James Toney Signs With The UFC

[Turd Ferguson]

I am simultaneously horrified and amused...

After months of speculation following James Toney making his intentions to fight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship public, one of the greatest boxers of our time is now set to embark on his career in mixed martial arts.

FiveOuncesofPain.com has been informed through sources close to the situation that James Toney has recently been signed to a multi-fight contract with the UFC.

Toney was seen during UFC 108 while attempting to track down UFC President Dana White in hopes of negotiating terms for the boxer to enter the UFC, although more recent comments from Toney made it appear as though the deal, if any, was dead in the water before today.

“Lights Out” is a former professional middleweight, super-middleweight, and cruiserweight boxing champion, while currently being listed as the active NABO and IBA heavyweight title holder.

Toney’s decorated professional boxing record currently stands at 72 victories and only 6 defeats, with 3 draws and 2 no-contests. James has stopped 44 of his 72 victims via knockout for an impressive 61% knockout ratio.

There is no news currently available as to when Toney will be making his debut for the promotion.

I guess Dana felt like with Strikeforce's signing of Herschel Walker panning out, he had to get an attraction in there that could cross over with mainstream media. James Toney at the very least has much more credibility than Herschel Walker, being a boxer and all. There's definitely an attraction factor there, with Toney being the first high-profile boxer to cross over into MMA, and his first fight should be something that garners a lot of attention. He is training with Juanito Ibarra as well, so at least he has that going for him (which admittedly, is not much).

He needs to develop a ground game, fast. He's going to get taken down at will by whoever the UFC throws at him, and rest assured, it's not going to be a can. I'm sure Dana welcomes the chance for Toney to show what he can do in the Octagon. However, I'm sure Dana's also loving that he can make some huge money off of this fight and if/when Toney gets his ass kicked, Dana can show that boxing is archaic compared to MMA.

I know Dana has said time and time again that he doesn't want to be the sideshow attraction guy, but Kimbo Slice vs. James Toney makes a lot of sense. Toney was talking shit about Kimbo not too long ago. Both are not true mixed martial artists. Both are also probably at the same skill level as well. It would be a slugfest. And it would garner a lot of hype, where both guys have crossover appeal.

 

[Boxer38]

You're right the best fight for Toney right now would be against Kimbo. With out a doubt this fight could get some serious attention for the UFC. As far as the winner goes, I could see it going either way. Both have heavy-hands, Most of us know Kimbo can take some hits, with the exception of his fight with Seth..And Toney well from what I remember he has a pretty good chin, but who knows age could have caught up with him I mean isn't he in his 40's? Well kimbo's pretty old too but he's shown that he can take hits, but then again his chin hasn't been tested against someone who has some real knockout power and I think Toney is a perfect guy for Kimbo to be tested one who for sure will stand keep coming in and not Houstan Alexander him. If his first fight isn't with Kimbo they should really think about putting him up against who is willing too stand and trade with Toney.

 

[Slyfox696]

Why would you put Kimbo against James Toney? That would be silly to put a very good TV draw, with no ground game, against a former World Champion boxer. While I doubt that Dana White plans to put Kimbo in a major program for a title, there is no doubt he can still get some money out of Kimbo. But put him against Toney and he loses, a very real possibility given Toney's impressive boxing resume? What's the point of Kimbo then?

No, I don't think we'll see Toney vs. Kimbo, at least not now. Maybe later when they are both on the last fight of their contract, but not now. I think Dana will find some schmuck to face Toney and who will stand up with Toney in his first fight. And then after that, maybe we'll see Toney vs. a guy with a ground game.

 

[kingdirrtysouth1]

When are they gonna stop signing these old guys from other sports? Will I watch him compete in the cage? Sure, but it will be more out of curiosity than anything else. I saw a lot of this guy on Best Damn back in the day and he can put on a pretty entertaining show when it come to pre-fight theatrics, but will how long will he last when faces someone with a decent ground game!!

 

[Afro-Ameri-Spawn]

I was just about to make this thread, but ya beat me to it. This signing only proves one thing and one thing only. That Dana White is a certified crackhead.

