"He sold his rights years ago!" - Chael Sonnen dismisses Mike Tyson's row against Hulu over biopic
Chael Sonnen might be the only figure in combat sports who isn't taking Mike Tyson's side amid the Hulu biopic debacle.
The mini-series titled Mike is currently streaming on Hulu. It tells the story of Tyson's meteoric rise and troubled life outside the ring.
See the tweet below:
MIKE, the original series starring Trevante Rhodes tells the story of the dynamic and controversial life of boxing icon Mike Tyson. #MikeOnHulu premieres 8/25, on Hulu! https://t.co/efYz6Zq9Jj
However, the boxing legend has been calling out the company over the past several weeks for allegedly telling his life story without compensating him. Tyson labeled Hulu "the streaming version of the slave master" and added that the streamer "stole my life story."
However, former UFC middleweight star Chael Sonnen vehemently disagrees with Tyson's take. The way he sees it, there isn't anything unjust about Hulu's decision to exclude Tyson as the boxer sold the rights to his story. During an episode of his Beyond the Fight YouTube show, Sonnen said:
"Now, if somebody feels that they were slighted or shafted, I think that we should include the part of the story that Mike has left out. He sold his rights years ago! I would not have an opportunity to go and negotiate this with Mike because he doesn't own them."
Check out Chael Sonnen's comments on Mike Tyson below:
The former UFC title challenger also believes that Tyson shouldn't be compensated as he didn't participate in the creation of the project. He then pointed out that telling athletes' stories has always been fair game in the media. He argued:
"I don't pay guys when I talk about them. I just don't. I don't get paid when people talk about me."
Chael Sonnen explains his beef with Mike Tyson
It's important to take Chael Sonnen's comments with a grain of salt as he hasn't been shy about sharing his dislike of Mike Tyson.
"Mike Tyson and I don’t get along – and I don’t know that we have a big beef – but in all fairness, he’d rather not see me and I’d rather not see him. But it all predicates on him stealing $50 from me and all of you."
According to the former UFC superstar, his beef with Tyson stems from the time he fought Lennox Lewis in 2002. After the fight, Tyson admitted that there really wasn't any animosity between himself and Lewis, which apparently left a bad taste in Sonnen's mouth.
"He fought Lennox Lewis and he’s a thief for doing it... And then he comes out after the fight, grabs the microphone before he even leaves the ring and says, 'That was all for promotion, I love this guy.'"
Watch the video below: