Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping has no interest in seeing Mike Tyson fight Jon Jones in MMA, boxing, or any other arena.
Last month, the heavyweight boxing legend Tyson, now 53, announced plans for a return to the ring.
“I want to go to the gym and get in shape to be able to box three or four-round exhibitions for some charities and stuff,” Tyson said on Instagram live. “Some charity exhibition, make some money, help some homeless and drug-affected (expletive), you know, like me.”
Since then, he’s been linked to fights with a number of high-profile fighters such as Evander Holyfield, Tyson Fury, Wanderlei Silva, Tito Ortiz, and most recently, Jones. According to Bisping, however, Tyson should be fighting a fellow legend—not a young killer like Jones. Jones, meanwhile, should be setting his sights on boxers like Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder.
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“We’ve got the baddest man on the planet, we’ve got the greatest of all time, and I’m not talking about Mike Tyson, I’m talking about Jon Jones,” Bisping said on his Believe You Me podcast. “Jon, you’re a great fighter. Mike Tyson had his day. Call out Anthony Joshua in a boxing match, call out Deontay Wilder or [Andy] Ruiz, or any of those guys that are current and relevant.
“We know Tyson’s on about coming out of retirement,” Bisping added. “But still. He should fight another legend. He should not fight f**king Jon Jones in any way, shape or form.”
Bisping later added that he recognizes a Jones vs. Tyson fight, be it in MMA or boxing, would be a massive draw. However, he’s still against the matchup.
“Listen, any time Jon Jones fights, everybody’s going to tune in and watch it,” he said. “From the UFC’s perspective, they’re fan-based, yeah of course they’re going to watch Jon Jones—Jon Jones boxes another well-known, very famous and capable, professional boxer. Of course, it’s combat. The two biggest combat sports are boxing and UFC, so of course they’re going to watch you do that.
“Isn’t it wild that it shows the star power of Mike Tyson still, to this day, that he’s been linked to so many fighters recently.”
While a fight between Tyson and Jones would no doubt be big business, as Bisping suggests, Tyson seems to be leaning toward a rematch with the 57-year-old Evander Holyfield, who also recently announced plans for a comeback.
“There are a lot of people out there that need help, and something like that can help a lot of people that’s in need of help,” Tyson told TMZ Sports. “That’s a lot of money for charity. That is basically what I have embarked on in a life of charity and gratitude. I don’t know if me and Evander will ever get in the ring [again]. That would be awesome for charity, too. Could you imagine me and him going into the ring together, archenemies, and doing it for humanity of people and people less fortunate than ourselves? What would that be like? That is something that has never been done before with any entertainer or any sports figure in the history of entertainment and sports.”
What do you think of these comments from Michael Bisping? Does a Jon Jones vs. Mike Tyson fight interest you?