Jim Lampley believes Mike Tyson is playing a dangerous game this weekend.

On Friday, Tyson faces Jake Paul in an eight-round boxing match in what is likely to be the biggest combat sports event of the year. Though Tyson is a former heavyweight champion, he’s also pushing 58 years of age and facing a man 30 years his junior, which has led to some concern among fans about the wisdom of going forward with the matchup. And longtime boxing commentator Jim Lampley seems to be among those who believe Tyson is taking a big risk.

“I hope that Mike makes a ton of money,” Lampley told Fight Hub TV. “He’s a dear and old friend. My television boxing career began calling his first several exposures on ABC sports back in the 80s. I’ve known him a long time, love him, I want his life to be what he wants it to be and so I hope that Mike does well in the business of the fight and doesn’t get hurt.

“Obviously when a man is 57, almost 58 years old going into the ring, I don’t care who the opponent is. The opponent could be a figure skater, he’s still taking a chance. And so I think Mike is taking a chance with this because Jake Paul will train, Jake Paul will lift weights, Jake Paul will get himself into shape to do the best that he can possibly do and try to land one big shot and separate Mike from his senses long enough to get a win.

“So I think the essence of the drama is ‘is Jake Paul going to knock Mike out or is Mike going to go through the necessary motions and show enough energy and commitment over the course of however many rounds it takes to gradually beat down Jake Paul and get a win. And I hope Mike comes out of it healthy and wealthier.”

Though Tyson had an exhibition bout against Roy Jones Jr. in 2020, this will be his first professional fight in almost 20 years. That a long time on the shelf and given his advanced age, Lampley says that come Friday he will not be watching along.

“The age difference is big enough that the event is dangerous,” Lampley said. “And I kind of wish Mike found some other way to do business rather than to fight somebody who’s Jake’s age and has a chance to get into the kind of shape that Jake might get into. But he’s still a far, far piece removed from understanding boxing and having the kind of refined skills that Mike had at his peak.

“Again, the question is, how much of Mike do you get to see when he’s 57 years old? I love him, I’m rooting for him, I’m not going to make the buy. It’s not an event that I want to see. It’s too much of a distortion. It’s not competition, it’s a freak show.”

Despite many boxing luminaries sharing Lampley’s trepidation about this matchup, Tyson insists there’s nothing to worry about, saying he’s in a much better place than he was 20 years ago. And while Lampley may not share that belief with Tyson, he does ultimately think that come Friday, Tyson will end up OK.

“The vast majority of those people, who pay attention to Mike because of his celebrity and his illustrious image don’t know anything about boxing,” Lampley said. “They don’t really understand the risk that he’s taking by going into the ring. We’re not faking it here. People are going to hit each other. And again … he’s 57, 58 years old.

“I think he’ll be fine. I think he probably still has enough craft that he can protect himself int he right way against somebody who, no matter how long he trains, is still at that level of novice. So I think that Mike is going to be OK. But my biggest hope about the entire event is that nothing bad happens to my friend.”

TOP STORIES

Tyson. Mike Tyson sends a message to fans concerned about his fight with Jake Paul.

Gloves. UFC 309 will feature a return to the old fight gloves.

Heavyweight. Jon Anik reacts to Jon Jones vs. Alex Pereira talk and the heavyweight title picture.

Duck. Matt Brown criticizes Jon Jones for poor handling of Tom Aspinall situation.

London Calling. The UFC announced a return to London in March.

Free Agency. Marcus Buchecha discusses his impending MMA free agency.

Roundtable. Discussing the various angles ahead of UFC 309 this Saturday.

VIDEO STEW

Between the Links.

Jake Paul as a rooster.

Michael Chandler interview.

Jon Anik previews Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic.

Embedded.

Tyson on TMZ Sports.

FLAVOR IN YOUR EAR

SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE

Guys want in.

Alexa Grasso broke a leg. And not in the good way.

Durinho.

FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Edson Barboza (24-12) vs. Steve Garcia (17-5); UFC, Feb 22.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I sincerely hope Jim Lampley is correct.