I mean this son of a bitch has the never to go apeshit over Hershel Walker wanting to fight MMA, but goes out and signs James Toney? WTF dude. For one, Hershel Walker is, and always has been, in the best shape of his life. He has take great care of his body and has always stayed in peak shape. I actually would prolly take him over Kimbo Slice, who Dana White also signed(after ragging on him for years). Hershel Walker has also carrying himself in the most respectful and dignified manner. When he realized his NFL career was over, did he go the route or far to many former NFL'ers and piss away his life while waiting for retirement checks? Hell no. He has trained to box. He even trained to be an Olympic bombsledder. He has always been a competitor and a class act. You can never say anything bad about him, well unless you made something up.

But James "F'N Toney? He was an embarassment as a boxer. He never really stayed in any kind of shape but round and was often overmatched by mediocre boxers. And he always got wiped across the floor when it came to title shots. And let's not talk about how bad an attitude he has always had. And yet Dana White feels his attitude is right to compete in the UFC? Dude, his attitude isn't right enough to fucking eat a Big Mac Value meal, let alone be taken seriously in MMA.

All I can say is that Dana White, in attempt to create Vince McMahon like controversy has done nothing but just made a joke of an organization that he has tried to distance from Pro Wrestling for many years. I can't wait to see Toney fight. No wait, I can. But what I can't wait for is for is to watch this come back to bite Dana White in the ass. And it will. Plain and simple.

 

[jmt225]

Why would you put Kimbo against James Toney? That would be silly to put a very good TV draw, with no ground game, against a former World Champion boxer. While I doubt that Dana White plans to put Kimbo in a major program for a title, there is no doubt he can still get some money out of Kimbo. But put him against Toney and he loses, a very real possibility given Toney's impressive boxing resume? What's the point of Kimbo then?

No, I don't think we'll see Toney vs. Kimbo, at least not now. Maybe later when they are both on the last fight of their contract, but not now. I think Dana will find some schmuck to face Toney and who will stand up with Toney in his first fight. And then after that, maybe we'll see Toney vs. a guy with a ground game.

Well, to Kimbo's credit, he has fought a boxer before in Ray Mercer, and he didn't even attempt to stand and strike with him. Right when the bell rang Kimbo went for the takedown and caught the guy in a Guillotine Choke for the win. So, I wouldn't underestimate Kimbo's intelligence like that.

Anyway, I think pretty much any Heavyweight in the UFC will destroy James Toney right now. There's no way this guy takes this seriously. He's going to stick to his usual training regimen, without incorporating any kickboxing, wrestling, and jiu-jitsu. I GUARANTEE it, since there's no way any Heavyweight in the UFC is stupid enough to try and box Toney. Put anyone in there, and they'll immediately take him down and tap his ass out.

I'm actually kind of glad this happened. Toney has been running his mouth non-stop, and this will finally show that MMA fighters are superior to boxers in every possible sense. That loud mouth arrogant prick will get destroyed in under a minute in his first fight, and it will be great to see.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

Dana came out and said that Toney would be fighting at 205. So forget a potential Kimbo fight. Couture said on his Twitter that he wanted first crack at him. It would fall right in line with the UFC throwing top competition at their high profile signings (Lesnar/Mir, for example). Furthermore, I still think Dana signed Toney to teach him a lesson. Toney's come out and said all sorts of disparaging things about Dana, Kimbo, and a bunch of other UFC fighters (including Randy if I remember correctly). He's called going to the ground "gay". What better way to teach him a lesson than to throw him in there with one of the best of all-time in Couture? A Couture fight also has major appeal, because Couture is a well-known mainstream crossover MMA fighter. ESPN would eat that up.

The beauty of it is that conceivably, Randy would just have to clinch with him, and fire away with punches and knees. Toney would not be able to hope for a break, clinching is 100% legal in MMA. If Randy can just get Toney against the cage and fire away, he'll manage to do so. Heck, he took down Lesnar doing that very thing.

Anderson Silva climbing up to 205 to fight Toney would be absolutely phenomenal as well. Silva wants to fight Roy Jones Jr. Well, a fight with James Toney would quench his thirst to fight a well-known boxer. Seeing Silva destroy Toney would be awesome.

