Light Heavyweight bout: Tyrone Spong (-1400) vs Angel DeAnda (+950) Fight Breakdown: World kickboxing champion Tyrone Spong steps into the WSOF cage for his second professional MMA bout versus Modesto, CA’s Angel DeAnda. Spong currently sits at the huge favorite price of -1400 ($1,400 to win $100) with the return the large underdog DeAnda being +950 ($100 to win $950) at Several Bookmakerss. Tyrone Spong (1-0 MMA, 1-0 WSOF) is a 27 year old beast of a striker who has been a professional kickboxer since the young age of 16. He has racked up an unbelievable professional kickboxing record of 72 wins and only 6 defeats. Needless to say, Spong is incredibly talented on the feet. His ground game is where he needs to improve. He is still very new to the sport, having fought only once, so you can’t really find MMA tape on him to study. His takedown defense is questionable; it probably isn’t very good, since he’s raw to the sport. He should be improving on his wrestling and all around MMA game, as he trains with some top wrestlers and mixed martial artists at the Blackzillians camp in Florida. Angel DeAnda (11-2 MMA, 0-0 WSOF) makes his promotional debut in his home state of California against one of the most feared strikers in the world in Tyrone Spong. DeAnda is from Modesto, CA and trains with the Last Stand Fight Team in Oakdale, CA, where he has had his training camp for this bout. Although not very technical, Angel DeAnda is a powerful striker. He also has a decent ground game. He certainly prefers to finish his fights, as 10 of his 11 victories have come inside the distance, and all 10 of them being by TKO/KO. Being at 5’8″, DeAnda is at an extreme height and reach disadvantage in this fight. I think in order for him to win this fight, he has to manage to close the distance without catching knees, take the fight to the ground, and try to work some magic there. Fight Prediction:Spong hurts DeAnda from a distance and as DeAnda tries to close in on a clinch-takedown, Spong abuses him with vicious knees that leave him unable to continue. Spong wasn’t really tested in his first bout and I don’t feel he’s really being tested against DeAnda. DeAnda is going into this fight thinking he will likely lose; he was quoted saying, “I can see him (Spong) knocking me out” in an interview he gave to MMA Junkie Radio. When a fighter plays the fight out in his head and keeps visioning himself getting knocked out, I don’t think you want to back that fighter. Gabe’s Pick:Tyrone Spong by KO (knees, 1:04 round 1) Gabe’s Recommended Play: Under 1.5 rounds -350 — I think Spong should get a highlight reel finish here and it shouldn’t take long. — Small play.
