“He can’t refuse,” Dana White speaks about the reason behind Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul
Dana White shares his opinion about the reason behind Mike Tyson agreeing to the upcoming fight against Jake Paul.
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Dana White on Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson (Image via Imago)
Dana White, who is a close friend of Mike Tyson, has recently spoken about Tyson’s reason for fighting Jake Paul. During an interview with Lex Fridman, the UFC CEO revealed that he recently got in touch with Tyson’s wife, Lakiha Spicer. As such, White was told that the former heavyweight champion was training hard. Fridman then proceeded to ask White about the reason behind the 57-year-old fighting at his age.
White responded by mentioning how unique Tyson is compared to other boxers from his era. This includes legends like Buster Douglas, Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis, etc. White stated that fighters from his era have to fight to earn a lot of money at their age, but this does not apply to Tyson. However, Tyson cannot refuse certain fights because of his stature, according to White.
I just think that he ends up getting these offers that he can’t refuse.Dana White via Lex Fridman
Hence, White believes that Tyson has several lucrative ventures that do not involve him fighting. This implies that Tyson is not desperate to jump into a one-time opportunity that leads to a huge payday. Subsequently, regardless of Tyson’s current prosperity, White believes that he cannot refuse certain offers. The UFC CEO also spoke about the aura that Tyson has at his current age, which is quite impressive.
He mentioned that if Tyson walks into a public space like a restaurant, people will instantly recognize and acknowledge his presence. Furthermore, White has also previously expressed his distaste for the fight but is now waiting to see how it plays out.
Dana White reveals what makes a fighter achieve greatness
After asking White if there was a lesson about great fighters from the Tyson vs. Paul fight, Fridman then asked White about what makes a fight great. As such, Dana White retorted that fighters sometimes complain about uneven odds, but those fights create legendary bouts.
The UFC CEO elaborated on this by mentioning that fighters tend to be paranoid at times. Subsequently, he believes that fighters can achieve greatness once they cross that paranoia and face uneven odds.
White reiterated his point by stating that the UFC isn’t the WWE and does not decide the winner of a matchup. Furthermore, White claimed his job is to make the best possible matchup a reality for the fans. He also used the Israel Adesanya vs. Sean Strickland fight as an example of an uneven matchup that led to greatness.
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Abhijay Roy
(551 Articles Published)