We’re so proud of our team! Find out how they’ve been doing, as well as what else has been going on at our gym lately.
Tyrone Spong has dipped his toe into various corners of the combat sports world as much as anyone, and because of that has a wealth of knowledge at his disposal.
The boxing, kickboxing, muay-Thai, and MMA veteran wouldn’t mind putting that to use for the benefit of Francis Ngannou, should the UFC heavyweight champion manage to secure a fight with Tyson Fury in the future.
Ngannou (17-3 MMA, 12-2 UFC) made it clear prior to and after his title defense against Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 this past weekend that a boxing match with Fury is a top priority. Fury, who is currently the top heavyweight boxer in the world, has welcomed the potential contest with open arms.
The issue, of course, is that Ngannou is currently in the midst of a high-profile conflict with the UFC about his contract status and future with the company. According to Ngannou, he will be completely free of his obligations to the UFC on Dec. 31 of this year, and then he can pursue the bout with Fury.
If that happens, Spong thinks he would be an asset to Ngannou’s preparation given his decorated striking history.
“He has a puncher’s chance, always, because he has tremendous power,” Spong told MMA Junkie on Wednesday. “I do think he could use certain things to his advantage. It will come down to fight IQ. If you’re just going to try to be a plain boxer with Tyson Fury, it’s going to be hard. It all depends on the kind of ruleset that they’re going to compete in against each other. Are we going to do a little hybrid thing? Are we going to even the field by doing some adjustments in the ruleset? If he gets that fight and he wants to win, come see me and I’ll help him.”
Spong (2-0) has been focusing primarily on boxing in recent years, amassing a 14-0 record inside the ring. He returns to MMA for the first time since 2014 on Friday, though when he takes on Sergei Kharitonov (31-8) in the main event of Eagle FC 44 in Miami.
Although fighting in MMA hasn’t been high on Spong’s list of priorities of late, he said he’s excited to get back in the cage, especially with a promotion such as Eagle FC that is making some notable signings and gaining momentum.
Spong is also glad to keep building his resume as a crossover athlete. He has bounced around various types of combat sports before it became a more common trend like it is presently, and he’s happy to be one of the founders of that directive.
“It’s not for everyone,” Spong said. “We’ve got to be honest. Not all athletes are capable or have the potential or the technical ability. If you can, which I do think I can, why not? You’ll see that more fighters are starting to get behind it and everything. I think I was ahead of my time. I don’t necessarily need the credit for it, but facts are facts.”
With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best submissions from April 2024: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Submission of the Month award for April. At the bottom of the post, let us know...
Fighters are often criticized for failing to prioritize their financial interests in their MMA careers, but no such accusation can be made toward Irish prospect Paul Hughes. Hughes (11-1), a former Cage Warriors champion, just went through the process of free agency and had bids on the table from...
We want to make sure that Ludus MMA is the right fit for you before asking you to commit to a membership.
That’s why we’d like to offer you a FREE ONE-DAY PASS to our gym.
With your FREE PASS, you can: