy across various combat sports disciplines, which led me to choose not to accept it back then.”
“Do I have regrets?” Spong pondered. “The `what ifs` don`t truly matter. What happened, happened. I didn`t take the offer at that time. If you dwell on `what if I had gone?` and look at certain fighters and their achievements, knowing, as a fighter`s confidence dictates, that I could potentially defeat those individuals… perhaps I made the wrong decision, perhaps not. Who can say? We`ll never definitively know.”
