UFC star Daniel Cormier thinks he would emerge victorious in a street fight with Mike Tyson.

Former two-division UFC champion Cormier had a historic run in combat sports before deciding to hang up the gloves and move into a media role for the promotion, offering his skills as an analyst and his color commenting capabilities.

A debate began to heat up after a fan claimed on social media that Cormier would “destroy” the legendary boxer. Ultimately, Cormier agrees with the online poster and believes his wrestling chops give him an edge in street fights.

On a recent episode of ESPN MMA’s “DC & RC” show, Cormier and co-host Ryan Clark opened up about the potential matchup. Cormier backed up without hesitation but added the caveat that he would never try to inflict damage on Tyson.

“Ryan, I type because in a street fight I fight everybody, I fight everybody on the ground, and in a street fight you grab bottles, you can use anything,” Cormier said. . “But RC, more than fighting, because I love Mike, he’s my boy, and I would never lift a finger to hurt Mike Tyson.

“The only reason I say that is that I’m a little happy. But look at a picture of me on the scale with my chain [while Cormier was weighing in], I know you saw my bling there; I don’t even wear that anymore. (ht Sport Bible)

Clark supported Cormier without explicitly saying so

During the same discussions, Clark took a more cautious path with his response so as not to piss off the retired Boxing Hall of Famer.

He referred to “tapping”, meaning he declined to give a clear answer to the question, but said the reason was his fear of Tyson as he would have favored Cormier in the potential match as well.

“I tap to answer,” laughed Clark. “I understand that street fighting involves a lot of things and that DC is a lot meaner than it looks.

“I’m also more afraid of the current Tyson than Daniel Cormier, so I’m not going to give an answer that might be factually wrong, nor am I going to give an answer that might get me beat in real life, so I refrain from answering.

Tyson doesn’t think he would make it in mixed martial arts

For combat sports fans, a hypothetical crossover fight is often an entertaining talking point. Boxing supporters often dismiss the validity of mixed martial arts as a fine sport, while members of the MMA community feel their game is more in line with reality.

Former UFC champion Chuck Liddell previously said he would easily dispatch ‘The Baddest Man On The Planet’, who he said would only have one chance at a win.