LAS VEGAS -- Dana White didn't have much time to celebrate Saturday night's UFC 108 event because former boxing champion James Toney demanded to speak to him about fighting in the UFC in the near future. Toney has been talking about making the transition to MMA recently, and he finally tracked down White at Saturday night's post-fight press conference.MMA Fighting spoke to White about the possibility of Toney fighting in the UFC and his thoughts on Saturday night's card. Check out the video interview below.
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Hi Ariel and Dana White (I know Dana don't read these blogs)
First I would like to say thanks for responding to my last comment regarding the UFC. I would like to say I have just started following Fanhouse recently but I have been quickly impressed with its content,especially the mma coverage. Your coverage in particular is impressive. My comment is mainly concerning James Toney. Being a big boxing fan also I could tell you that James Toney would have a huge following if he did anything with the UFC. There are a few of these "past their prime fighters" that are tough as nails and people still love or love to hate them. My suggestion to Dana White: Snag a few more of these fighters like Ray Mercer, James Toney, etc. because these guys can fight and they also already have a huge following and fan base that would be established almost instantly. By no way am I knocking Kimbo Slice, because after the show I am a fan too,But let some of these real fighters take a shot at mma. Give Toney or Mercer, yeah I know Ray didnt ask but he would do it in a second,plus he knocked out the former champ Tim Sylvia in 9 seconds. Give them a chance if its nothing but a one fight warm-up deal.
No Disrespect, but: "Before Dana White and being named, MMA was simple street brawling. Boxing is over 100 years old with true roots which MMA has yet to dream of acquiring". "That said"; What would you say when fighters who in Boxing exhibit supreme techical abilities, get into the ring with the street style fighting of MMA and can't contend with it? Remember, a Boxer has to constantly think 3 or 4 moves moves ahead the opponent, and execute with class and flawlessness or face immediate counter-attack. MMA is nothing like that. MMA uses the tactics of street, everyday fighting without much thinking and mere brawn/muscle. Many will beg to differ, but having fought in the streets many times, as well as having boxed, many more can tell you that it doesn't take much thinking to fight the way MMA fighters do. All that's required is the force/brawn/sheer power to knock someone to the ground and pounce. What thinking goes into kicking an opponent and making him lose his balance so you can stomp on him while he's down? NONE. All due respect to those who regard MMA as their favorite. But Boxing is in a class by itself and not many Boxers can do MMA, although it'd be much easier to make a Boxer out of an MMA fighter. There is much more discipline, technique and stamina involved in boxing than MMA. In MMA, for 3 - 5 min. rounds it's a "free-for-all". Try that samething for 10 or 12 rounds [even @ 3 mins.], and any MMA fighter would leave on a stretcher with his tongue dragging off the back of an ambulance. Again, to each his/her own, but there is nothing Toney or Mercer could do in MMA especially with their ages. What you're essentially asking is that these former champs bring their fan base/following to a sport where they'd be literally humiliated. A Boxer would have to be much younger to make such a move and it'd have to be a total "revamping" of abilities. In the interest of peace and harmony; let MMA and Boxing remain 2 separate entities with their combined or respective followings. I'm not knocking one or the other sport, but it's much more dignified to have MMA fighters and Boxers as separate as they've been.......
the problem is always money with Dana. He will not pay them enough to justify them showing up to fight .
@ Pito
Im sorry.. but one of the most exhausting things about MMA is grappling and the wrestling part. Anyone who has wrestled knows this, if you wrestle for just a few minutes your exhausted. In Boxing, your just throwing punches. MMA involves grappling, kicks, knees.. all which take a lot more energy to do that just throwing hands. So you can't try and say that stamina and cardio go to a boxer because they do 10- 3 minute rounds. I give them props for doing what they do, but its not even on the level or pace of MMA fights
Hi Ariel
I would love to see James Toney fight in the UFC. First I was a boxing fan but now I am more interested in mma. I can tell you that James has a huge fan base. It would be a smart move on Dana Whites part to let him fight. Just a warm up on the undercard would be fine. Dont ever count the "past their prime guys" out. James would be a huge draw also Ray Mercer who knocked out Tim Sylvia in 9 seconds. These guys may be a little older but they are true champions. Love them or hate them they would have a huge following and like me would get some boxing fans to take notice of mma. If you give "Kimbo" a chance surely James or Ray should be given a chance. Trust me when I say these guys are still tough as nails and they should show the young guys a thing or two. Dana is not a dummy and I am sure he will snap up Tony for a fight. Just let him fight one or two too see how he does. Dont promise him the moon and see.
