Issue 141
May 2016
MMA is in dire need of a heavyweight prodigy, and Mike Tyson believes the UFC’s big men need to look down to find the keys to game-changing success
When Mike Tyson exploded into the boxing ring, the sweet science’s heavyweight division was still living off the legends of Muhammad Ali, Ken Norton, Joe Frazier and George Foreman from 10 years earlier. Sound familiar? MMA is in desperate need of new blood in its biggest weight class. It’s crying out for a ferocious heavyweight champion to capture the imagination of a planet increasingly intoxicated by events inside the cage.
Tyson has been watching MMA since the early “Dan Severn, Royce Gracie, Lions Den days”, as he calls them. The greatest heavyweight of his generation even came close to strapping on the 4oz gloves in Japan. Shortly after his boxing days wound down, the Pride promotion tried to tie Tyson into a fight with Croatian kickboxing machine Cro Cop. But in an exclusive interview with Fighters Only, he admits Father Time was against him.
“There were a couple of times I was asked about fighting and, looking back now, it might have been awesome,” says the MMA aficionado. “If I was a little younger then who knows what might have happened... I wouldn’t embarrass myself, that’s for sure.”
The heavyweight division could certainly use his star power right now in the absence of needle-moving heavyweight greats. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Randy Couture and Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ have gone. Despite a cash-driven revival in Japan, Fedor Emelianenko too is a spent force.
The UFC’s big boys dominate the landscape, with Fabricio Werdum the undisputed heavyweight champion. After defeating Cain Velasquez – the guy most predicted would dominate the division before he was dogged by injuries – in Mexico City last summer, ‘Vai Cavalo’ capped a fighting career spanning 14 years. But at 38, his time at the top feels more a swansong stint than the beginning of a reign.
Tyson has been watching the Brazilian champ since he fought in Pride and is a fan. But he admits he lacks an x-factor to drive the division – and with it, MMA’s global growth. “I’ve been a fan of his for a long time, back when he beat Fedor in Strikeforce and he was still just a grappler,” he says.
“I appreciated what he had even then too: when he fought Overeem, first in Pride when he won, and then later on. He didn’t win the second fight because Overeem was scared to grapple with him. He’s a very underrated fighter, Werdum, especially today. Now he’s a striker too. But he’s not all that. You have to be able to sell a fight as well as fight. He’s old now too.”
The weight class needs someone like Tyson in his prime: fierce and charismatic enough to capture the world’s attention. A natural, young, 230lb-plus athlete who could talk as well as he could fight would be a game-changer for the UFC and MMA. It’s just a shame ‘Kid Dynamite’ is way past his prime because huge paydays are finally available for the Octagon’s most prominent stars.
The money on offer from the UFC in the last 20 years wouldn’t have been nearly enough to tempt Tyson to make the switch from the ring – and a career that saw him earn $300 million in fight purses alone. But it’s different now. “If I was 30 years younger, the UFC would be for me,” he says with a smile. “For the first time there are big opportunities in this sport.”
Conor McGregor’s surge to the top of MMA has proved that. He’s showed the world that if you’re good enough, the rewards are there – and Tyson is a huge fan. He admires his youthful, positive personality that provokes his rivals and, critically, entertains the fans, whether he’s inside the Octagon or holding a microphone.
The former ‘Baddest Man on the Planet’ also believes there are parallels between ‘The Notorious’ and himself: “Do I see a lot of myself in him? Totally.
“What I especially admire is, when you see McGregor; he’s never depressed or never down. He’s always full of energy. He’s always positive. With his opponent, he’ll mess them around, touch their backs, pinch their belt. It’s entertainment. That’s what I mean about positivity. He’s making us all happy.
“For him, the fight starts long before. As fans we are used to fighters coming out and talking s**t. That goes with the whole dynamics of fighting: talking s**t. But this guy doesn’t do that because his personality is incredible. The UFC needs a heavyweight like this next.”
If a featherweight from Dublin, Ireland can chase down $100 million contracts in the sport, then imagine what a true heavyweight prodigy could earn. That’s exactly why the brash Irishman is the type of new blood required to push the heavyweight division back into the eyes of the fans. Tyson believes other fighters can learn from in McGregor. He likes to talk money, shop on Rodeo Drive and post viral videos of himself in luxury sports cars. He insists he spends what he earns, as there’s plenty more to come.
“Professional fighting is showbusiness. And at the end of the day you have to make sure you’re just as much about the business as you are the show,” Tyson says, speaking with more authority on the matter than likely any other fighter in history.
“Conor is very charismatic. Jon Jones is bad, but deep down he’s a decent kind of person and very shy. Whereas this guy, Conor, he’s the man. He reminds me of the old-time boxers, one of those guys that’s just into everything. He walks into the room and everybody stands up. He sucks the air out of the room. He’s just a really interesting guy.
“He does things nobody else has been able to do too. He’s kind of like an animated character, one that’s real though. He’s a great fighter, but his personality is even bigger than his talent. Isn’t that crazy? “He’s got this huge personality. Nobody in MMA has ever had a personality as big as his. Ronda (Rousey) is just like a monster – the things she would do – but this guy is different. His personality is phenomenal.”
That power McGregor wields in the UFC can lure a new generation of athletes into mixed martial arts. And Tyson says his success won’t go unnoticed in inner-city neighborhoods the world over – although it’s about much more than fat checks.
“It’s actually not even about the money, it’s the power,” he adds. That’s what it’s all about. We never say it, but that’s what he wants: power. That’s why we put out lives on the brink of destruction, because we want to grasp that power. Nothing else matters. We almost want to give our lives up in pursuit of it. It’s worth dying and killing for.
“Money doesn’t even touch it. Where he comes from, he’s seen people with money get it taken away from them physically. The really strong man has the power. The power is where it’s at. When nobody can touch you physically or legally. When you’ve got impunity. That’s what we saw as kids.
“It’s only very recently that we’ve seen the drug dealers get locked up. Not too long ago a guy would run the neighborhood doing that stuff until the day he dies. People doing the dying are usually the ones working for him. He’s the one with all the power. And it’s power we all want. Nobody messes with it.”
Iron Mike at the movies
Tyson reinvented himself as a star of the stage and silver screen. Following his Undisputed Truth one-man show world tour, he's now starring in Ip Man 3, opposite Donnie Yen.
Fighting’s veterans’ club
The average age of the top 10 fighters in the UFC’s heavyweight division is 36 – six years older than the top contenders in the burgeoning featherweight weight class.
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