Mike Tyson’s boxing exploits remain legendary in the world of combat sports.
But is there an alternate universe where his success came inside the UFC octagon?
During a recent interview with Hard Rock Bet, Tyson was asked an intriguing hypothetical: Had he been in his prime in the current fighting landscape, would a prime “Iron Mike” have considered competing in MMA instead of boxing? We’ll never know and it doesn’t sound like the 59-year-old Tyson is all that curious about what might have happened.
“No, I don’t think that,” Tyson said. “Listen, the biggest UFC—five of the biggest UFC fighters combined couldn’t match my pay.”
In the ‘80s and ‘90s, when Tyson was racking up knockout after knockout and stringing together a number of memorable heavyweight title defenses, there was arguably no bigger star in combat sports. Tyson’s fame translated into major dollar signs as he made $10-30 million per fight and it is widely reported he made over $100 million for a blockbuster matchup with Lennox Lewis in 2002. He was worth a fortune and that’s before taking into account the numerous high-profile endorsement and licensing deals attached to his name.
Outside of maybe Conor McGregor, it’s unlikely any UFC fighter has ever cashed checks as big as Tyson’s on a consistent basis, and the current crop of UFC stars are undoubtedly making less in purse money than boxing stars like Canelo Alvarez and Tyson Fury.
So knowing his value, Tyson believes negotiating with the UFC would never have happened.
“I want to be the biggest fighter, the biggest purse, I want all that stuff,” Tyson said. “Mike Tyson fights, he shuts everything down.”
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Home. Alex Pereira took a trip to the old tire shop and dedicated to his buddy Magomed Ankalaev.
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Rest. Justin Tafa is stepping away from competition following his UFC release.
A special Q&A episode of Between the Links with The Best Friends Mike Heck and Alexander K. Lee.
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Mike Tyson dealt with Don King, so it’s not as if he didn’t end up having experience with shady promoters, but for some reason the thought of a young Tyson butting heads with Dana White over scraps of pay-per-view profits makes me chuckle.
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