Vitor Belfort says he’s open to a match in AEW with Mike Tyson (w/McMahon’s Analysis)

BY MIKE MCMAHON, PW TORCH CONTRIBUTOR


SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...

Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Vitor Belfort told MyMMANews.com that he’s open to a match with All Elite Wrestling, even pitching to Tony Khan that Belfort could team with Mike Tyson for a match against a tag team in AEW.

“I think AEW should have Mike [Tyson] and myself do a tag team match against two of their champions,” said Belfort. “Tony [Khan], the owner of AEW, is a good friend of mine. That for me is a great idea and I’m open to it. It will be the two youngest champions of combat sports against the two youngest champions of AEW.”

Belfort was in the crowd for Double or Nothing on Saturday night, seen on camera alongside Tyson.

Tyson, 53, presented the AEW TNT Championship to Cody after his win over Lance Archer on Saturday. Tyson is rumored to be considering making a comeback with some short exhibition boxing matches; he’s also rumored to be interested in a pro wrestling match and has a reported offer on the table from BKFC to do a bare-knuckly boxing match.

“I think that (to fight again) is a decision Mike [Tyson] has made for himself,” Belfort said. “It takes a lot of courage to step back in the ring, especially at that age. I admire him for his bravery and wish him the best of luck. He needs to train smart because what used to work for him before might not work for him now. This is new ground he’s discovering for himself, and it’s a wonderful journey.”

Belfort, 43, hasn’t fought since May 2018 when he lost to Lyoto Machida at UFC 224. Belfort signed with ONE Championship in March 2019 and last month, the promotion announced that he would be making his debut Alain Ngalani on a yet-to-be-determined date.

McMahon’s Analysis: Sometimes these things are just rumors, but here we have Belfort quoted as saying he’s open to a match in AEW. I’m not sure a Belfort-Tyson tag-team match would work. Perhaps a six-man, where they are aligned with someone on the roster who can do most of the selling would be OK, but I think you need to book that match properly, considering neither Tyson nor Belfort have wrestled. While Belfort would be a fun addition for a one-off match, the real value in this scenario would be Tyson, who would get the lion’s share of the publicity and give AEW the most exposure possible to fans outside of their base. ESPN, or other major media outlets, likely don’t cover Vitor Belfort wrestling for AEW. But Mike Tyson? That’s an entirely different story.

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