Just a few more days and we’ll know one way or the other.

EXIT POLL

If you find something you’d like to see in the Morning Report, hit up @AlexanderKlee or @JedKMeshew on Twitter and let us know about it. Also, follow MMAFighting on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and like us on Facebook.

MMA Fighting – All Posts

Think you can figure out which UFC fighter we’re talking about? You’ll get five clues to figure him out.

We’re back for another day of the SB Nation UFC in-5 daily trivia game, and we’re switching to a system of a new article each day for the game.

We tried using a single article for the game, updated with the latest game each day, but it was creating a bit of an unwieldy experience in the comments. So, we’ll have the current day’s game plus the previous three days in each new article. That way, you can catch up if you miss a day.

Game instructions are at the bottom if you’re new to the game!

What we need from you

1. Play the game
2. Share your result in the comments and on social media
3. Provide feedback (Google Form or in comments below)

Today’s UFC in-5 game

Tuesday’s UFC in-5 game

Monday’s UFC in-5 game

Sunday’s UFC in-5 game

The goal of the game is to guess the correct random UFC fighter player with the help of up to five clues. We’ll mix in BOTH ACTIVE AND RETIRED FIGHTERS. It won’t be easy to figure it out in one or two guesses, but some of you might be able to nail it. It will be a mix of well-known players and some “that guys” that we haven’t thought of in some time. The game will appear in slot #3 of the MMA Fighting layout each morning, with occasional movement later in the day.

After you correctly guess the player, you can click “Share Results” to share how you did down in the comments and on social media.

MMA Fighting – All Posts

NEW YORK CITY — UFC lightweight contender and former Bellator champion Michael Chandler discusses his rematch with Charles Oliveira at UFC 309, their first fight at UFC 262, how he’ll approach this matchup differently, his place in the lightweight title picture, and his new tequila line with MMA Fighting’s Jose Youngs.

MMA Fighting – All Posts

Mike Tyson believes he’s better today than he was 20 years ago.

A former undisputed heavyweight champion, Tyson retired from professional boxing at 38 years old after losing to Kevin McBride in 2005. After a long hiatus from the sport, Tyson returned for an exhibition bout against Roy Jones Jr. in 2020, and now will make his return to professional action this weekend when he faces Jake Paul in an eight-round bout this Friday.

Now 58 years old, Tyson’s bout with Paul has drawn some criticism from fans who worry about the old champion facing a man 30 years his junior, but “Iron Mike” contends he’s in a better place now than he was when he retired.

“Thank you very much for being concerned. But I am fighting. I’m going to be okay… I was a different person then,” Tyson told Manouk Akopyan about his message to fans. “I was using narcotics, alcohol back then. I’m not that person anymore. I see a better picture of myself now. I see light. I see the world from a different perspective now.”

Tyson’s personal and professional career has been fraught with controversy, including a 1992 rape conviction which led to two years in prison. More recently, in 2006 Tyson was arrested for driving under the influenced where he admitted to drug use and addiction. He checked himself into rehab in 2007.

But despite now being clean and his repeated assertions that he’s ready to face Paul, many still worry about the dangers of this bout, especially as the fight was postponed from its original date over the summer after Tyson suffered a medical emergency while flying. But Tyson insists that based on all his training, he’s more than ready for this matchup.

“Great. I feel great,” Tyson said. “… I’ve got the rounds in me. Listen, I’m sparring young guys, 30s, 20s, I’m sparring young guys and they’re hitting me real hard. It wasn’t a picnic when I first started training. I’m fighting with younger guys and they’re really giving me a shellacking at first. … I’m doing my share [now].”

Regardless of the wisdom of the bout, everything appears set to take place this Friday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas and broadcast live via Netflix, in what figures to be the biggest combat sports event of the year. And depending how things go, this might not be a one-time return for Tyson.

“Sky is the limit,” Tyson said. “We’ll see. I’m interested in doing it again.”

