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Boxing’s former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson has never competed in an MMA prizefight, but the 54-year-old was recently seen fighting inside the cage under the watchful eye of famed MMA coach Rafael Cordeiro.
Is Tyson headed into the cage for a real MMA fight in 2021? That’s what people probably want to know most after Cordeiro posted the stunning video via Instagram over the weekend.
Cordeiro posted, “The tiger @miketyson is in the cage. Watch out!”
You can watch the video below.
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Tyson Made Stunning Comeback in 2020
Tyson returned to the boxing ring for the first time in over 15 years against 51-year-old Roy Jones Jr. back in November.
The two boxing legends fought to a split draw in the eight-round pay-per-view exhibition bout on Triller, and Tyson promised after the fight he would be back for more.
But most people believed at the time Tyson was talking about taking another fight under boxing rules.
After all, Tyson has never competed as an MMA fighter, and it would be a difficult journey for even “Iron” Mike to learn all the wrestling, jiu-jitsu, or even just the kickboxing elements that make up MMA.
After the video was released, though, many have started to wonder whether an MMA bout might now be part of Tyson’s future.
Tyson wouldn’t be the first professional boxer to try the MMA route. In fact, Tyson wouldn’t even be the first former champion to take the plunge.
James Toney won titles in boxing’s 160-pound middleweight, 168-pound super middleweight, and 200-pound cruiserweight divisions before facing Randy Couture at UFC 118 in 2010.
Toney lost that fight via 1st-round submission.
Former WBO heavyweight champion Ray Mercer fared better in MMA albeit at a lower level. After retiring from boxing, Mercer stopped Tim Sylvia in 2009 in his lone MMA fight.
Of course, Holly Holm remains the only boxing champ in history to also become UFC champion.
So Tyson wouldn’t be attempting something that has never been done before, but he would easily be the most popular and accomplished professional boxer ever to seriously take a stab at MMA stardom.
Could Tyson Be Successful in MMA?
While Tyson has aged way past his prime years as a professional prizefighter, there’s no doubt the boxing legend is still in some incredible shape.
Moreover, Tyson is already an expert boxer, and boxing is a big part of MMA.
Tyson might not become the MMA force he could have during the 80s or 90s, but standing across the cage from the “Baddest Man on the Planet” would still be quite terrifying for most people in the world.
Tyson probably wouldn’t be able to reach the highest levels of the sport, but he would definitely be able to compete against the right level of competition. So long as the matchmakers did their jobs, Tyson competing in MMA could be lots of fun.
Additionally, Tyson fighting under MMA rules would draw a huge amount of interest from around the world and likely break pay-per-view records.
That last fact alone might mean Tyson fighting inside an MMA cage could be on its way soon.
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