Mike Tyson will forever be considered one of the most terrifying fighters in combat sports history and former UFC star, Rampage Jackson thinks he knows what made ‘Iron Mike’ so great.

When he became the youngest-ever heavyweight champion in boxing history at just 20 years old, the combat sports world knew they had a superstar in Mike Tyson.

His extremely decorated career controversially continued late last year when he booked to fight Jake Paul in a professional boxing bout.

Despite suffering a unanimous decision defeat, the event turned out to be one of the biggest ever and it broke modern viewership records after streaming live on Netflix.

Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images for Netflix © 2024

Rampage Jackson reveals Mike Tyson’s secret weapon

During his heyday, Tyson was relatively unstoppable because of his impenetrably ferocious fighting style and that’s why he was feared as a fighter.

Former UFC light heavyweight champion, Rampage Jackson believes he knows what Tyson’s secret weapon was that made him so unstoppable.

“You guys remember when Mike Tyson was just an animal? Did you guys know the stuff that Cus D’Amato used to tell him in his ear?” Jackson began to explain on the Jaxxon Podcast.

Throughout the early days of his career, Tyson was mentored by Cus D’Amato, who became his legal guardian and subsequently the most important figure in the heavyweight’s life.

“And that’s the stuff that I think made Mike Tyson a part of who he is. It’s all about what you tell your fighter. Like he was telling him in his ear, ‘Oh you the best, ain’t nobody f****** with you… You’re super fast, you’ve got the best punch’, that’s the type of stuff you tell your friend right before they fight.

“Because we’re like a sponge, you give them all the positive stuff and just tell them, ‘You’re the best’,” Jackson continued.

Rampage Jackson had a similar situation in his career

Although there isn’t an MMA equivalent to Tyson, Jackson was always regarded as one of the most feared fighters in the UFC throughout his tenure.

The former UFC star explained that he had a similar situation ahead of his fight against Lyoto Machida in 2010.

“I remember I was training with Lance Gibson before my fight with Machida, he was like ‘Rampage you’re gonna be like Iron Man. I don’t care what he does, I don’t care what he kicks you with, punches you with, you’re not gonna feel it’.

“And it like hypnotized me and I believed it and I went out there and he was right. I didn’t feel any of his kicks, I didn’t feel anything,” Rampage continued.

Although Tyson didn’t completely shut down a full retirement following his recent fight against ‘The Problem Child’ because of his ongoing health issues, we have likely seen the last of ‘Iron Mike’ in the boxing ring.