What's next for Tyson Fury?
Last Thursday, on Halloween, Tyson Fury gave his fans and the WWE Universe a treat when he successfully defeated World Wrestling Entertainment’s heavyweight strongman Braun Strowman in a highly touted ‘boxer vs wrestler’ match at the Crown Jewel.
Fury has been lauded for his solid performance in his first ever pro wrestling match, which took place in Saudi Arabia and was a global success.
Whether it’s basking in the glow of his first pro wrestling victory or a genuine desire to conquer all sports, Tyson Fury isn’t willing to stop his ventures into other avenues of life. In fact, Fury is looking to climb another proverbial mountain by entering the world of MMA.
However, he’s not looking to fight some average heavyweight in a promotion nobody has ever heard of. Instead, Fury is calling out the best fighters in the division as he has set his sights on the UFC and promotional stars like Francis Ngannou and heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic.
In a recent interview with iFL TV, Fury declared his intentions for competing in MMA:
“Very serious. I spoke to Conor McGregor and we’re ready to rock and roll. Who’s the heavyweight champion of the world in the UFC? The American-Croatian, Stipe Miocic. I’ll fight him in a heartbeat, no problem, or Francis Ngannou. Any of the heavyweights they’ve got, I’m not afraid of any of them. I’m the ‘Gypsy King’. I’m a boxer, but I’m one badass motherf****r.”
In addition to McGregor, former heavyweight champ Frank Mir also reached out to Fury and offered his services to help train the “Gypsy King” for a potential foray into the UFC. Tyson has welcomed Mir’s offering as well.
Unfortunately, UFC President Dana White doesn’t share the same excitement that WWE Chairman Vince McMahon had in regards to Tyson Fury. White believes that an MMA fight between Fury and any of the top heavyweights in the division would end badly for the “Gypsy King”:
“Fury’s worked hard his whole life to become one of the top four [heavyweights] in the world in boxing. Why would you wanna even come over and attempt this? I don’t think it ends well for him. It doesn’t make sense for his career.”
What about his rematch with Wilder?
Initially, many critics and members of Fury’s team were against the boxing champion participating in a WWE match. Despite their objections, Fury went through with this opportunity, made a lot of money, won his first pro wrestling match, boosted his public brand, and didn’t get hurt at all. That’s a big win for the champ.
The worry over Fury was all for naught and all signs continue to point to the massive heavyweight rematch between Fury and Wilder for February 2020. In fact, Tyson Fury has now become the #1 contender and mandatory challenger for Wilder’s WBC heavyweight championship belt.
Fury is the benefactor of former #1 contender Dillian Whyte’s PED investigation who has been temporarily removed from the title picture until the matter is cleared up. WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman made the following comments to Boxing Social:
“Dillian Whyte is in a process from an adverse finding from UKAD. It is highly confidential and highly legal. We have met with Dillian Whyte, his representatives, we are doing an ongoing investigation, so the fight of Fury against Wilder in February [2020] will be the mandatory of that year.”
This is a great move by the WBC because it punctuates a rematch that was already agreed to by both fighters. With the sanctioning body making this fight mandatory, there seems even less wiggle room for anyone to back out now.
The best boxing betting sites have Fury listed as a sizable favorite for this rematch. It’s a stark contrast to their first fight in December 2018 when Fury was the underdog. This is the first time that Wilder has been a betting underdog in many years.
Is Fury’s run with the really WWE over?
After spending nearly one month with the WWE, it appears that Fury’s time with the global sports entertainment leader is done for now. However, it’s not over with for good. With a little more training, Fury could be a legitimate WWE superstar when his time is up in boxing.
In fact, there are still rumors that Fury could return for a match at WrestleMania next year. Online betting sites have even listed odds for this possibility. When it comes to the WWE, no one can “never say never.”
Although Fury seems to have one eye on the UFC as he closes in on another training camp for his rematch against Wilder, the WWE could entice the “Gypsy King” for another appearance before the end of the year.
As for his UFC desires, there’s no way a MMA fight will happen prior to the rematch with Wilder. Unlike the WWE, there’s far greater risk of physical injury to Fury which could postpone the rematch or cancel it outright.