Part-time MMA fighter Tyrone Spong will be back in the action April 12, 2014, as the decorated Surinamese-Dutch kickboxer is expected to battle Saulo Cavalari on the featured fight card of GLORY 15 Istanbul, which will air live on SpikeTV.
Spong vs. Cavalari joins a one-night light heavyweight tournament field also featuring a semifinal clash between Turkey’s Gokhan Saki and Australia’s Nathan Corbett. GLORY officials finalized the card on Tuesday.
Still just 28 years old, Spong (73-6-1, 1 NC kickboxing, 2-0 MMA) has established himself as one of the top draws under the GLORY banner, racking up a perfect 5-0 record inside the promotion, including a tournament victory in the 2013 Glory 95kg Slam Championship, and most recently, a vengeful second-round knockout of Corbett.
Spong, who trains with the Blackzilians in Boca Raton, FL, is also undefeated in two professional mixed martial arts contests, both of which took place within the WSOF cage.
In Cavalari (28-2), he’ll face a dangerous Brazilian who holds an undefeated 2-0 GLORY record, topped off by a recent 83-second KO win over Mourad Bouzidi.
On the opposite side of the bracket, top-ranked Saki (79-17, 1 NC) looks to right his ship after falling short in the semifinals of his two most recent GLORY heavyweight tournaments, while Corbett (59-4, 1 NC) likely eyes a chance at vengeance in a potential finals pairing against Spong, as Spong ended the Australian’s 28-fight unbeaten streak with a crushing left hook last October.
GLORY 15 takes place at the Ülker Sports Arena in Istanbul, Turkey. An updated fight card can be seen below.
Main Card
TBD vs. TBD — LHW Tournament Final
Errol Zimmerman vs. Ben Edwards
Robin van Roosmalen vs. Marat Grigorian
Tyrone Spong vs. Saulo Cavalari — LHW Tournament Semifinal
Gökhan Saki vs. Nathan Corbett — LHW Tournament Semifinal
Preliminary Card
Brian Collette vs. Mourad Bouzidi
Jhonata Diniz vs. Hesdy Gerges