UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has called out former world heavyweight boxing champ Mike Tyson for not one, but two fights.
It began while Tyson was doing a live stream with Charlie Mack. The former boxing champion then mentioned Jones in conjunction with talks of UFC fighter pay. Tyson then elaborated, saying that he and Jones would need to fight if the latter wants to earn the extravagant amounts that high-level boxers do.
“Listen to this, UFC is more popular than boxing, right? Higher ratings, right? But a UFC fighter will never be richer than a first-class fighter. To make a $100 million, Conor McGregor had to fight Floyd Mayweather. Jon Jones got to fight me if he wants to make some super money.”
This garnered a response from Jones, who at first tweeted “I’m listening,” then tagging Tyson. Jones then formulated a challenge for fights in both boxing and MMA – with a backhanded promise of mercy.
“I’ll box you in the ring if you promise to give me a real fight in the Octagon afterwards,” Jones wrote. “And because I respect you so much, I promise I won’t break anything on you.”
Tyson announced his return to boxing earlier this year. While no opponent has been officially announced, fighters from the likes of Tito Ortiz to Shannon Briggs have been reported.
At surface level this may seem like an outlandish challenge, however Jones’ future is much more uncertain than it was last year. After that negotiations regarding a heavyweight fight with Francis Ngannou broke down, Jones’ relationship with the UFC became strained and contentious. Jones has even gone so far as to claim that he has vacated his title.
These aspects in mind, it seems less unlikely that Jones’ and Tyson’s paths cross.
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