Tyrone Spong is an elite kickboxer that appears headed for MMA and at 25 years of age, he’s an amazing talent. Spong has mastered the sport of kickboxing, amassing a 67-6-1 (1 NC) record en route to capturing titles in multiple weight classe…
Tyrone Spong is an elite kickboxer that appears headed for MMA and at 25 years of age, he’s an amazing talent.
Spong has mastered the sport of kickboxing, amassing a 67-6-1 (1 NC) record en route to capturing titles in multiple weight classes. Needless to say, Spong has the makings of a truly dangerous mixed martial artist.
With that being said, he isn’t making the switch in sports without taking the proper steps. Spong has formed a bond with UFC light heavyweight Rashad Evans (15-1-1 MMA, 10-1-1 UFC) and has set up training with the Blackzilians at Imperial Athletics in Florida.
“I’ve been here for a couple of weeks right now,” Spong recently told Bleacher Report. “I’m really enjoying myself, helping Rashad out and training for myself too a little bit on the ground. The Blackzilians, I think we have a great team, all the guys are like family, they all help each other out, and it feels great. I enjoy myself here. Me and Rashad are like brothers, we help each other out, (and) I enjoy working with him.
“He’s an athlete, he picks (techniques) up very fast, and I think that’s why we can help each other out that good, because I’m an athlete too and when you have another athlete to work with it makes it much more easy, a lot more easy. We’re like family, everyone helps each other out, (and) I think they have a great thing going on down here in Florida. I’m looking forward to working with them for a long time.”
Spong will celebrate his 26th birthday in September and with a professional kickboxing record totaling 75 fights, he’s wise beyond his years.
With Evans and company by his side, the gifted striker is fully aware that time is on his side and he’s prepared for the challenge.
“I take one step at a time,” Spong said. “I’m still young, I started out very young with fighting, (and) I had my first pro fight when I was 16. I fought a lot of fights and I built up a very big record which I enjoyed because I enjoy fighting.
“I just like to fight and I enjoy stepping in the ring, I can show my skills and show the world what I got. I like that and I like a challenge and I’m still young, only 25 and I think I’m very mature in my sport because I’ve been through a lot. Ups and downs, more ups than downs luckily, but still, I’ve been through a lot and I traveled the world for my sport.
“I still have a big thing ahead of me I think, so just taking it easy (and) making sure that I’m ready. Whatever I do, I want to do it good and I want to show myself at the best I can be.”
While Spong continues honing his ground skills alongside Evans and head coach Mike Van Arsdale, he’ll continue to embrace the challenge of mastering the new discipline.
“Rashad is a hell of a wrestler, (so) he helps me out with that,” Spong said. “I have coach Mike Van Arsdale, who’s a hell of a coach, (and) a good wrestler. So, I’ve been practicing on that a lot and try to master that and I think I pick (techniques) up fast.
“Like I said, I’m a athlete so I pick up (techniques) very fast and I don’t have a roof, I keep learning and I keep learning at a very fast pace. I enjoy that and I think for me that is the most important, to try and learn stuff on the ground. I’m eager too, I like the challenge, so it’s something new for me and I enjoy that part the most.”
At the moment, Spong is taking an educated approach in making himself a well-rounded fighter, so when the right opportunity presents itself he’ll be fully equipped for all challengers.
“I’m a fighter and I thank God for the abilities he gave me,” Spong said. “This talent because I can do whatever. For me, fighting is like a second nature, it feels very natural for me, so whether it’s kickboxing or MMA or boxing, I can adjust that fast. If I do something I always want to be the best at what I do, (I) always have been like that.
“If everything is right, I never say no, I like a challenge, I love a challenge, so maybe we’ll see if it works out. I got approached by a few organizations already, but I know where my head is right now, so I’m taking one step at a time and when the time is ready and the offers are good, I’ll do it for sure.”