MMA Fighting – All Posts

Jake Paul is taking this “El Gallo” thing seriously.

Previously fighting with the nickname “The Problem Child,” Paul recently switched things up to “El Gallo” which translates from Spanish to “The Rooster.” And on Tuesday at the open workouts for his boxing match with Mike Tyson this Friday, Paul took that moniker one step further, showing up with his hair dyed red and decorated like a rooster.

Paul faces Tyson in an eight-round boxing match this Friday, broadcast live on Netflix, which figures to be one of the biggest combat sports events of the year.

After years of building his resume in boxing with fights against MMA fighters, the 27-year-old Paul now hopes to move into bigger names in the boxing ring with this matchup against Tyson, even calling out super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez. And speaking after his workout, Paul made it clear this will be a defining fight in his career.

“Friday, my dreams come true and my career starts,” Paul said. “This is the start of an amazing journey. What I’ve done so far doesn’t matter. Friday night my career starts. …

“I promise you, I was built for this, destined for this. The gods got me. The universe got me and I, Jake Joseph Paul, will knock out Mike Tyson. Friday November 15, it is written in the history books.”

MMA Fighting – All Posts

The UFC 309 fight card, start time is for the Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic event at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Saturday night.

In the main event, UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones clashes with former UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic. Jones, who hasn’t fought since UFC 285 in March 2023, has reeled off 18 wins out of 19 fights since his only professional loss. Miocic has won three of his past fights, but he hasn’t fought since losing to Francis Ngannou at UFC 260 on March 27, 2021.

Former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira squares off with former Bellator champion Michael Chandler in a rematch in the co-main event. Oliveira defeated Chandler via second-round TKO at UFC 262 on May 15, 2021.

UFC 309 start time is at 6 p.m. ET for the prelims on ESPN+, Hulu, and UFC Fight Pass. The main card for UFC 309 begins at 10 p.m. ET on pay-per-view.

The UFC 309 fight card is below:

Main Card (ESPN+ PPV at 10 p.m. ET)

Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic

Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler

Bo Nickal vs. Paul Craig

Viviane Araujo vs. Karine Silva

Mauricio Ruffy vs. James Llontop

Prelims (ESPNews/FX/Hulu/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET)

Jonathan Martinez vs. Marcus McGhee

Chris Weidman vs. Eryk Anders

Jim Miller vs. Damon Jackson

David Onama vs. TBA

Early Prelims (ESPN+/Hulu/UFC Fight Pass at 6 p.m. ET)

Marcin Tybura vs. Jhonata Diniz

Mickey Gall vs. Ramiz Brahimaj

Bassil Hafez vs. Oban Elliott

Veronica Hardy vs. Eduarda Moura

MMA Fighting – All Posts

There’s an old saying that everything old becomes new again, and apparently that also holds true for MMA gloves.

Ahead of this Saturday’s UFC 309, the promotion informed fighters that they will be using the old version of UFC gloves, rather than the new style implemented across events on June 1. Multiple people with knowledge of the situation confirmed the change, though no reason was given. Ariel Helwani was first to report the news.

The newer gloves were designed in an attempt to reduce eye pokes and hand injuries and featured less rigidity than the previous version, along with updates to the seams, padding, wristband, and finger holes. They debuted at UFC 302 in New Jersey and have since become a source of controversy with some fighters speaking out against them.

Fans have also suggested the new gloves may lead to fewer knockouts after an apparent drop in the knockout rate from the beginning of the year compared to after the new glove implementation. However at this point that’s purely speculative and could be explained away by a small sample size.

UFC 309 is headlined by a heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic and takes place this Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Guilherme Cruz contributed to this report.

MMA Fighting – All Posts

The Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson open workouts will showcase Jake Paul, MIke Tyson, Amanda Serrano, Katie Taylor, and many more Tuesday night.

The open workouts will be held at the Toyota Music Factory in Irving, Texas.

