Does Iron Mike Tyson BODY Royce Gracie at UFC 1

[Ultra O’Dia]

He was 5'9 and 200 pounds

You're comparing him to giants

5’11 220, no?

 

[Ultra O’Dia]

Unlike a tall fighter who relied on footwork or a jab, Tyson, like Marciano or Frazier, was short, strong, and hunched over. I’m not saying he would be prepared for takedowns, but he was built to defend them and already positioned for them better than most boxers.

Could he be taken down? Of course.
By skinny, weak Royce with his BJJ takedowns? I don’t think so. And Tyson would flatline him with one punch, as well.

 

[Final Say]

5’11 220, no?

5'11 my ass. Can't confirm but I would have to see him in person to believe that

And he got heavier as his career went on, but he weighed in under 210 as a pro before

 

[ocean size]

Problem is Tyson needs space to KO him. Arm punching in a clinch is not going to be enough.

Especially when Royce would know this and be going for takedowns on the outside, you can't produce much torque trying to punch a head that is on the outside of your knee.

A grappler can just shoot low and no amount of boxing training in the world can help you. The grappler is out of range for any punches, you are just going to down like a pinball. Never fails, especially not against guy who is only competent with his hands...

He could basically drop into guard position and butt shuffle if he wanted to. Mike gets a puncher's chance. There's just no way to take out someone driving at your ankle with high probability and you need to come out of position in order to punch what is basically the ground.

 

[Ultra O’Dia]

5'11 my ass. Can't confirm but I would have to see him in person to believe that

And he got heavier as his career went on, but he weighed in under 210 as a pro before

Every source says 5’10, which is lower than what they used to announce. And box Rec has even his first fight at 214lbs, as a kid, basically.

 

[luckyshot]

No one knew what BJJ was. Mike could maybe clip Royce with even a grazing shot that would be enough to put Royce away. But if Royce grapples Mike, it's over.

This. Royce would have dove at an ankle and stayed far away from Tyson's hands. Tyson (and really no one at the time) had any clue what take down defense was. Mike was a freakbeast, but it doesn't take a lot for an elite BJJ practitioner to drag someone to the ground who doesn't even know that is what he is trying to do.

 

[spacetime]

Mike gets a puncher's chance..

This. Royce would have dove at an ankle and stayed far away from Tyson's hands. Tyson (and really no one at the time) had any clue what take down defense was. Mike was a freakbeast, but it doesn't take a lot for an elite BJJ practitioner to drag someone to the ground who doesn't even know that is what he is trying to do.

Depends on the boxer. Wladimir Klitchko could pick up and dump that skinny brazilian on his ass if he anticipated the takedowns beforehand. Same with Foreman.

 

[luckyshot]

Depends on the boxer. Wladimir Klitchko could pick up and dump that skinny brazilian on his ass if he anticipated the takedowns beforehand. Same with Foreman.

If you are a guy who doesn't know anything about grappling and you end up tangled in the guard of a high level BJJ blackbelt, you are not picking him up.

 

[Reyesnuthugr]

Royce almost got beat a few times by lessers, Tyson definitely had a good chance

 

[spacetime]

If you are a guy who doesn't know anything about grappling and you end up tangled in the guard of a high level BJJ blackbelt, you are not picking him up.

Nonsense. I know a fucking hockey player who dumped a BJJ black belt on concrete in a Street altercation

 

[iwillbebackin3weeks]

 

[ocean size]

If you are a guy who doesn't know anything about grappling and you end up tangled in the guard of a high level BJJ blackbelt, you are not picking him up.

You have a chance. I think the higher probability is on a leg lock getting applied faster than the 5 seconds it took Mir to do it to Lesnar once he was in position at his ankle despite Lesnar's lifetime of wrestling and a couple years of exposure to sub grappling.

 

[ocean size]

I think Art Davie is just creaming thinking about having had Iron Mike at that first event ($). He's a business man after all.

 

[RabbitPunch36]

Unlike a tall fighter who relied on footwork or a jab, Tyson, like Marciano or Frazier, was short, strong, and hunched over. I’m not saying he would be prepared for takedowns, but he was built to defend them and already positioned for them better than most boxers.

Could he be taken down? Of course.
By skinny, weak Royce with his BJJ takedowns? I don’t think so. And Tyson would flatline him with one punch, as well.

I heard somewhere that Cus made Mike wrestle in highschool to make him better at some aspects of boxing. I can't find the source for that at the moment but if this is correct their would be no way Royce's shitty takedowns would work. Honestly I would call a Tyson vs Rickson fight 50 50.

 

[Ultra O’Dia]

I heard somewhere that Cus made Mike wrestle in highschool to make him better at some aspects of boxing. I can't find the source for that at the moment but if this is correct their would be no way Royce's shitty takedowns would work. Honestly I would call a Tyson vs Rickson fight 50 50.

Rickson was much more powerfully built and would have a better chance, ya.

 

[Esile]

if keith hackney was able to give royce so much trouble, i suspect than someone as athletic, strong, reactive, fast and precise at unprecedent level like mike would be able to at least hit him once before being taken to the ground, and one hit is more than enough to knock him out cold

royce is just too unathletic and with very poor takedowns, if it were someone with royce's size and his bjj ground skill but with good wrestling he would beat mike

 

[Esile]

Nonsense. I know a fucking hockey player who dumped a BJJ black belt on concrete in a Street altercation

could please tell this story in more details?

in any case you should consider that most modern bjj black belt train in an enivornment where slams and strikes are not allowed and thus are non prepared for them and they don't how to defend, completely the opposite of royce who has trained all of his life for a vale tudo/real life street "duel" setting

 

[spacetime]

I heard somewhere that Cus made Mike wrestle in highschool to make him better at some aspects of boxing. I can't find the source for that at the moment but if this is correct their would be no way Royce's shitty takedowns would work. Honestly I would call a Tyson vs Rickson fight 50 50.

Tyson claims he did not know wrestling

 

[ocean size]

could please tell this story in more details?

in any case you should consider that most modern bjj black belt train in an enivornment where slams and strikes are not allowed and thus are non prepared for them and they don't how to defend, completely the opposite of royce who has trained all of his life for a vale tudo/real life street "duel" setting

This- back then BJJ wasn't nerds competing for who comes up with the least practical donkey guard variation. They were training with combat in mind daily.