‘He knows nothing about MMA’: UFC champ Weili Zhang slams Mike Tyson as boxing great tips Rose Namajunas to win UFC 261 clash

Chinese strawweight destroyer Zhang Weili has hit out at Mike Tyson after the boxing icon threw his weight behind former champion 'Thug' Rose Namajunas ahead of their winner-takes-all showdown next month.

After more than a year out of the cage since her 2020 Fight of the Year contender against Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Zhang returns to action on April 24 where she will take on former champion Namajunas – but while most fans are expecting a close fight between two of the finest female fighters on the planet, Tyson is not.

The boxing legend, who is set to fight Evander Holyfield for a third time in May, said on a recent edition of his Hotboxin' podcat that he expected American fighter Namajunas to "destroy" Zhang when they fight next month – and these comments seem to have particularly irked the 21-1 world champ.

"Tyson has no right to comment because he knows nothing about MMA. He knows nothing about me," Zhang told the China Global Television Network.

"I will not be affected, but do my best instead – and I suggest Tyson try MMA himself."

Any chances of the 54-year-old Tyson stepping into a mixed martial arts cage appear slim, but the man who was once the youngest heavyweight champion in history clearly still commands a loyal following decades after he built his legacy in the ring.

Tyson confirmed this week that his much-speculated exhibition fight with 58-year-old Holyfield has been agreed in what will be the third fight between the two historic rivals – and the first since Tyson infamously chewed a piece of Holyfield's right ear off in the ring in 1997. 

As for Zhang, it appears she is in agreement with Tyson when it comes to one thing: the skills which Namajunas will bring with her to the cage on April 24.

"She has great footwork and boxing skills. I have prepared specifically for her skill set," Zhang said of her next title challenger.

"I will check my arsenal and pick the suitable weapon to play against her. I know that anything could happen."