Surinamese-Dutch fighter Tyrone Spong recently experienced a moment to forget as he was knocked out by a former UFC fighter who holds a below-average record of 10-13-1 in the promotion. Spong’s defeat at Karate Combat 54 was made even more humiliating by the fact that the former UFC fighter went winless in his last nine UFC encounters.
Tyrone Spong’s adversary picked up eight defeats in his last nine UFC encounters
Tyrone Spong has ventured into several forms of martial arts in his professional career to date. The 39-year-old got his hands on the WBC and WBO Latino heavyweight titles in 2018. Spong has also bagged several prestigious titles in kickboxing across multiple promotions, including being the Glory 95kg Slam Champion.
The Surinamese-Dutch fighter gave up professional kickboxing in 2014 to focus solely on boxing. Spong found success inside the ring after his debut in 2015, including being the WBC and WBO Latino heavyweight champion. However, the Paramaribo native decided to enter a different genre of fighting after his boxing match against Jeyson Minda in August 2019.
Spong returned to MMA by signing with Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Eagle FC, but he endured a second-round TKO defeat in his only fight under the promotion. Following his MMA stint, the former Glory champion entered Karate Combat to make his debut in full-contact striking.
However, the rough patch of Spong’s career continued as he endured a second-round TKO defeat in his debut at Karate Combat 54 against former UFC fighter Sam Alvey. The fact that Spong was knocked out by a fighter who endured eight defeats in his last nine UFC fights makes his defeat an embarrassing one.
A recent X update from @SpinninBackfist highlighted the moment when Spong got knocked out by Alvey during his Karate Combat debut. A large chunk of fans were in disbelief after witnessing the incident.
SAM ALVEY HAS FINISHED SPONG#KarateCombat pic.twitter.com/ufKcysr22c
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) May 2, 2025
One of them mentioned, “What is this world”
What is this world
— The Degenerate Mark (@Degenerate_Mark) May 2, 2025
Another one stated, “I did not see that coming”
I did not see that coming
— 🐦🔥Phoenix 🥀 Rose 🐦🔥 (@AlexPhoenix_12) May 2, 2025
One more mentioned, “No way”, while two others expressed similar thoughts, writing, “The fact he [Spong] was 14-0 [in boxing] is crazy” and “Watched 5 times to make sure it’s not AI generated.”
Looking at the wide range of martial arts forms Spong has competed in, his future in Karate Combat seems uncertain. The 39-year-old ended his tenure in Eagle FC after enduring a single defeat.