Besides, Toney said this:

“I’m a main event fighter and I’ve been a main event fighter since before a lot of these punk-(expletive) fighters were out of the crib. Don’t give me that (expletive) about fighting on the undercard. People want to see James Toney and I’m going to give them what they want.”

Sounds like a potential Randy or Anderson fight should be right up his alley.

EDIT: DO NOT count out Toney/Kimbo. Kimbo Slice vs. Matt Mitrione has been pulled from UFC 113.

 

[jmt225]

I think they're going with Kimbo, and putting that on to go head-to-head against Strikeforce.

Randy Couture... I wouldn't mind at all him being James Toney's first opponent, since I know Couture would completely destroy him, but at the same time... I'm super stoked for Couture/Franklin and do not want to see that get canceled.

And as far as Anderson Silva, he's the one guy in MMA that I think could outbox James Toney. He's too fast, accurate, and has too much of a reach advantage for Toney to ever get on the inside, especially in the UFC's big ass octagon.

So, if it were up to me, I would pick Anderson Silva to totally knock this fucker's head off, but if I were a betting man, I'd bet right now that Kimbo's going to be Toney's first opponent. It's just too much of a coincidence that Kimbo's fight against Mitrione gets canceled as soon as James Toney is signed.

 

[Rizza]

I can't believe this actually happenend. I know that crazier shit happens(Hershal Walker)but this is actually intriguing. It depends how UFC carries this, if they want to make him look like a threat so people will tune in to watch him fight again, then let him fight a guy who will stand and bang with him, James probaly wilk take it there. If they want to make him look like a dumbass then throw him in there with a wrestler. I would pick Brian Stann to fight him. He would throw with him and make it exciting, he can take a good punch, and he could test Tony's ground game. He is not too badass in that area either, but good enough to see if Tony has any skill at all. I don't really care if he wins or loses, but I don't wan't to see him fight Kimbo. Kimbo should be fighting real mixed martial artist, I like Kimbo, and I think fighting Tony is a step back, I know Kimbo will never climb the rankings or anything, but watching him fight real opponents, and seeing him progress is way more entertaining then a freak show fight between Tony and Kimbo. It will be fun to see what happens though, and honestly I am looking forward to James Tony stepping in the cage.

 

[Deexter Jorgan]

Taken From Rajah.com

According to a press release from HDNet, boxing champion turned mixed martial artist James ‘Lights Out’ Toney (0-0-0) will appear on tonight’s episode of the network’s popular ‘Inside MMA’ news program and calls out current UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar (4-1-0), declaring:

“I want Brock Lesnar. I’m the heavyweight champion of the world vs. the UFC champion. That’d be a hell of a match… I’ll fight anybody you got.”

Toney has been turning up the volume since signing with UFC a few weeks ago, and is apparently so confident in his abilities as a fighter that he believes himself worthy of an immediate title shot against the hulking Lesnar. Ignoring Toney’s non-existent MMA resume, he naturally fights around 210 lbs. which would put him at a severe disadvantage were he to step inside the octagon against any top UFC heavyweight, never mind Lesnar who tends to show up well north of 280lbs. on fight night.

It will be interesting to see the context in which these comments were made, as they seem fairly absurd coming from a long-time boxer who should have a better understanding of how matchmaking and rankings work in combat sports. We encourage you to tune into ‘Inside MMA’ which airs every Friday night on HDNet at 9:00PM EST, and we will posting a follow-up to this story over the weekend.

Tony hasnt ben signed for very long and is already shooting his mouth off in regards to the UFC heayweight champion brock lesner, this guy is really ignorant he cant take on UFC's worst let alone a huge guy like Lesner he will be squashed within minutes if they put him in this match.

I dont see Tony lasting for too long but will keep my peeld for his first fight because i seriously want to see this ignorant arrogant idiot with no respect for the sport get his ass handed to him by one of the guys he thinks hes better then, he has no idea what hes getting himself into and i cant wait to see him eat his words.

 

[Mufasa]

He's too old to enter MMA with no experience in any other fighting disciplines. The days were one dimensional fighters can come in and dominate are mostly over. The greatest boxer in the world can't do anything if he's on his back. Any passable wrestler should be able to beat him. I can only really seeing him beat someone who was foolish enough to stand and trade punches.