Mike Tyson probably needs money so he’s in the new UFC game

The Baddest Man

It’s well-known that Mike Tyson, once a highly paid athlete, has squandered almost all of the money he earned during his career. He’s a monetary shell of what he once was. Iron Mike has taken to the likes of exhibition matches, movie roles, and WWE appearances as attempts to get out and stay out of debt.

Knowing his current situation, the news that Tyson will be a pre-order bonus for UFC 2 makes a lot of sense. Two versions of him will appear in the game — one from his early career and one from the end. Pre-orders get early-on Mike; deluxe edition-buyers get both. Alternatively, they can both eventually be unlocked through game progression.

In a press release, EA has put out quotes regarding a “what if” scenario about how Tyson would fare in the octagon if he were in his prime now. And, Tyson has quotes about how he’d love to see how he’d stack up. Realistically, this partnership is more likely born out of the relative inexpensiveness of securing Tyson’s likeness these days. 

And, of course, this all belies the fact that Tyson isn’t a person you should even want associated with your product. The man has committed some truly horrendous crimes in his life. He’s a PR nightmare. He threatens to eat children and tells women that they shouldn’t talk to him unless they’re “fornicating with him.”

Still, for some bizarre reason, Tyson has reached an unsettling status in the public consciousness as a redeemed figure. Maybe it’s because we’ve seen him hit rock bottom. We’ve seen him broke as all hell and we’ve seen him sitting in jail. We’ve seen him on a rooftop with hundreds of pigeons and maybe, just maybe, that makes us view him as a sympathetic cartoon character of a person — one who suddenly seems a whole lot less menacing than he really is.

Then again, maybe you don’t care about any of this and just wanna knock out some jabronis with the hardest hitter of all time. Whatever floats your boat.