‘If He Steps on My Toes, I’m…’: Mike Tyson Remains Brutally Honest While Picking Boxing Over UFC

A master of his craft, Mike Tyson, became the youngest Heavyweight champion in the history of boxing. But, perhaps, only Joe Louis and Sugar Ray Robinson’s dominance in their era may pale the way Iron Mike ruled the latter half of the eighties decade. Comedians and cannabis connoisseurs Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong were invited by Mike and his co-host Leslie Jones to the popular podcast, Hotboxin’ With Mike Tyson. Some ten minutes after the program began, Cheech was curious whether Mike would have opted for the UFC, given a chance, or would he still stick with boxing.

The duo had embraced and became counterculture symbols in the sixties and seventies. Their act, Cheech and Chong, amped up the free love of the hippie era. But, keeping audiences tickled through live performances and feature films, the duo went separate ways by 1985.

Thank you boxing for all the greenbacks

The quartet regaled the viewers with lively anecdotes and titbits surrounding famous personalities and their careers.

Read More: ‘They Tear You Apart’: Mike Tyson Explains Why Germans Were ‘Worse Than Romans’

Before you can say knife, Mike replied that as far as his pickings go, it will be boxing only. And he explained further the kind of money he made from the sport. He doubted whether a stint in mixed martial arts would have been a successful economic venture, “Always boxing because, um, I was making massive money and I would never made that yeah UFC.”

When Leslie interjected that UFC involves a fair share of kicking as well, laughing, Mike Tyson confessed that he would be out of a bout since the only thing he could do with his legs would be to stomp on the feet of his foe. And when Tommy added the name of a familiar acquaintance, Mike blurted out, biting the person as a last resort, “Well, if he steps on my toes, I’am biting….One he steps on my toes, I’am gonna tap, it hard too.”

Maybe an allusion to The Bite Fight he had with his former arch rival and now friend, as well as business partner Evander Holyfield, which quickly had everyone rolling over in laughter.

Too good in more than one sport?

Natural athletes are very hard to come by. But once they do, their impact lasts for a significant period.

During his school days, Bo Jackson became Alabama’s decathlon champion twice. Not done, he established indoor high jump and triple jump records. Probably the most outstanding natural athlete after Jim Thorpe, Bo created history in basketball and baseball. In the annals of competitive sports, he’s the only personality bestowed with an All-Star in two different sports.

A switchover between combat sports such as boxing and mixed martial arts may appear insignificant, though. Ronda Rousey is an Olympic Bronze medalist in Judo. Yoel Romero, one of the most formidable strikers on UFC’s roster, won a wrestling silver medal in the Sydney Olympics! Conor McGregor fought a boxing top-grosser against Floyd Mayweather in 2017.

But then, even a tippler’s dice may not foretell if Mike would have had a successful mixed martial arts career in the UFC. What he achieved in boxing doesn’t need a lengthy prologue. Instead, his life is an open book, inspiring millions to stand up and return at each failure.

What is your opinion? What sort of achievement would Iron Mike have achieved in the UFC?

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