Kickboxing legend Tyrone Spong was close to joining the UFC in the past, but he chose to make a name for himself in boxing instead. With a great resume in combat sports, the veteran striker names Israel Adesanya the most successful kickboxer to ever enter the octagon.
While discussing Alex Pereira’s impact in the sport in becoming a two-division champion in the UFC after doing the same in GLORY kickboxing, Spong initially said it would be fair to name “Poatan” and Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic the most
successful kickboxers in the promotion all-time, but then changed his mind.
“In MMA, it would be [Pereira], Mirko ‘Cro Cop’. Definitely in the UFC, for sure,” Spong told MMA Fighting. “Oh no, no. Israel Adesanya.”
Adesanya retired from kickboxing after losing to Pereira in March 2017 to fully focus on mixed martial arts, joining the UFC a year later to kick off a run of five straight victories, capped off by a decision over Anderson Silva, to then claim the interim middleweight belt against Kelvin Gastelum.
“The Last Stylebender” unified titles against Robert Whittaker and later defended it five times before losing to Pereira in November 2022, a fight he was dominating before suffering a knockout in the fifth round. Adesanya finally got his revenge against Pereira five months later, knocking him out in brutal fashion in Miami.
“Israel Adesanya [was the most successful],” Spong said, “He was probably the blueprint and also inspiration whether I think — I don’t know, but I think if you ask Alex that question, that Israel was an inspiration for him, because they have a history. And it probably gave him the confidence. Like, ‘If that guy can do it, I should be able to do it as well’. I would have to go with Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira.”
Adesanya has yet to book his next fight in the promotion after losing three in a row to Sean Strickland, Dricus Du Plessis and Nassourdine Imavov, the last two by stoppage. Meanwhile, Pereira will rematch Magomed Ankalaev, the man that took his UFC light heavyweight belt back in March, for gold in the main event of UFC 320 on Oct. 4.
“I think it’s going to be a hard fight,” Spong said of a rematch between Ankalaev and Pereira. “Difficult fight. Maybe not hard, but difficult for him because styles make fights. Everybody has a niche, something that just doesn’t gel well with your style. And if he can change certain things he might be victorious.
“But I never bet, I never predict fights. They’re both not guys that I train with because if I train with somebody, I’m always going to back him. I wish them both the best, and may the best man win, but I can’t predict the future. Let’s see. That’s what makes fighting interesting, right? It’s the most honest art and sport in the world because two guys go in there and then they fight hard and honest, and the best man on the evening wins.”
Regardless of the outcome of a rematch with Ankalaev, Spong feels that Pereira should be proud of the history he’s built in combat sports after a life of out-of-the-cage struggles and adversities.
“I think he did a phenomenal job,” Spong said. “Not for nothing, he’s a big star now, has a lot of success in his fights, accomplished so much in a short space of time. And more than anything, his story is good, too, the stuff he overcame. I think he should be proud of himself. He probably never thought in his in his head that this was possible, and he went out and did it. I respect that a lot.
“And you know, from a competitive side, of course, I’m being labeled one of the best kickboxers from the past two decades — not one decade, the past two decades, that’s how long I’ve been around. I know that me as a fighter I can beat certain people, but I’m proud of him and I wish him all the best and success. I think he did great for him, his sons, to be an example. And for other people that have certain problems in life like addiction and whatnot, I think he should be proud of what he accomplished.”
