"I'm a fighter and everything comes very naturally to me; fighting is like a second nature for me."
That quote from decorated kickboxing champion Tyrone Spong should put the MMA community on high alert. The Dutch-Surinamese star has been flirting with the idea of crossing over from the ring to the cage, working with the team at Imperial Athletics in Boca Raton, Florida to add the missing elements needed to be successful in MMA to his fighting arsenal.
Thursday afternoon, Spong told Heavy MMA that he's very excited with his progress and thankful to be a part of the family atmosphere being cultivated in South Florida.
"We have a great group of guys here," offered Spong of the Imperial Athletics team. "Coach Mike Van Arsdale is a great wrestling coach. Rashad is a very good wrestler. You have Jorge Santiago, Babu is a great jiu-jitsu coach, the brothers Villefort — Danillo and Yuri — JZ (Cavalcante); it's a group of very good fighters and they make me feel very good here. They help me out.
"Everybody helps each other out. There are no stars in the gym; everybody is equal and we're like a big family that helps each other out. That suits me just fine — I like it — and I feel very much at home here; that's one of the most important things to me."
A transition to the cage has been rumored since he began training in Boca Raton, but the 25-year-old says there is nothing concrete to report at this moment.
"I can't say that 100% yet," said Spong of an impending move to mixed martial arts. "I got a few organizations and people who really want me to do it, and since I've been working here in Florida with "The Blackzilians," I've been working on my ground game a little bit, so we'll see. We'll see what the future brings.
In addition to working on his ground game and surrounding himself with a talent group of teammates and coaches, Spong believes what will allow him to make a smooth transition from kickboxing to MMA comes down to intelligence and natural ability.
Though he's competed as a heavyweight in kickboxing, Spong anticipates dropping down a division when he does eventually make the transition to MMA.
"I think the most logical weight class for me would be 205."
Competing at light heavyweight might be best for him, but it could be bad news for the rest of the athletes in the 205 pound ranks. No matter where he signs, the addition of a dangerous striker with 42 wins by way of knockout is something to keep an eye on in the future.
