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Former UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier doesn’t want to fight Mike Tyson in a boxing exhibition match, but if he did, he may end up accidently taking Iron Mike to the ground.
“DC” retired from mixed martial arts in August following his unanimous decision loss to heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic at UFC 252. And three months after the 43-year-old retired, “Iron Mike” laced his boxing gloves up after more than a decade out of competition and fought in an exhibition match against fellow legend Roy Jones Jr. The two boxed for eight rounds and the result was determined a draw by the WBC’s judges.
After the bout, Iron Mike, 54, made it clear that he intends to compete again in another boxing exhibition match, and since then, the combat sports world has been speculating about who his next opponent will be.
During the newest episode of ESPN’s DC & Helwani on Monday, Ariel Helwani revealed who was favored by oddsmakers to be Tyson’s next opponent. According to the odds at the time, Tyson’s two-time rival Evander Holyfield was favored as Iron Mike’s next opponent at -150. Another of Tyson’s former opponents, Lennox Lewis, was favored next at +300.
Former heavyweight champions Riddick Bowe and Shannon Briggs were listed at +500 and +800, respectively. Next, former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz was at +1000. Both brothers, former heavyweight champions Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko, were at +1200.
Finally, Cormier himself was listed at +1500.
“Are you serious?” DC laughed, reacting to the odds of him being Iron Mike’s next opponent. “They put me on there? Why would they put me on there? Why would they put me in a boxing match with Mike Tyson?”
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Cormier Wouldn’t Box Tyson, Said He May ‘Have Flashbacks’ From His Fight With Miocic & Try to Take Tyson Down
Helwani asked the former two-division UFC champ if he would box Iron Mike and Cormier made it clear that he wouldn’t.
“Would I fight Tyson?” DC said. “Fight Tyson? Yeah, I’ll fight Tyson — what’s wrong with you… Let’s go! Nah, I ain’t fighting Tyson. I’m not fighting Tyson. What are you talking about, fight Tyson?”
Helwani then asked DC if he was afraid of Tyson.
“I’m not afraid, but I don’t know that the rules under which we’re playing… I may have flashbacks,” Cormier responded. “I was just in a fight four months ago. I may have flashbacks. I might take Mike down. You don’t know what happens in that situation, you know? So let’s just… James Toney. I think [Tyson’s next opponent] will be James Toney.”
Toney, who was not mentioned on the odds list, is a former multi-division champion boxer.
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Cormier Has One of the Most Impressive Resumes in UFC History
Although DC retired on a two-fight losing streak, he is one of the most accomplished fighters to ever step inside the UFC’s Octagon. Cormier has a professional MMA record of 22-3 and one no contest, with 10 wins coming via KO/TKO, five by submission and seven by decision. He competed 14 times in the UFC, garnering a record 11-3 with one no contest.
He held both the heavyweight and light heavyweight titles simultaneously, becoming only the second fighter in UFC history to do so. He holds victories over the likes of Stipe Miocic, Anderson Silva, Alexander Gustafsson, Anthony Johnson and Dan Henderson.
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