Bruce Carrington, Lucas Bahdi, Shadasia Green, Whindersson Nunes, Nerraj Goyat, Abel Ramos, and Mario Barrios are also expected to appear at the event.

The Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson open workouts are expected to begin at 6:30 p.m. ET.

MMA Fighting – All Posts

Marcus Buchecha is one of the hottest free agents in all mixed martial arts after tapping out Amir Aliakbari in under four minutes at this past Friday’s ONE 169 in Thailand. He completed his deal with the Asian promotion on a high, and now he wants biggest challenges.

The 13-time jiu-jitsu world champion is now 5-1 in MMA with a 100 percent finishing rate and could have a chance to avenge his sole loss in thew sport against “Reug Reug” Oumar Kane, who captured the ONE heavyweight title on the same night, but he’s still unsure on what his next move will be.

“That was the last fight of my contract, and now I’m free, I can do anything I want,” Buchecha said in an interview with MMA Fighting. “I’m already talking to my manager Ali Abdelaziz and we will make that decision. I don’t have anything decided just yet, but we’re already talking and deciding the next steps. I really don’t know what will happen, but things are way different now compared to last week. I was coming off a loss, and now I’m coming off a good win, so I’m in a better position now to make a decision.”

Buchecha said Abdelaziz is already “in conversations with a lot of people” regarding his future, but a decision hasn’t been made.

“He’s doing his job,” Buchecha said. “I think his phone is probably ringing right now, people are reaching out to him.”

Buchecha openly complained of lack of offers for over a year before his clash with Aliakbari was made for Nov. 8, but said he won’t close doors on possibly re-signing with the organization.

“To be honest with you, I want to talk to everybody,” Buchecha said. “If [ONE] wants to have a conversation with me, we will talk, but I don’t know what I want to do yet, you know? I had six fights with ONE, my entire MMA career was at ONE, so I honestly want to think about the next step of my career with calm.”

All of Buchecha’s MMA wins came via first-round finish with four submissions and one TKO stoppage, adding to his combat sports legacy. In the grappling world, the American Top Team heavyweight has won two ADCC gold medals and six IBJJF absolute world championship titles, plus seven titles in his weight class.

About to turn 35 years old early next year, Buchecha said his decision will be based on “challenge,” not money.

“The financial aspect is always interesting, of course,” Buchecha said. “But if there’s something I don’t want to do or organization I don’t want to sign with, no money in the world would convince me to sign. I have my values and my principles, and if I have grudges with an organization or something like that, and I don’t want to sign [with them], money won’t be a reason for me to sign.”

“I’m driven by challenges,” he continued. “Many people told me during fight week that I’ve won 13 world titles [in jiu-jitsu] and didn’t need to be fighting MMA, but I’m still here, fighting. I want new challenges, I want to test myself more and more. I’m not getting any younger, so I have to do it sooner than later. I don’t want to waste any more time on the sidelines, because I’m not young anymore.”

MMA Fighting – All Posts

Featherweights Edson Barboza and Steve Garcia are set to clash at the upcoming UFC Fight Night event scheduled on Feb. 22 with a location for the card still to be determined.

Multiple people with knowledge of the promotion’s plans confirmed the news to MMA Fighting on Tuesday.

A 36-fight veteran with 14 years spent in the UFC, Barboza has a reputation as one of the nastiest strikers on the entire roster. When the Brazilian returns in early 2025, he’s looking to get back on a winning track after coming up short in a Fight of the Night against Lerone Murphy back in May.

That was actually Barboza’s third consecutive fight to earn him a bonus after he also picked up a Fight of the Night for his battle with Sodiq Yusuff as well as a Performance of the Night for his knockout over Billy Quarantillo.

Meanwhile, Garcia has been on a tear with wins in his past five fights in a row while finishing every single opponent by knockout. The Jackson-Winklejohn fighter has been tearing through his competition, which included a first-round finish over Kyle Nelson in a short-notice bout he took in September.

Garcia now looks to add a veteran like Barboza to his resume when the featherweights meet in February.

MMA Fighting – All Posts