The Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul spectacle ended almost 10 days ago. But the traction and chatter haven’t died off. Mostly due to the seething speculations of a foul play—’Iron Mike’ had thrown the fight away. There is another narrative—’Problem Child’ carried him in the fight and let him survive. Which one is true? Chael Sonnen has come up with his argument for the fight.

Sonnen, 47, turned to his YouTube channel and dissected the Tyson vs. Paul fight. He drew parallels with Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor, which was a gross mismatch on the paper. Pretty much like Tyson vs. Paul. While Mayweather, 47, allowed McGregor, 36, to throw punches, he danced around and tried to give fans a show. But the moment he decided to wrap it up, he knocked out ‘Notorious.’ Tyson vs. Paul followed an identical script, but Paul, 27, decided not to go for the kill.

However, Sylvester Stallone held a contrasting view when he declared, “SOMETIMES you have to do hard things and sacrifice for the sake of helping your FAMILY.” The Hollywood actor, hence, inferred that Tyson, 58, had put in a performance to collect a money bag for his family. But Sonnen, at 31-17-1, refuted all these claims, as he said, “While I have never seen anybody carry another guy, I’ve never seen anybody let a guy survive. I can’t say that anymore.”

The former UFC star continued, “Jake did let Mike survive—for two rounds, partway through the seventh round, and for all of the eighth. But it didn’t impact the outcome at all. It’s being called into question. It was very clear that Jake allowed Mike to survive.”

The fans remember Tyson, at 50-7, missing his shots and wearing a knee guard on his right leg. In addition, the former world champion appeared out of breath, and he was ripe for a knockout. Paul, at 11-1, curbed his killer instincts and played around instead. It’s this respect for the ‘Baddest Man on Planet’ that Sonnen praised Paul for.

Chael Sonnen lauds Jake Paul for his sportsmanship

In the same clip, the Oregon native pointed out Paul’s post-fight remarks. Paul had admitted to not trying to knock out Tyson in the final round. Sonnen continued, “Jake then did a press conference at the end, while trying to preserve sportsmanship. While trying be polite to his fallen opponent. Jake let it be known that, toward the end, he did, in fact, look for the bell as opposed to going for the KO.”

These statements might finally ease some unwarranted criticism of the Tyson vs. Paul fight. What’s more? These will allow fans to give Paul his due credit, as he appeared to be the better boxer in the fight with his swift movements. It’s his footwork and energy that allowed him to stay out of Tyson’s range and evade his punches, which many saw as Tyson’s punches freezing up in mid-air.

What do you make of these comments by Chael Sonnen about Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul? Do you agree with him? Let us know in the comments below.