Former champion Tyrone Spong, reflecting on his diverse combat sports career and past opportunities with the UFC, is now focused on his upcoming Karate Combat title match, while remaining open to future MMA opportunities if the conditions are right.
Former boxing and kickboxing champ Tyrone Spong was a hot commodity in the 2010s. Training with UFC stars at Blackzilians, he considered moving to MMA. He went 2-0 in the sport under the World Series of Fighting but chose kickboxing and boxing instead.
Fast forward a decade, Spong is gearing up for a Karate Combat title match against Sam Alvey in Dubai on May 2. Reflecting on his career, he wonders what could have been.
“At that time, I had good contact with the UFC, with Dana White,” Spong told MMA Fighting. “I love what Dana’s doing. He’s the best promoter in combat sports. But I had so many options, which is both a blessing and a curse.”
Spong dominated kickboxing, winning 12 of 13 matches over three years. A leg injury sidelined him, leading to a transition to boxing in 2015. He won 14 consecutive boxing matches, 13 by knockout, before pausing in 2019. He returned to MMA but lost to Sergei Kharitonov at Eagle FC.
“I was juggling MMA, boxing, kickboxing,” Spong said. “To succeed in the UFC, you need focus. The contracts, the money—it wasn’t worth it for me then. But if the challenge is right, who knows?”
Spong remains open to MMA if the price is right, but his focus is now on Karate Combat. “My last MMA fight was after a long layoff,” he said. “If it’s interesting, why not? I love challenging myself. We’ll see.”
Fellow kickboxer Artem Vakhitov also eyed MMA, chasing Alex Pereira to the octagon. He won on Dana White’s Contender Series but returned to GLORY to face Rico Verhoeven.
“I understand the UFC’s business model,” Spong noted. “But Artem deserved better. He’s accomplished a lot. If he turned down the contract, it wasn’t interesting for him.”
Spong, nearing 40, doubts he’d face the same situation. “I’d get a better offer from the UFC,” he said. “Years ago, the offer wasn’t bad. But I had other options to cement my legacy.”
“Do I regret it? What ifs don’t count,” Spong mused. “I didn’t do it then. Maybe I made the wrong decision, maybe not. Who knows? We’ll never know.”