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Bellator 48 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT featured and amazing night of fights with the entire card putting on an exciting show.After the event, Bleacher Report was able to catch up with the Bellator CEO, Bjorn Rebney, and get his tho…
Bellator 48 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT featured and amazing night of fights with the entire card putting on an exciting show.
After the event, Bleacher Report was able to catch up with the Bellator CEO, Bjorn Rebney, and get his thoughts on the evening.
Bjorn and I spoke briefly backstage before the main card started, and he voiced his concern that some of the fights may not be as good as they could be based on stylistic differences and things of that nature. When asked what he ended up thinking of the fights, he said “they turned out better than I could have hoped.”
When asked what Bjorn would say to the fans in attendance that booed during Cole Konrad’s fight, he said, “as a fan, I can appreciate the desire to see action…but when you look at a guy like Cole, you have to understand the totality of the fact that he just stood with a guy that has one way that he’s going to beat you, and that is left hand and right hand.”
After talking about Joe Warren’s sticky situation, we went on to talk about whether or not Joe Warren would lose some marketability if he loses in the bantamweight tournament. Bjorn did not think so.
To close out our chat with Bjorn, I asked his thoughts on fight night bonuses. He said, “I’ve never been a fan of it. I don’t think it’s wrong. It’s never been something I looked at and thought, ‘hey that’s an incentive'”
After that, I asked whether or not anyone would get a bonus for beating someone in Dennis Hallman trunks, to which Bjorn laughed and said, “I don’t know that if we gave bonuses that would warrant one.”
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Bellator 48 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT featured and amazing night of fights with the entire card putting on an exciting show.After the event, Bleacher Report caught up with Bellator’s lovely ring girls Mercedes Terrell and Jade Bryce to…
Bellator 48 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT featured and amazing night of fights with the entire card putting on an exciting show.
After the event, Bleacher Report caught up with Bellator’s lovely ring girls Mercedes Terrell and Jade Bryce to find out what they thought about the evening’s results.
“This was a good, good night,” Mercedes said, “I think everybody’s favorite tonight is going to be Curran.” And who can disagree with her after seeing the newly crowned featherweight tournament champion Pat Curran knockout the highly touted Marlon Sandro with a highlight reel head kick.
“The head kick knockout was super entertaining,” Jade said.
Many analysts did not think Curran could win this fight because of Sandro’s impressive record, with only two losses to top UFC featherweights Michihiro Omigawa and Hatsu Hioki.
“I was rooting for Pat all the way,” Mercedes exclaimed, making sure her support for the underdog was well known. “I wouldn’t even call it an upset,” she said.
Jade was a little more torn over her pick for the night saying that, “Marlon has such an amazing back story but Curran is definitely one of my favorites too so I was having a hard time choosing who to root for”.
“I’d be happy either way but I was happy with the way Curran knocked him out,” Jade added.
Although the evening featured nine exciting bouts, seven that ended in finishes, Mercedes and Jade still have to rank the classic bout between Patricky “Pitbull” Freire and Toby Imada at Bellator 39 as their top Bellator fight of all-time.
But the choice was easy when it came to their favorite moment working for Bellator. “Sweet Submissions!” Jade exclaimed.
Sweet Submissions is a series of online videos where Jade and Mercedes teach fans different submission moves that the pros use. Both ring girls enjoy the taping process and all the attention they get.
“Whenever we do the filming of it, it’s supposed to be a clear set but all the guys from our trucks, our TV crew are all of a sudden surrounding the cage,” Mercedes explained. “It’s kind of hilarious. It’s always funny if you’re there in person,” she said.
The techniques they learn are not just for show either, as both girls have taken an affinity to a few special moves.
“I like the triangle,” Mercedes said, “I’m pretty flexible so anything where I can use that.”
“The only one where I was able to make her tap was the guillotine,” Jade said. “So far that’s my favorite.”
Looking forward to Bellator’s upcoming fifth season on MTV 2 Jade and Mercedes are excited for the bouts lined up this fall.
“Chandler and Alvarez,” Jade said, explaining that she can’t wait for this lightweight title fight. “That’s going to be big,” Mercedes added.
