Mike Tyson Talks Seeing A Younger Version Of Himself In Conor McGregor

Mike Tyson and Conor McGregor have a lot in common. Both are sporting icons that took their respective sports by storm. Both Tyson and Conor have been considered the “bad boys” of boxing and MMA respectively. And more importantly, both the fighters can be accused of exercising poor judgment on more than a couple of occasions.

More recently, Conor McGregor was charged with assault for allegedly punching a man in a pub in Dublin, Ireland. The former two-division UFC champion is set to appear in court soon, and it wasn’t the first time he ran into trouble with the law in 2019. From smashing a fan’s phone in Miami, to being accused of sexually assaulting a woman, McGregor hasn’t stood out in the best of lights.

If there is one man who can understand what Conor’s going through, it is “Iron” Mike Tyson. The former boxing world champion recently talked to Ariel Helwani about the perils of fame and fortune, and how “Notorious” needs to help himself.

“Conor has to look inside himself and [say]: ‘What happened? Why am I the way I am? And how do I stop this from continuing to be?'” (transcript via ESPN)

“We don’t know how to handle this stuff”, he continued, regarding the riches and fame they suddenly received. “We got millions of dollars. We never had this. Our families never had this. We’ve never been around this life.

“All of a sudden you start fighting, doing something you love to do, and you do it easily and all of a sudden they give you a lot of money for doing it. But you have no restraint, no control, you don’t know what to do. You give it away. You buy people gifts that don’t deserve gifts. You just don’t know what to do with it. You feel you don’t deserve it.”

Mike also said the people surrounding McGregor do not know how to deal with the money either.

“They don’t know how to figure it out”, he said. “They never had it, either. It’s almost like you don’t feel deserving of it. I don’t deserve this, I’m nobody. How come I deserve this? I would do this for nothing.”

Mike Tyson also said he sees a younger version of himself in the Irishman.

“I don’t like watching him, but I understand he’s me”, said Tyson, who joined the MMA show to promote his partnership with the Professional Fighters League, which begins its playoffs this Friday in Las Vegas. “I never close the door on him or forgive him but I never want him in my life again, or around anybody I love.

“Because that’s not who I am now. I don’t know him anymore. He’s almost like a stranger to me. I look at him, and I’m proud of him. And I think he’s spectacular. But there’s a real dark side there that I don’t like getting involved with anymore.”

Mike also lifted the lid on that side of his personality, and said that while he did not see that side of him recently, it’s still something he needs to work on.

“It was always a work in progress”, he said. “I am that guy. That guy can always show up somewhere if I’m not cautious and control the way I think and my social environments. I haven’t felt that experience [of that guy emerging] yet.”

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