Mike Tyson Says He Respects Conor McGregor After Floyd Mayweather Fight

Mike Tyson didn’t have many kind words to say about Conor McGregor before the Irishman’s foray into boxing against Floyd Mayweather. In fact, he couldn’t even get the Dublin native’s name right.

"McGregor is going to get killed boxing," Tyson told Pardon My Take before the fight. "I got mad because I thought they were going to use MMA rules against boxing because that's what it's all about: Can the boxer beat the MMA guy? McConor put his dumbass in a position where he's gonna get knocked out because this guy's been doing this all his life since he was a baby. McConor can't kick and grab and stuff so he won't stand much of a chance."

But after “The Notorious” made it to the 10th round before falling to Mayweather via technical knockout this past Saturday, Tyson appears to have changed his tune-- at least a little bit. In an extremely brief interview with TMZ Sports, Tyson admitted that McGregor won him over with his performance.

“Yeah, I respect him,” Tyson said.

Tyson was one of the most celebrated boxers of all time thanks to his penchant for fast finishes and ferocious knockouts in the ring. He first won the heavyweight title at 20 years old, making him the youngest fighter to capture that belt. He retired with a 50-6 record with two no contests. In recent years, Tyson shown an interest in MMA and has been seen in attendance at several UFC events.