Both girls also look forward to Bellator Featherweight champion Joe Warren taking a crack at the 135 lb. division in the upcoming bantamweight tournament. They look forward to all the fights coming up with Jade saying, “I’m excited for the whole next season, Bellator weekends are my favorites”.
Bellator season five kicks off on September 10th on MTV2 and marks the beginning of the welterweight tournament. The first event will be Bellator 49 in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
JS: Hi Nate. I wanted to kick off by asking you about your recent decision to sign with BAMMA…what are your thoughts on potential opponents? What free agents out there at the moment interest you?NM: Well I’ve already stated that the guys I wanna figh…
JS: Hi Nate. I wanted to kick off by asking you about your recent decision to sign with BAMMA…what are your thoughts on potential opponents? What free agents out there at the moment interest you?
NM: Well I’ve already stated that the guys I wanna fight most are the guys that talk crap. I’d say the biggest possibility would be Paul Daley, Hector Lombard or Ben Askren. Honestly though I would be very pleased to fight any other world class fighters out there at 170.
JS: Do you believe welterweight is your optimal fighting weight?
NM: Yes I do. Right now I’m back up to my old weight and I can tell you I don’t feel as good. I felt great at 170.
JS: And what made you believe BAMMA is the right promotion for you? What had Tom “Kong” Watson told you about BAMMA? How have you found your dealings with the organisation thus far?
There were several things. They offered a very good contract which was fair. They also promote and treat their fighters well. They have some big news for American fans coming up that I’m not sure if I’m allowed to talk about.
I could see myself fighting with BAMMA for a long time. Tom Watson told me that they treat him well and they can get top level opponents. Tom just beat Murillo Ninja Rua. Thus far everything is going well, I’m excited about my future with BAMMA.
JS: Will you be in attendance at BAMMA 7 in Birmingham, England on September 10th?
NM: Yes! Scouting potential opponents and meeting the fans.
JS: Joey Villasenor, your teammate has also signed for BAMMA. It is not inconceivable that you two become the number one and two within their welterweight division. Would you fight a Jackson’s teammate for a belt?
NM: Definitely Joey and I could become the top two in the division. That’s a problem that I am looking forward to having. He’s been my teammate since 2004. Joey, Keith, Rashad, Diego, Greg and I all made the Jackson’s team what it is today and I’ll never forget our brotherhood.
JS: Ok, and what can you tell us about your Jacksons stablemate Eric Perez, who also features on the BAMMA 7 card?
NM: Well I haven’t trained with him much. I believe he trains with the lighter weight guys mostly and I’ve only seen him spar a few times. He seems like a really nice kid though.
JS: Are you excited to actually fight in the UK again when you make your BAMMA debut later this year? Have you ever spent any sustained period of time in the UK following your two previous fights in London?
NM: Yes very excited! We spent about a week after one of my fights there. We hung out with some friends including my ol’ buddy James Zikic.
JS: Sounds great. Ok, following the recent Versus 4 incident, did you appreciate Ariel Helwani affording you the opportunity to broadcast your version of events on his MMAHour?
NM: For sure. He let me tell my side of the story and he was very fair.
JS: OK. I don’t want to dwell on the issue because it’s firmly in the past, but I just wanted to briefly touch upon the reaction from the MMA community to your departure from the UFC back in June.
You are renowned for being a true gentleman, amiable and respectful, so it must be hurtful when less considerate fighters scramble to pass comment and judgement on their fellow fighters?
NM: Definitely yes. There are a lot of people who are quick to pass judgement even when they don’t know both sides of the story. They should not judge unless they’ve been in that situation or if they are an expert on the issue.
It’s even more sad when fellow fighters openly pass judgement when there is a clear discrepancy on what happened.
JS: I believe you have been in Hawaii? Was it a holiday or a business trip? I presume you didn’t pay BJ Penn a visit? What do you make of BJ’s overstated comments since the incident?
