After a long period of off-again, on-again courtship, the UFC has pulled the trigger and signed 41-year-old boxing champion James Toney.UFC President Dana White confirmed the signing to MMA Fighting after it was first reported by FiveOuncesofPain.com.
Toney had actively campaigned for a contract from the UFC, following White around the country to several events and eventually meeting with him in Las Vegas. Toney reportedly turned down at least one contract offer before signing.
Asked when Toney would debut, White said he had "no idea."
With a professional boxing record of 73-6-2 with one no contest, Toney is among the great boxers of his era, winning titles in six different weight classes ranging from middleweight to heavyweight. He last fought in Sept. 2009, earning a second-round TKO victory over Matthew Greer.
It's unknown which weight class he will compete in, as his weight has fluctuated from anywhere between 219 to 257 in fights over the last few years, though heavyweight seems the most likely possibility.
In the past, White noted that he may have some trouble promoting Toney as a legitimate mixed martial artist after criticizing other athletes that had made late-career changer like Strikeforce star Herschel Walker, but he always voiced an interest in Toney as a "real fighter" capable of making the transition.
"Listen, let me tell you what: I got blasted this week? Let me make this fight (with Toney)," White said after UFC 108. "That will get me f****** blasted. I'm the first guy out there going, 'This is a freak show. Who would put on a fight like this?' I'm the first guy that would say that. I'm always saying it when freak shows happen. I don't know what's going to happen."
Toney has reportedly been training in MMA for some time in hopes of making his octagon debut. Now it appears he'll finally get the chance he's campaigned for, and in doing so, he will become the most decorated boxer ever to fight in the UFC.
Comments (Page 1 of 5)
This is exactly the kind of s*** that ruined boxing. Herschel Walker, James Toney--hey, why not get Ali back as well. People all over are tuned into MMA because boxing became a lost sport & now the same thing is going to happen to MMA
It's sports entertainment, afterall, and Toney's fights will have entertainment value. Lots of people will want to see how the superb boxer does vs an MMA artist. I wanted to see Slice in a real MMA contest and I want to see Toney in there too, although I wish he weren't 40+. Maybe we can get Couture to fight him. I don't really expect Toney to fare well, but it will be fun to see how it plays out. Dana White may be a douche nozzle to some of you, but he made MMA go and he puts entertaining matches in the Octagon.
dana white's a hypocrite.
White is not a hypocrite. Walker was a FOOTBALL player trying to get in to the fight game, Toney is a boxer (i.e. FIGHTER). How fighters out there are strictly strikers? Put Toney against Slice and let them stand and bang!
Dana White IS A HYPOCRITE, if you can`t see that your fu@ยค%6 blind, he`S a great promoter of MMA ,but don`t say he is noe a hypocrite,because he is,avery month he says something toltaly opposite wait he has said before,
You called it, he is the first one to cry foul when someone else signs these athletes from other sports, but now he is doing it. Dana is the biggest hypocrite out there. It's all about the O'mighty dollar to him. To all of you who said Dana made the sport, get ready to start saying he also ruined the sport. Who's next Dana, Conseco. Dana accept the fact you are a hypocrite and a douche.
More like, put him out there and let Mir or Lesnar take him to the ground and crush his face. Everyone's got a puncher's chance, but in MMA you get 1 chance and sometimes it is for a fraction of a second and then too late, a boxer on his back against a BJJ black belt or national champion wrestler...not good at all.
BTW, the UFC is getting silly and lame. Bring back Tank Abbott for all I care, but don't expect me to drop $45 a pay per view for that lame nonesense.
well now they have someone for kimbo to stand and punch with.
LAME.
James Toney is a superb boxer.If he would have taken it more serious and not come into so many fights over weight,he might not of ever been beaten.I hope he takes MMA more serious,this is not a half way sport,its all or get your ass handed to you.I do find it funny that Dana signed him after talking so much smack about Hershel and other crossover fighters.I wonder if he even watched Toney do any "MMA" training?
u guys are dumb. hes fought more than u have ever fought
I just peed a little. Actually, I am secretly looking forward to this. Boxers are starting to transition to MMA, folks. This is the beginning.
Beginning of what?
Peed? Need a towel for your legs???
Tito, how in the hell does Kimbo slice vs James Toney not excite you ?
Sign Mike tyson.. That would be interesting. James Toney...yawn.
IS DANA WHITE TRYING TO MONOPOLIZE ALL OF FIGHTING BY APEALING TO THE VIEWERS IN RETIREMENT HOMES.......NEXT IS ADVERTISING ON AARP MAGAZINE....I BET YOU HE DOES A COUPLE OF FREE SHOWS AT THE RETIREMENT HOMES LIKE MY SONS SCHOOL BAND AND CHOIR....HIS THREAT WILL BE....WATCH THE UFC OR I WILL CALL DEATH TONIGHT.......WHATS NEXT DANA....UFC BABY BOTTLES AND ONESIES.....GET THEM EARLY HUH....
What a freakin' joke !! Almost ANY heavyweight MMA fighter would beat the hell out of James Toney. Can you imagine what Cain Velaquez would do to this fatass Toney. Or Chuck Liddell ? What an ass kicking Toney would get if he is EVER stupid enough to get in the circle with these guys.
Are you kidding? I assume James has no ground game to speak of, and Cain sure does and could use that to exploit him. However James Toney will have the best hands we have ever seen in the UFC, as well as the best standup defense. Toney has one punch ko power in each hand, and his hands will be much faster and far more accurate than anyone in the UFC.
ohh god... let the age old boxing vs mma thing begin...
if toney takes mma seriously I think he'd suprise a few guys, he'd never be a champ but I think standing up hed touch a few chins
in order to beat toney, a fighter has got to resist the temptation to stand and trade because 9 times out of 10 its not gonna work out bjj and wrestling are whats going to beat toney
cain would HAVE to take him down and beat him
chuck, if hes smart (unfortunately, not the sharpest knife in the drawer) would have to dust off his wrestling to beat toney
chuck would get creamed if he stood up, mainly because he has 2 punches hook and haymaker and that doesnt work against a world class boxer
Well we will get a chance to see what Toney can do with MMA fighters. As for Chuck Liddell he is way past his prime and has been knocked senseless by good strikers like Rampage and Rashad Evans. I can't even understand why people still consider him a viable opponent.