Mailbag: Jon Jones’ return, Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul and the definitive best freak show fight of all time

What should we really expect when Mike Tyson and Jake Paul square off on Netflix? And would Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic have been a completely different matchup if we were getting it three years ago instead of this Saturday night at UFC 309?

All that and more in this week’s mailbag. To ask a question of your own, hit me at @benfowlkesmma or @benfowlkes.bsky.social.

First of all, I think it tells us something that on UFC 309 fight week, it’s this fight and event that drew the most mailbag questions. Say what you want about Jake Paul as a fighter, but from a promotional standpoint his schtick works on us.

Second, I think this nearly 60-year-old version of Mike Tyson will probably be a lot like the Toby Keith song. Which is to say he ain’t as good as he once was, but maybe — just maybe — he’s as good once as he ever was. Maybe.

Like, could I see Paul getting careless and walking into a Tyson hook? Sure, my imagination is capable of that. Could I see him getting stuck against the ropes and catching one of those signature Tyson uppercuts with his face? Yeah, I guess so.

But a far likelier scenario is that Paul stays far, far away from Tyson, jabbing and moving and then clinching and holding every time Tyson gets close. If Tyson is going to get to him, he needs to do it early. The longer this fight goes, the more his age (and, from the sound of things, not exactly stellar health) is going to show. Paul via decision is my pick.

I think you’re right that most of the people who show up to watch this won’t realize that those are legitimately good matchups. But I also don’t think it’s ever a bad thing for fighters to get to do their stuff in front of an audience of millions.

Sure, a lot of the Netflix crowd will only bother to check in on the broadcast once it gets to be main event time. And if you’ve ever watched a boxing event, you know how they can sometimes drag things out like they’re trying to demonstrate how little they respect your time.

But think about all the people who’ve heard of Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor but have maybe never seen them. Think about how much likelier they are to watch when it’s free on Netflix and they’ve already planned to stay in that night because they just have to see this spectacle in the main event. Then think about the people who usually watch zero boxing, but could have their eyes opened by a great fight that draws them in while they’re waiting for the main event.

I’m not saying they’ll convert the whole audience or even a quarter of it. But any time you get an audience of this size — and let’s be real, there will be millions watching this madness — you have a rare opportunity to siphon off just a little bit of that attention for yourself, which could be huge for these fighters.

Depends entirely on what the next event is. But honestly? Probably not. This one has that lightning in a bottle feel. Two men famous for very different reasons. A generation gap that manages to be compelling while also drawing in fans from the middle school to the nursing home. There’s a certain marketing magic there that’s hard to recreate.

What’s really surprised me is how many people still believe that Tyson is the unholy terror he was back in the ‘90s. It’s like they think he’s been frozen in the ice since then and will be thawed out just in time to murder this sneering YouTube kid. That’s also part of the appeal here, though. People who remember and revere Tyson for the fighter he once was also feel deep in their souls that a kind and loving God would never allow someone like Paul to walk the earth saying he beat him in a fist-fight. It just doesn’t seem right. And yet, as I expect we’ll be reminded on Friday, time does a number on us all.

See, this right here gets at one of the more underwhelming parts of this matchup. On paper, Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic for the UFC heavyweight championship is a dream fight. It is a Christmas wish list item. It’s just that, in the year 2024, it feels a little past its expiration date.

It’s possible that Miocic will prove that thinking wrong and show up at 42 looking just as rested and refreshed as he says he is. But if Jones slices right through him, you just know people will downplay the accomplishment due to Miocic’s age and lack of recent wins.

As for your question, I think most versions of Jones beat most versions of Miocic. The difference in speed and the sheer variety of weapons Jones brings to the table are just too much. The thing Miocic has going for him here is power. We’ve yet to see how Jones stands up to a heavyweight’s punch. That’s the part that still interests me most about this fight.

Sadly, yeah. This one is a must-win for Michael Chandler. It’s also a tough, tough fight. Charles Oliveira is one of those guys who beats everybody but the very best. Arman Tsarukyan was … I won’t say lucky, so let’s go with fortunate … to come away with a decision victory against him at UFC 300. But nothing about that fight suggested that “Do Bronx” is close to falling off.

Chandler’s stay in the UFC so far has seen him win the (relatively) easy ones and lose the rest. He absolutely must break that pattern here if he ever wants to sniff another title shot or even remain relevant enough to keep that hope for a Conor McGregor fight alive.

While I’m tempted to say everything about the Super Hulk Tournament, up to and including the misspelling on the belt itself, it feels like cheating.

So instead I’ll say Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Bob Sapp. If you haven’t seen it, do yourself a favor. The whole time you’re watching it you get the feeling that this is something which should not be allowed. That’s the essence of the freak show fight, right there.

Years ago I did a story on the legacy of PRIDE and that fight still loomed so large in the minds of the people who were there. Sapp came in with a game plan that revolved around the pro wrestling-style piledriver — and he nearly pulled it off! Then, the next morning, Nogueira had to pay the price, as told by commentator Stephen Quadros:

“Fast-forward to the next day at the breakfast buffet at the Tokyo Hilton, which is the greatest buffet on the planet, and who walks in but Nogueira? He’s walking in, and with each foot he’s moving forward like, an inch, just walking really, really slow. But he walked in there and got his breakfast.”

Honestly, I’m still pumped for this one. I suspect we all will be by fight night. Yes, there’s some aspect of Jones vs. Miocic that feels like the UFC is giving us what it decided on rather than what we asked for, but overall the card is still very good.

The co-main is compelling. We’ll get another chance to see Bo Nickal in his incremental climb up the rankings. Chris Weidman and Jim Miller are on the undercard. Plus, there’s a decent chance we see two all-time greats for what could be the last time in this headliner. That’s enough to get me excited for Saturday night.