On Thursday, Tyson Fury said he was the “baddest man on the planet,” and if he were locked in a room with UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones, he would be the one who walks out. However, on Friday, after Jones challenged Fury to step into the cage and let the world see who is the “baddest man on the planet,” Fury said he would only fight Jones in a boxing match.
The electronic, video smack-talk fest kicked off on Thursday after Fury reacted to an opinion from podcaster and UFC analyst Joe Rogan. Rogan said that if Fury and Jones were locked in a room in an all-out brawl, Jones would be the one who walked out. Fury initially claimed he would be the winner of an all-out brawl with Jones. However, after the UFC champ told Fury he would welcome him in the cage at any time to back up those words, Fury backed off and told Jones MMA was not his “game,” but he could step inside the ring for a boxing match anytime.
“I see Jon Jones has piped up,” Fury said. “Jon, you talk about being in a cage, I’m not a cage fighter, mate. I’m a boxer — the best boxer, actually.
“So if you want to come into a boxing ring and fight me, be my guest. Let me know. You don’t have to call anybody else, you call me because it’s a boxing fight and I’m the boss in this game.”
‼️ Tyson Fury responds to Jon Jones and challenges him to a fight in the boxing ring…
[🎥 @Tyson_Fury] pic.twitter.com/Pa5chumnH7
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) May 19, 2023
Of course, Rogan’s assessment of a fight between Fury and Jones was in the context of an all-out fight, or at least an MMA-style fight, not a boxing match.
“You want to talk about who’s the baddest man on the planet? If Jon Jones and Tyson Fury are locked into a room, I’m pushing all of my chips on black,” Rogan told comedian Andrew Schultz. “Tyson Fury is an amazing boxer – he doesn’t have a fucking chance in hell of making it out of that room. He has no chance of making it out of that room. Zero chance. [Fury] would have to catch Jon immediately with one punch, and I just don’t see that happening, man.”
So, Rogan’s comment was a statement of fact more than an opinion. Obviously, Fury would have the edge in a boxing match. But that’s not what Rogan was talking about. He was talking about an “anything goes” fight, which made this response from Fury all the more insane.
“I heard Joe Rogan say something about me, and I’ve been off all the social medias and didn’t reply to that little pissant, little fucking midget, bald-headed midget,” Fury said. “I heard him say that Jon Jones could fuck me up if we were in the room together.
“I don’t think so. Not a man born from a mother could fuck me up, in a room, on our own. Whatever happens in that room, I’d be walking out. Not a fucking problem,” he added.
Tyson Fury goes OFF on Joe Rogan pic.twitter.com/4oDXnwr7aV
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) May 18, 2023
Fury essentially said that he would beat Jones in an all-out fight. So naturally, Jones seized on that and gave him the opportunity to prove it.
“Hey Tyson, it seem like Joe may have struck a nerve,” Jones wrote on Twitter. “I’ll admit there’s no one touching you in that ring right now, but let’s not let that confuse you with what would happen if you stepped foot in my cage. If you ever want to put some of those questions you got going on to rest, give Dana [White] a call. I’ll help you out.”
Hey Tyson, it seem like Joe may have struck a nerve. I’ll admit there’s no one touching you in that ring right now, but let’s not let that confuse you with what would happen if you stepped foot in my cage. If you ever want to put some of those questions you got going on to rest,…
— BONY (@JonnyBones) May 18, 2023
Now, after saying there wasn’t a man “born from a mother” who could “f*ck him up” in a room “on our own,” Fury has backed down. It was probably a wise move, but it would have been a lot smarter to think through what Rogan said and not issue some over-the-top response in the first place. After all, the “baddest man on the planet” doesn’t back down from a challenge.