Kickboxing legend Tyrone Spon had been close to the UFC in the past, but instead decided to make his name in boxing. With his fantastic resume in combat sports, the veteran striker named Israel Adesanya the most successful kickboxer to join the Octagon.
After doing the same in glorious kickboxing, while discussing the influence of Alex Pereira in the sport to become the UFC’s two division champion, Spon initially changed his mind, “Poitan” and “Cro Cop” Filipovich, the most successful kickboxers in the promotion.
“In MMA, that’s (Pereira) Mirko’s “Cro Cop.” It’s definitely UFC, certainly,” Spon told MMA Fighting. “Ah, no, no, Israel Adesanya.”
Adesanya retired from kickboxing after losing to Pereira in March 2017, focusing entirely on mixed martial arts, joined the UFC a year later to kick off five consecutive victories, rounded out by a decision via Anderson Silva, and claimed the interim middleweight belt against Kelvin Gastherm.
“The Last Style Bender” merged a unified title against Robert Whitaker, and later defended it five times before losing to Pereira in November 2022. Adesanya finally got revenge after five months against Pereira, knocking him out in a brutal way in Miami.
“Israel Adesanya (most successful)),” Spon said. Pereira. ”
Adesanya has not booked the next fight in the promotion after losing three consecutive times in the final two stops, Sean Strickland, Doricus du Plessis and Nassoldin Imavov. Meanwhile, Pereira will rematch Magamed Ankaraev, who regained his UFC Light Heavyweight Belt in March for Gold, the main event of UFC 320, on October 4th.
“I think it’s going to be a tough battle,” Spon said of Ankaraev and Pereira’s rematch. “A tough fight. It may not be difficult, but style is difficult because it’s a fight. Everyone has a niche.
“But I never bet and never predict a fight. They are not the people I train together because if I train with him all the time, I hope I win the best person for them.
Regardless of the outcome of his rematch with Ankalaev, Spong feels that Pereira should be proud of the history built in combat sports after a life of out-of-cage struggle and adversity.
“I think he did an incredible job,” Spon said. “He is not now, he is a big star now, he has had many successes in his battles, he has achieved so much in a short time, and most of all, he has overcome his story.
“And, due to the competitive side, of course, I’m labelled as one of the best kickboxers of the past 20 years. Not the past 20 years, but that’s the time I’ve been around. I know I can beat certain people as a fighter, but I’m proud of him. I should be proud of what he’s accomplished.”