Mike Tyson has achieved the status of a cultural phenomenon. The longtime boxing great has become the synonym for power and boxing in pop culture which makes him somewhat of an easy target for hypothetical comparisons.
Recently UFC Hall of famer Daniel Cormier argued his case for why he believed he would outperform Mike Tyson in an unregulated no holds barred altercation.
Cormier’s resume is impressive. By age 43, Cormier had become the champion of two UFC weight classes in addition to having competed at the Olympic games – twice.
Cormier’s wrestling is nothing short of impressive. He held a 117-6 collegiate record that included three-time All-American honors and was named the U.S. squad’s Olympic team captain in 2008.
74 kg/163 lbs. Ben Askren. UFC alumni, 2x NCAA champion. Former Bellator and ONE welterweight champion.
55 kg/121 lbs. Henry Cejudo. 2x state champion in high school, did not wrestle in college. Youngest American to win Olympic gold in freestyle wrestling. Current UFC flyweight champion.
66 kg/145.5 lbs. Doug Schwab. 1x NCAA champion, 3x All-American. Current head wrestling coach at University of Northern Iowa.
96 kg/211.5 lbs. Daniel Cormier. 1x NCAA runner-up. former UFC HW and LHW champion.
120 kg/264.5 lbs. Steve Mocco. 1x NCAA runner-up, 2x NCAA champion, 5-1 MMA record, current wrestling coach at ATT.
84 kg/185 lbs. Andy Hrovat. 3x All-American. Current wrestling coach at Cliff Keen wrestling club.
On the latest episode of ESPN MMA’s DC & RC, Cormier argued that the sociology graduate those skills would give him the edge against Mike Tyson.
Cormier went on to explain his reasoning from the clip by saying:
“The only reason I say that is I’m a little bit jolly. But look at a picture of me on the scale with my chain, I know you saw my bling out there, I don’t even wear that any more.”
Cormier isn’t the only UFC alumni who believes he would outwork the former heavyweight boxing champion of the world Mike Tyson, Chuck Liddell also believes he would have the edge:
Liddell said. “I mean, he’s got a puncher’s chance. He’s got a chance to catch me coming in. But other than that, it’s over.”
As for Tyson, he’s unlikely to take it to heart. He’s been quoted saying he would tap easily:
“I don’t know what I would do in the UFC, because I watched the UFC a couple of times, and I watched these guys step on people’s feet,” he explained.
“And I have the worst feet in the world, and if somebody stepped on my feet, I would totally tap out and just give up. It would be a no-brainer.”