Mike Tyson never considered an MMA career for one main reason — money.

When Tyson was asked by hip-hop artist Fat Joe during a conversation on Hard Rock Bet if he ever considered fighting in UFC, he said, “Five of the biggest UFC fighters combined couldn’t match my pay. I want to be the biggest fighter, the biggest purse, I want all that stuff. When Mike Tyson fights, he shuts everything down.”

The only UFC fighter who’s ever come close to cashing in on Tyson-levels of paychecks is former two-division champion Conor McGregor.

While Tyson was an active fighter from 1997-2005, the UFC heavyweight champions were Mark Coleman, Maurice Smith, Randy Couture, Bas Rutten, Kevin Randleman, Randy Couture, Josh Barnett, Ricco Rodriguez, Tim Sylvia, Frank Mir and Andrei Arlovski.

The closest Tyson ever got to a crossover clash was against Bob Sapp, but that fight never came to fruition. Tyson has, however, been featured as a playable character in recent years for the UFC video game produced by EA Sports.

The former heavyweight champion and boxing icon is preparing for a second installment of his one-man stage show, as well as an exhibition against Floyd Mayweather, which is set to take place sometime next year.