NM: Yes I went there on vacation and to watch the fights at Kalapaki Joes. I was planning on stopping by his gym but we went to Kauai (a different island). “Cry Baby J” is an idiot to speak the way he does. I don’t know how a pothead is going to go and be so judgemental over medication prescribed by a doctor.
I’ll assume CryBJ has glaucoma and gets his weed from a “doctor” and I won’t pass judgement on him for that.
JS: Other fighters were quick to jump on the bandwagon with their input: What did you make of Dan Hardy’s quip about you always having a job as a male stripper if you were banned from fighting? Is it a case of a fighter on a losing streak looking to gain publicity off the back of your name?
Or is this verbal retaliation for some of the comments you have directed towards him in the past? Is it the same deal with the relatively unknown/inexperienced Ben Askren?
NM: Hahaha! I actually hadn’t heard about Dan Hardy. Well I guess I would take that as a compliment. At least he didn’t say “a job as a punching bag” or “a mattress” as I’m sure one may say of him if he were to lose his contract after his recent losses.
Ben Askren? Oh, you mean that little goldilocks I saw on twitter? Yeah I didn’t even know who he was until he messaged me. Listen. All these guys are trying to build themselves up by talking badly about me and that will probably never change.
Some guys make a name for themselves by talking and others do it by fighting. I’ve always felt fighting is the best way.
JS: Absolutely, and what about Paul Daley, another man who has been vocal about his desire to fight you under the BAMMA banner? Does it interest you fighting him given his recent two defeats? If you did fight him, would you outwrestle him or would you feel comfortable standing and trading with him?
NM: Honestly his last loss does take away from the interest in fighting him, but he’s still one of the best and I’d still like to punch him in the face! I am confident I would beat him wherever the fight may go. Obviously I would have a wrestling advantage but I am also one of the best on the feet.
JS: What do you make generally of this recent phenomenon of fighters taking to Twitter to air controversial opinions? Is it fast becoming the people’s online octagon in which words seem to count more than action?
NM: Yeah a lot of these guys are really outspoken. Let’s just remember that fighters aren’t fighters because they are intelligent, smart or wise. There are intelligent fighters with good morals, but the guys on twitter, fb and elsewhere that are very ignorant, opinionated and closed-minded are the most outspoken.
JS: I recently spoke to Tom Watson and he vehemently defended you and your integrity as a person/fighter…what does it mean and how does it feel to have your training partners, the men who know you best, support you?
NM: Well that’s just it. You find out who your true friends are. You find out who your brothers are and who is looking out for themselves. It does Tom no good to defend me but he does because he knows my character and he’s a loyal guy. It makes our team even stronger!
JS: Ok, moving onto life outside the cage, can you briefly explain your relationship with MC Hammer? Has he significantly enhanced your social media presence? Do you have Hammer’s back if there is ever a showdown between him and Jay Z?
NM: Hahaha! Yeah of course I have his back against anyone. He is a very important part of my management. He is one of the main reasons we chose BAMMA actually.
Without getting into details, Hammer guided Alchemist and ultimately me toward a specific type of deal and BAMMA quickly stepped up and here I am! He’s the man. He is very wise and I really look up to him. It’s not just a publicity thing, he’s the real deal.
JS: I’d like to see you enter the cage to the tune of “Can’t Touch This” whilst doing the Hammer dance. That would be a fitting tribute to your business partner. And finally, you have recently appeared in a mainstream MMA movie, “Warrior”…was it an enjoyable experience? Any funny off-camera anecdotes which you can divulge?
NM: It was amazing. I made friends with some really cool people like Bryan Callen, Yves Edwards, Joel Edgerton, Gavin and Greg O’Conner, Tom Hardy, Anthony Timbakis, Frank Grillo and all the stunt guys. Yeah there were a bunch of funny things that happened as there always is if Callem is around!
Actually the biggest thing was a situation I’m not very proud of. There was a guy at a sandwich shop that was very rude to my wife and I spiked a 6″ sub on his chest. Everyone on the movie teases me to this day about it!
