UFC great calls for Tyson fight to be called off

Mike Tyson's fight with Jake Paul should not go ahead after the former champion's medical episode this week, says UFC great Michael Bisping,

Tyson assured fans on social media he was feeling 100 per cent after an ulcer flare up on a plane, "even though I don't need to be to beat Jake Paul," he wrote.

Speaking on his podcast, Bisping, a former UFC middleweight champion, expressed concern over what he called a mismatch, and took another opportunity to throw shade at Paul's "embarrassing" fight career.

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Bisping said he admires Tyson's courage in fighting someone 30 years his junior but the medical emergency Tyson suffered should have ended the event.

"I respect him – this is taking massive balls to go in there against Jake Paul," Bisping said. "Now listen, maybe it was an ulcer flare-up, I don't know anything about ulcers, but what I do know is that the man is going to be 58 years old – a man in the prime of his life doesn't have a problem sitting on a plane for a few hours.

"This is just a great example of why a fight like this should not be going ahead."

Bisping declared the incident was "not a good look" for the fight and those thinking about watching the bout need to consider the circumstances.

"I think the man is pushing 60 and he's got some medical problems. Maybe he just had a bit of food poisoning or had some food that just didn't agree with him, but what we do know is that he was carted off the plan by paramedic and they did ask for medical assistance. … That's not a good look," he said.

"This is not good press when you are trying to promote a fight when you are 58 years old."

The current UFC commentator clarified that he has no problem with Tyson wanting to cash in on the opportunity, but took a shot at Paul for "cherry-picking" opponents.

'I'm not talking shit about Mike Tyson. He wants to test the waters, he wants to make some money and feel alive, and he wants to do what he does best.

"But that time has passed, that ship has sailed, that plane has left the runway – but not for a while because it was hot on the plane, and then Mike Tyson got an ulcer flare-up.

"Jake Paul's in the prime of his life and he's just cherry-picking another opponent to bolster his resume to make himself look good – it's absolutely embarrassing, it's a shame, it's a sham, it's utter horseshit."

Tyson is preparing to fight the 27-year-old social media performer-turned-boxer Jake Paul at the 80,000-seat home of the Dallas Cowboys. Netflix will broadcast the fight live, a first for the streaming platform.

Tyson was the undisputed world heavyweight champion from 1987 to 1990. He retired in 2005, but most recently fought in an exhibition in November 2020 against Roy Jones in California.