Mike Tyson refuses to face Wanderlei Silva despite $18 million offer for showdown

While the Mike Tyson return reports continue to swirl, ‘The Baddest Man on the Planet’ has reportedly snubbed an offer of $18 million to face MMA veteran Wanderlei Silva on his return. As per reports, BKFC President Paul Feldman offered $18 million to Mike Tyson to face Wanderlei Silva without gloves. However, Mike Tyson confirmed that he is expecting an orthodox boxing contest for his return and appeared to be uninterested at the prospect of fighting Wanderlei Silva in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. Although Mike Tyson is yet to confirm his opponent or the date of his return, the boxing Great has already stated that he is not going to compete in Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship.

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Mike Tyson return: Mike Tyson rejects $18 million offer

The former heavyweight world champion was spotted in several intense training sessions with MMA mastermind Rafael Cordeiro over the last few weeks. While there are still doubts regarding the Mike Tyson return, his trainer confirmed that Tyson has a different plan in mind. As per Globo, Mike Tyson’s trainer Rafael said, "Tyson is getting ready to do a boxing match with gloves," which rules out the prospect of a fight against Wanderlei Silva and BKFC from the list.

Mike Tyson has also been linked with several other combat sports personalities other than Wanderlei Silva. A few weeks ago, Cannon Briggs claimed that he is willing to come out of retirement to face Mike Tyson in the ring. Former foe Evander Holyfield also teased a trilogy fight with Mike Tyson on their respective in-ring returns in the near future. However, Mike Tyson is yet to accept a challenge on paper.

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Mike Tyson return: How deadly is Mike Tyson at 53?

Mike Tyson’s trainer Rafael Cordeiro said in the past that the 53-year-old still possesses the power of a 21-year-old. According to Cordeiro, Mike Tyson will return for a full-fledged boxing PPV with just six months of training. "I have trained a lot of heavyweights in my career, with not a lot of respect for everybody, but he is almost as powerful as Wanderlei Silva is right now. When you talk about power, I held his right hook and thought 'he is going to kill somebody,” Rafael Cordeiro stated.

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Image courtesy: Mike Tyson and Wanderlei Silva Instagram