JS: Haha, that must have been one brave sandwich-artist…okay, well thanks for taking the time to talk and I look forward to meeting you in the UK.
Jared Hamman is set to make his return to the Octagon on August 14 at UFC on Versus 5. That night, Hamman will be making his welterweight debut when he takes on C.B. Dollaway.In his last fight, Hamman lost a highly entertaining decision against Kyle Ki…
Jared Hamman is set to make his return to the Octagon on August 14 at UFC on Versus 5. That night, Hamman will be making his welterweight debut when he takes on C.B. Dollaway.
In his last fight, Hamman lost a highly entertaining decision against Kyle Kingsbury which earned both fighters Fight of the Night honors. In fact, Hamman has earned those honors in his last two appearances inside the Octagon.
The former defensive end at the University of Redlands, teacher and football coach never really planned on beginning a mixed martial arts career. He actually stumbled upon it after his first year of coaching.
“I was 22 years old and just got done coaching the season,” Hamman recently told Bleacher Report. “A friend of mine came up to me and said ‘Hey, I’m doing this fighting stuff. you should come check it out.’
“After the season was over, I was ready to do something athletically. So when my friend came up to me and asked me, I said ‘absolutely.’
“I tried one class, and man you know how it is. You get addicted from there.”
Hamman is one of many up-and-coming fighters to transition from football to mixed martial arts. Coming from football, instead of some form of combat sport, has many benefits, Hamman believes.
“Football players have all around athleticism,” Hamman said. “But as far as being an athlete, you have strength, power, speed, and quickness. But the other aspect is a lot of the guys are very coachable. That’s why I think football players are successful [in mixed martial arts].
“Also, they come in with a clean slate. I only wrestled one year in high school; I didn’t have any bad habits. Sometimes wrestlers drop their hands, boxers can’t stop the takedown. I think the coach-ability factor is key.”
Although coming from a football background is great for ones all around athleticism, wrestling has proven to be a necessity when it comes to being a successful mixed martial artist.
“Had I known how much wrestling helps MMA athletes now, had I known that in high school,” Hamman said. “I would have wrestled every year.”
So to make up for his lack of wrestling background, Hamman has spent quite a bit of time training at VMAT with Vladimir Matyushenko, who just so happens to be one of the best wrestlers in MMA today. When speaking about his time training with Matyushenko, Hamman had nothing but praise for the former UFC light heavyweight title challenger.
“Vlad always tells me ‘hard heart, cold head.’ Vlad’s not just a wrestler, he’s a European wrestler,” Hamman said. “They are very technical. Vlad has always taught me technique, technique, technique. I don’t need to be taught hard work, mental toughness, and whatnot.” Hamman said. “I need to learn technique. I need to get better at technique.
“Vlad is fantastic at that. He teaches the right fundamentals. To be able to learn from him is amazing.”
There is no secret that the time he has spent with Matyushenko will pay dividends when he takes on C.B. Dollaway. But going into their fight, Hamman knows he will be facing more than just a wrestler.
“I think he’s a fighter that likes to stand and trade,” Hamman said. “He’s not only a wrestler, but the dude likes to fight. I respect that. I like fighting guys who like to bring it. He never backs down.
“And I think that’s how a fight should be. It shouldn’t be some pitter-patter; it should be about trying to win a fight, not letting it go to a decision.
Hamman also acknowledged the fact that he needed to watch out for Dollaway’s takedowns. But what does Dollaway need to watch out for?
“I think he knows (laughs),” Hamman said. “Everyone knows I’m going to come in there to fight. Whether he takes me down or whether he stands up or whatever, I’m coming to knock his head off.”
When asked for a prediction for their bout Sunday evening, Hamman explained that he is not one to make predictions. However, he did offer up one prediction.
“I’m going in there ready to fight my butt off and let the chips fall where they may,” Hamman said. “That’s what I do in every fight. That’s the only thing I can predict. The rest is in God’s hands.”