Thanks
Luther
No thank you. Leave the stunt fights to other promotions. It's bad enough we have to deal with Kimbo Slice now, as he's become a proven moneymaker and ratings draw. There are too many well trained MMA fighters out there waiting for there shot to give fights to guys like Toney. Leave MMA to the MMA fighters.
ariel,
i think that was the funniest interview ever.
i can't believe how well you and dana held your respective composures.
that was awesome.
i love toney as a boxer, but he has no shot against any credible mma hw.
so, i agree with "gals guide to mma" comments.
I am conflicted on this. I would like to see Toney fight but I also think there are many young up and comers who deserve the spot on a card. I think Dana is gonna get him a fight though.
Now if Toney gets dominated on the ground or leg kicked till he cant stand will he go away? Put him in against Mirco and see what happens.
pito you don't have a clue.
if toney has any kind of takedown defense he could be a real problem for a lot of guys, but i dont see him breaking with his boxing mind. he'll get taken down and dominated.
I agree with richard. Pito=clueless. And I agree with sstitan2 throw kimbo at Toney. A true fan and practicing martial artist's request to UFC: Please consider co-promoting. This would answer all questions about the FIGHTERS and who is truly the best in the world. The promotions (UFC, STRIKEFORCE,DREAM, SENGOKU, K-1,WEC, etc. etc.)do not truly matter to the true fan. It's the FIGHTERS we don't care who promotes them, just make sure the match-ups happen.
I truly believe that we-the fans-miss out when this sport is turned into another 1-A college football type circus sideshow. Leaving only speculation as to who is the best b/c there are no Playoffs. Just these stupid seperate little annoying ass fucking bowl games. Please do not keep MMA going on like this, turn the corner and truly make this sport phenominal. Make it more like soccer a true world sport. Co-Promote and MMA becomes one of the biggest sports on the planet! The fans and the sport win out this way. Any other way I believe, is Disrespectful.
KIMBO VS TONEY
bet a lot of these guys would get laid down before they could get him down.. the thing is what is better boxing or mma.. tim went to boxxing got put out.. let him come 2 mma and see how long it takes for him to go down.. other mma fighters that havent maid it to ufc dont have fighting belt either.. as for unknown mma fighters ufc should hold more try outs for the house dont forget to teach the boxxers to tapout first
Put Tony up against a lower ranked world class wrestler, someone like Mike Van Arsdale. I guarantee he will get taken down and mauled. If you wanna see what happens to boxers in UFC just lookup Art Jimmerson vs Royce Gracie. Nough said.
Let James Toney fight. Boxing is an art or craft as they say. MMA should want the best shows the UFC can put up. Thing could be Dana White and his association may not be ready for the kind of negotiations that has driven boxing for so long. Bosing negotiating is a different ballgame than White and his clean cut guys are used to. Boxing has some od the toughest and roughest street people in many positions. Majority of world boxing champions I meet and know personally are in fact the toughest streetfighters or prison brawlers around. Came from the toughest and most dangerous upbring in this world. Too bad we never gto to see "smokin Joe" Frazier and his tough as naols heart against say Rashad Evens or Brock. Let it happen. Put on some unpredictasble shows. Allow boxing into these events. Keep the rules the same. It will be interesting
The boxer will get killed because the MMA guy will just take him down and submit him.
I'd love to see it too but the problem is that while dana has nothing to gain from doing it... he has everything to lose... alot of mma fans are close-minded and believe that every other combat sport is worthless, furthermore that mma fighters have superior hands to a boxer... with that being said, if a boxer comes in and clobbers an mma fighter the mainstream media (because they will be ALL over this) will pretty much call into question the skill of these fighters. to make matters worse it would shake the confidence of many of those die hard close-minded fans
so if a past-his-prime boxer ko's a top mma guy in the top organization in north america people would be saying these guys arent really world class atheletes, mma is a farce, ect.
so dana has to be extremely careful who he puts in the ring with toney because the rep of his org could rely on the outcome of that match
the only one toney would have a chance against is maybe gina carano
I would have to agree with my man Pito. There is very little to no technique at all in "mixed martial arts". I personally see no martial arts in mma. I only watch it just to see a legalized street fight in a cage. I ticks me off when Dana White calls boxing a dead sport. It really isnt. That a great disrespect to graet boxers like Ali,Frazier,Luis,Holyfeild,and many others.
are you freakin kidding me...Pito and spyderbc1???? you can actually try to say that boxing is more exausting than mma!Its only more exausting if your watching boxing!! and to refer to mma as "street fighting" you have no idea how uneducated you sound...you should leave these sites alone and stick to your corrupt paper champ boxing sites!!!
Your the one who sounds uneducated. MMA fighters can't punch nor can they take a punch. Your just a bunch of loud mouth hicks. Dana White is a great promoter because he understands that WWE wrestling attracts a bunch of idiots and he is using them same tactics to attract idiots like you.