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James Toney signs multi-fight agreement with UFC

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by Mr7134, Mar 3, 2010.

  1. Mr7134

    Mr7134 Member

    James Toney (http://boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=1437&cat=boxer) has signed a deal with the UFC. It's actully a go; Dave Melzter has confirmed it with Dana White.

    From Dave Meltzer's daily update...

    http://forum.f4wonline.com/bb/viewforum.php?f=5


     
  2. WolvEagle

    WolvEagle Well-Known Member

    Well, that's one way to revive your flagging career. I covered James when he was younger - and that was several years ago.
     
  3. Huggy

    Huggy Well-Known Member

    Toney still hasn't beaten Dave Tiberi.
     
  4. Mr7134

    Mr7134 Member

    The rumour is that after the initial UFC/James Toney negotiations (Toney’s been hassling the UFC for months) broke down Strikforce were trying to put together a James Toney/Herschel Walker fight for a CBS show (or PPV), and Dana thought, “Screw that.”

    The last thing the UFC needs to for one of the Strikeforce CBS shows getting great ratings, and CBS really getting behind MMA. Who knows maybe Toney and Walker might have clicked.
     
  5. Mr7134

    Mr7134 Member

    Oh, forty-six year old Randy Couture wants to be his opponent.

    http://twitter.com/Randy_Couture/status/9959467469

     
  6. Mr7134

    Mr7134 Member

    Kimbo Slice has been taken off the UFC 113 card, and he maybe Toney's first opponent.

    http://www.sportsnet.ca/mma/2010/03/04/showdown_column_kimbo/

    Hey, Kimbo is 1-0 against people who have won boxing world titles.



    Really that's the opponent that makes the most sense. People have a fascination with Kimbo. The fight will probably do well on PPV. If Toney beats Kimbo then the UFC haven’t lost anything. It won’t reflect badly on them because it’s Kimbo Slice who really isn’t perceived as being a top fighter.
     
  7. Mr7134

    Mr7134 Member

    Speaking of old boxers, Ray Mercer is going to have his third MMA fight in April at a King of The Cage show in April.

    He's fighting a guy called Ron Sparks, who is 5-0.

    I know nothing about Sparks. He could be a killer, he could be can or he could be something in between. According to the Sherdog fight finder he has never beaten anyone with a winning record. Four of his oppoenents seem to have only had one MMA fight (their loss to him). His fifth victory was over Johnathan Ivey last June. Ivey's current MMA record is 29 - 41 - 0.

    http://www.mmamania.com/2010/3/12/1369997/ray-mercer-returns-to-mma-action

     
  8. Mr7134

    Mr7134 Member

    Oh, Ricardo Mayorga is fighting UFC vet Din Thomas on May 15

    http://www.ifight365.com/2010/02/shine-fights-announces-third-event-worlds-collide-mayorga-vs-thomas/

    Interestingly, BJ Flores (who's undefeated as a pro boxer) has also signed to do MMA with Shine Fights.

    http://boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=188315&cat=boxer

    http://mmafrenzy.com/13516/undefeated-boxer-bj-flores-signs-with-shine-fights-for-mma-debut/

     
  9. Deeper_Background

    Deeper_Background Active Member

    Bout between James Toney and Randy Couture could bring boxing-vs.-MMA debate to head
    The 41-year-old Toney, a former boxing champion in three divisions, has signed on for his first mixed martial arts event Aug. 28 against former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight king Couture, 47. The rhetoric is already heating up. Toney is looking forward to discovering how much damage he can do to Couture if he lands a punch in a four-ounce MMA glove — boxers typically use 10-ounce gloves. Toney smiled and said, "When they told me I'll be using those four-ouncers, I said, 'Oh, Lord, we're going to jail.'

    "I'm going to be representing boxing, and I'm a boxing master. The meanness, the nastiness. I don't turn my back on anyone like [current UFC heavyweight champion] Brock Lesnar did in his last fight. I love danger. I know this fight represents some danger to me. I'm hitting it head-on."

    Toney (72-6-3, 44 knockouts) signed a three-fight deal with UFC, with an opt-out clause if he loses. But he expects to fulfill his UFC commitment, hopeful for a victory over Couture and a title shot at Lesnar, and he still wants to box too.

    "He's one of the nicest guys in boxing, and I'm glad he has this opportunity to make a few bucks," boxing promoter Bob Arum said.

    Yet, Arum said he didn't view this fight as the ultimate answer to the question of what fighting discipline trumps all.

    "If James hits [Couture] first, he's going down. But if it goes to the floor, [Toney is] probably going to lose," Arum said. "If this was a boxing match, I'd be watching it, but this is this cockamamie martial arts, guys rolling around on the floor. It's not even a sport."
    http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-ufc-james-toney-20100720,0,131028.story
     
  10. Mr7134

    Mr7134 Member

    The UFC have the hype video up.

    http://118.ufc.com/#/couturevstoney/video/
     
  11. Mr7134

    Mr7134 Member

    Bernard Hopkins thinks that Toney is going to get his ass kicked, and (WBA Heavyweight Champion) David Haye thinks Toney is delusional. The Yahoo piece gives a brief snippet of Haye's reasoning. The Cage Potato one gives a fuller explanation.

    http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Hopkins-says-Toney-is-in-trouble-at-UFC-118?urn=mma-261922

    http://www.cagepotato.com/voice-reason-alert-david-haye-says-james-toney-delusional-about-ufc-career
     
  12. Mr7134

    Mr7134 Member

    The countdown show is up on the UFC website

    http://www.ufc.com/media/118-countdown-full+episode
     
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