Ed Herman will fight for the second time in as many months, as he is set to fight Kyle Noke this Sunday at UFC on Versus 5. Slightly less than two years ago, Herman wasn’t sure he’d ever fight again after tearing his ACL in a bout with Aaron Simpson.”Y…
Ed Herman will fight for the second time in as many months, as he is set to fight Kyle Noke this Sunday at UFC on Versus 5. Slightly less than two years ago, Herman wasn’t sure he’d ever fight again after tearing his ACL in a bout with Aaron Simpson.
“You question yourself,” Herman told Bleacher Report. “It’s tough being injured like that. You never know how things are going to hold up after surgery. Yeah, those thoughts go through your mind. At the same time, I was trying to stay mentally strong and telling myself I was going to come back a stronger fighter, which I’m hoping to do.”
In June 2011, Herman took his first step in making a strong comeback to fighting. In less than one minute, Herman scored a knockout victory over Tim Credeur to taste victory for the first time since April 2009.
Uninjured and looking to make a quick return to the Octagon, Herman immediately jumped back into training in hopes of being booked for a fight at UFC 135. Instead, Herman was offered the opportunity to take the fight with Noke as a replacement for an injured Tom Lawlor.
“I was hoping to get on that Denver card, but this popped up, so I jumped on it,” Herman said. “I was pretty much right back in the gym. I wasn’t training extremely hard the first couple weeks, but I was back in the gym working on my technique, doing my strength & conditioning, coaching classes and stuff like that.”
Since he likely wouldn’t have enough time to prepare for a fight at UFC 135 after his bout with Noke, competing on that card will probably not be an option for Herman anymore. However, Herman would still like to make a third UFC appearance before the end of 2011.
“I would definitely like to fight again before the end of the year, preferably right before Thanksgiving—so I could eat—would be great,” Herman said.
One fight Herman had been interested in was a rematch with Season 3 winner of The Ultimate Fighter Kendall Grove, who “Short Fuse” lost to in the show’s middleweight tournament finals. However, Grove was recently released from the UFC after losing four of his past six fights.
With Grove out of the picture for now, Herman is still interested in attempting to avenge any of his past UFC losses. Beyond that, Herman would like a shot at a Top 10 middleweight fighter in the near future.
“I’d love another shot at [Jason] MacDonald, Demian Maia, [Alan] Belcher, all those guys,” Herman said. “Whoever the UFC wants for me and my career, I just want to fight guys who are a hot ticket right now, guys in the Top 10, so I can go out there an prove I can compete with the Top 10 guys.”
After being out of action for nearly two years, Herman left only one uncertainty on the minds of his doubters after earning a win in his first fight back. Because he was able to end the fight so quickly, some might still wonder about Herman’s conditioning after such a long time away from competition.
Nonetheless, Herman would be perfectly fine with another quick victory at UFC on Versus 5. Although he isn’t hesitant about going into deep waters, Herman doesn’t feel he needs to prove anything about his cardio in this fight.
“I’d be happy to finish the fight in the first minute again,” Herman said. “My conditioning is there and I know it. I’m confident and I’ve been training really hard. It doesn’t matter to me if it’s going to be a three-round battle or I can finish it again in a minute.”
Once he steps into the cage with his well-rounded opponent, Herman believes his intensity and pace will make the difference in determining the outcome of this fight.
“I just think my overall aggression and in-your-face style,” Herman said. “I don’t think he’ll be able to deal with that as well as my wrestling strength in the clinch and on the ground.”
Herman would like to thank Dethrone Royalty Clothing, Get Some Fight Gear, Muscle Pharm, ESP-XC and Trials MMA.
Sean Smith is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. Sean has also had his work featured on UFC.com. For the latest insight and updates on everything MMA, you can follow Sean on Twitter @SeanSmithMMA.
Tyrone Spong is an elite kickboxer that appears headed for MMA and at 25 years of age, he’s an amazing talent.