UFC President Dana White has shown support for Mike Tyson, praising the boxing legend’s unyielding attitude toward his critics. In a recent statement, White made it clear that he’s fully in Tyson’s corner, admiring the champ’s refusal to back down in the face of negativity. As someone who knows a thing or two about dealing with naysayers, White’s endorsement of Tyson’s resilience is a powerful nod to the former heavyweight’s enduring spirit.
The UFC head honcho took to his Instagram stories to share a snippet of Tyson during a recent interview. The former heavyweight champion sat down for an interview with controversial tennis figure Nick Kyrgios.
During their conversation, Kyrgios asked Tyson what was one thing he wished people understood about him more without explaining himself all the time. The former heavyweight champion had a simple answer. He said, “Nothing, no. F**k you.”
This resonated well with White who has always been unapologetically himself. He shared a clip of the same on his Instagram stories with a caption that said,
Dana White on Instagram pic.twitter.com/ChtNBkS6rl
— MMAFanatic (@FanaticMma10) August 29, 2024
Iron Mike has had one of the most controversial stories in all of sports. The former champion was thrust into money and fame at a very early age and spiraled out of control. Despite being incredibly successful inside the ring, his actions outside it often clouded fans’ perception of him. Even today, although Tyson has calmed down a lot and is no longer the reckless individual he was, there are still a few preconceived notions about him that fans have. To those people, Tyson has one message only.
White contradicts his statement on Tyson
In the Instagram story, White appeared extremely supportive of his good friend Tyson and his approach to his doubters. However, White himself has played that role in the past. The 55-year-old was extremely critical of Tyson returning to combat sports after a 15-year break against Roy Jones Jr. White stated that this upset Tyson, who did not like him commenting on his matters publicly.
White’s comments were more out of concern for a good friend rather than jealousy or anything else. The UFC head has similar thoughts about the upcoming fight with Jake Paul. He has, however, held his tongue and kept his thoughts to himself in press conferences when asked about the same.