‘Iron Mike’ and ‘The Notorious’ return to action after long absences this summer…

UFC president Dana White has compared Conor McGregor to heavyweight boxing icon Mike Tyson, as both men draw closer to making their return to competition this summer. ‘The Notorious’ is set to fight Michael Chandler at UFC 303 on the 29th of June in Las Vegas, while ‘Iron Mike’ will face social media sensation Jake Paul on the 20th of July in Arlington, Texas.

McGregor hasn’t competed since breaking his leg during his loss to Dustin Poirier in July 2021, and returns to action at the T-Mobile Arena seeking his just second MMA win in the last eight years. Despite his three-year absence from the Octagon, the Irishman is a slight favourite for his bout with Chandler.

Dana White on the Similarity Between Conor McGregor and Mike Tyson

The UFC boss knows both men well

Most would struggle to overcome such a significant period of inactivity, but McGregor isn’t your average UFC competitor. During an appearance on the ‘In Search of Excellence Podcast’, White spoke about the fighting trait that makes McGregor such a challenging opponent and pointed out the similarity between the first-ever simultaneous two-weight world champion and Tyson.

“When you hear him speak, he’s very articulate about fighting. When you talk fighter IQ. Like, [Mike] Tyson, Conor’s fighter IQ is off the charts.”

If he is to make a successful comeback, McGregor will need every bit of his fighting knowledge to deal with 31-fight veteran Chandler. The pair’s bout has grown into a true grudge match after various delays – and has already made UFC history by delivering the highest gate in company history off the back of some eye-watering ticket prices.

With that in mind, White also praised McGregor’s ability to capitalise on business opportunities: “Conor is a tremendous businessman. Conor is one of the best partners, if not the best partner, we have ever had when it comes to being in business with somebody. If you look at all the brands that he has built off of his brand, very, very sharp kid.”

As part of the promotion for the fight, Dana announced on Friday that he and McGregor would be travelling to Dublin, Ireland to participate in a press conference at the 3 Arena in early June. The event will mark McGregor’s first official media engagement for the UFC for quite some time.

Dana White on Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul

While White is understandably keen to hype up McGregor’s next contest, he appears to have mixed feelings on the prospect of Tyson taking on Paul. Although the Boston native has never officially promoted a Tyson fight, he has worked with the veteran heavyweight on a number of business deals, with the New York-born knockout artist even featuring in a UFC video game. The pair are also close friends.

When the controversial fight was first announced, White admitted he didn’t want to see it happen, stating: “I love Mike Tyson personally as a friend, and he’s one of my favorite athletes of all time. I don’t know. Let’s see what he can go in there and put together a training camp and come in. I don’t like to see guys fighting at (that age). It’d be a 31-year age difference during that fight. You guys know what I think of that stuff.”

However, after speaking to Tyson’s wife about the fully professional contest, White softened his stance slightly on Tyson fighting again at the age of 58. It remains to be seen if Tyson’s fighting intelligence can help him overcome the 27-year-old Paul.