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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Longtime professional kickboxer Tyrone Spong made a successful transition to mixed martial arts on Saturday night, picking apart Travis Bartlett before finally knocking him out at the debut event for the World Series of Fighting.
From the opening it was clear Spong was going to be the superior fighter, and it seemed to be only a matter of time before the finish happened. Spong pressed in early, landing several hard kicks before letting loose with his hands as well. He hurt Bartlett with a couple of high kicks, one which knocked him down, but allowed Bartlett to stand to continue the assault.
He moved from leg shots to body work, landing several hard knees to the gut, then adding in body punches to lower Bartlett's hands. It worked, and Bartlett left himself open for a major straight right that put him out. Spong, not used to following up after a knockdown, simply walked off. Luckily for him Bartlett was done, but it could have allowed him to continue.
Regardless, it was a showcase debut for the kickboxer. Though it was a complete mismatch, it was the right type of fight for his MMA debut. He'll face a tougher level of competition as he continues on, and will eventually have to face a solid grappler, but for the purposes of this event he did exactly what he needed to do, and he did it in violent fashion.
Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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Frank Hyden - Rich Hansen
Chris Park - Matt Pelkey
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