Leg Kicks Drive Tyrone Spong Past Angel DeAnda in World Series of Fighting 4 Main Event

Tyrone Spong chopped down his foe at WSOF 4. | Photo: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com

The Suriname-born Dutch kickboxer hacked away at Angel DeAnda with ruthless leg kicks en route to a unanimous decision over the Tachi Palace Fights light heavyweight champion in the World Series of Fighting 4 headliner on Saturday at the Citizens Bank Arena in Ontario, Calif. All three cageside judges sided with Spong (2-0, 2-0 WSOF): 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28.

DeAnda (11-3, 0-1 WSOF) had no answer for the assault on his legs. Inside and outside Spong went, knocking the 28-year-old Last Stand Fight Team representative off his feet more than once. To his credit, DeAnda kept his nose in the fight and landed his share of punches, but Spong overwhelmed him with skill, speed and power, mixing in a timely jab and hooks to the head and body.

“I didn’t really have a strategy,” Spong said. “I didn’t know too much about him, but I do know now that he’s tough as nails.”

Moraes Dominant in Fifth Straight Win

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Moraes made a mess of Hempleman's face.

Hempleman (9-2, 0-1 WSOF) was game, but the gap in talent and big-fight experience proved too great an obstacle to overcome.

Moraes did his best work in the first round, where he bloodied the Idahoan with a right hook to the forehead. Later in the round, he clipped Hempleman with another right hook, drove him to the ground with follow-up blows and swarmed with rapid-fire punches. The cut began to bleed profusely.

By the start of the second frame, Moraes was cruising. The 25-year-old Brazilian mixed in a relentless stream of low kicks, leaving Hempleman’s lead leg badly damaged and forcing him to alter his stance. The underdog’s situation did not improve down the stretch; though hobbled from the kicks, he survived his encounter with Moraes and pushed it to a decision.

Newell Guillotine Submits Caldwell

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Newell moved to 10-0.

Newell (10-0, 1-0 WSOF) struck for multiple takedowns and kept the pressure on his opponent throughout their brief encounter. A little less than two minutes into the fight, the unbeaten 27-year-old grounded Caldwell, passed his guard and cinched the guillotine for the tapout.

Newell has finished nine of his first 10 foes, seven of them by submission.

“I had a bunch of ways I thought I could beat him, and this was one of them,” he said. “My jiu-jitsu is nothing to mess with. I can hang with anybody in the world.”

Huckaba Survives Leg Kicks, Finishes Sefo

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Huckaba shocked the WSOF president.

Sefo (2-2, 0-1 WSOF) tried to chop down the Californian with blistering kicks to the thigh and appeared close to doing so in the second round. However, Huckaba countered an errant head kick with a searing left hook that forced his staggered boss to retreat.

A volley of unanswered power punches against the fence forced the stoppage and likely sent the 42-year-old Sefo into retirement.

“My trainers -- I love them to death,” Huckaba said. “This was a dream come true. Ray’s standup is phenomenal. He’s a legend.”

‘JZ’ Cavalcante Dispatches Griffin

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Cavalcante trapped Griffin for the finish.

The first 10 minutes were competitive and emotionally charged, as Griffin (16-7, 0-1 WSOF) attacked with punches in combinations and kicks to the inside and outside of the Brazilian’s legs. Cavalcante never quit moving forward and kept the Xtreme Couture export circling on the perimeter, his back to the cage, for much of the match.

In the third round, Cavalcante secured a takedown, passed to half guard and eventually moved to mount. Griffin surrendered his back immediately, and “JZ” strengthened his position by flattening out the Californian. Unanswered punches and hammerfists followed, leading referee Jason McCoy to intercede despite protests from Griffin.

“He wasn’t escaping. He wasn’t moving. I train for that,” Cavalcante said. “That’s the referee’s decision.”

Prelims: Harris Outpoints Former Sengoku Champion Santiago

D. Mandel

Harris used his wrestling and top game
to slide by Santiago.