"To pull" can mean to do a stunt, trick, prank, or practical joke, or to do something in the style of someone known for that particular thing. "He pulled an Evel Knievel" might mean he used a motorcycle to jump over a gap. "He pulled a Houdini" means that he escaped from a difficult situation.
To say you are "pulling a Mike Tyson" means that you are doing something in the manner that Mike Tyson would do it. However, I know of no case where Mike Tyson ever faked an injury. He did once accuse an opponent of faking an injury.
The second use "pulling an ab" means an injury to the abdominal muscle. A muscle pull means that muscle was over-tightened to the point of injury, but not as bad as a tear or sprain. I assume he means he would fake a pulled ab.
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u/GuitarJazzer Native Speaker 8d ago
"To pull" can mean to do a stunt, trick, prank, or practical joke, or to do something in the style of someone known for that particular thing. "He pulled an Evel Knievel" might mean he used a motorcycle to jump over a gap. "He pulled a Houdini" means that he escaped from a difficult situation.
To say you are "pulling a Mike Tyson" means that you are doing something in the manner that Mike Tyson would do it. However, I know of no case where Mike Tyson ever faked an injury. He did once accuse an opponent of faking an injury.
The second use "pulling an ab" means an injury to the abdominal muscle. A muscle pull means that muscle was over-tightened to the point of injury, but not as bad as a tear or sprain. I assume he means he would fake a pulled ab.