When boxing champion James Toney first signed with the UFC, he didn't see any reason he shouldn't get a heavyweight title shot. And so, Toney says, he asked for Brock Lesnar as his first opponent inside the Octagon.But the UFC had other ideas.
According to Toney, when the UFC told him he wasn't just going to waltz right in and fight the heavyweight champ, that set off an interesting negotiation with the promotion, which floated the idea of having him fight Kimbo Slice before settling on Randy Couture as his first UFC opponent.
Obviously, no one with zero MMA fights on his record is going to get the heavyweight champion of the world in his first fight, but Toney says he's completely serious about wanting to fight for the UFC heavyweight championship, and that he's let UFC President Dana White know how he feels.
"I told Dana my goal is to hold the heavyweight championship of the UFC and in boxing at the same time," Toney said. "So as long as it takes me to get Brock Lesnar, that's how long it'll be. If Lesnar gets by Cain Velasquez, I'll fight Lesnar in February or March. ... Lesnar ran away from Shane Carwin like a girl, but then Carwin ran out of gas and quit. But I'll fight any of them, any time anywhere. That's my motto."
Comments (Page 1 of 2)
I suspect he'll be singing a different tune after he gets his arse handed to him by Randy. I see Toney gassing as fast as Carwin did if he doesn't get GnP'd out first. He strikes me as someone who'll make excuses versus acknowledging the significance of well-rounded MMA-style fighting. I just hope Randy doesn't get caught before taking it to the canvas.
you mma people are high, randy is a walking zombie, hes been knocked out 5 times by fighters and i use the term lightly, who wouldnt last one round play sparing with JT. look at the Iran Barkley fight and evander holyfeild fight you people will get an appreciation for this guys talent. I beleive its an insult to even mention randys name in the same sentence as James Toney.And if you MMA fans think for one minute that James is not preparing for this fight you better not blink because the first shot he lands even glancing, randy will be sleeping in the ring. I also beleive that james has been working on punching from the floor so dont be surprised to see randy stuned from the bottom. James Toney NEVER ducted anyone, simba slice is a joke, You guys make me laugh 76 wins 44 by knockout 45 on the 18th never been stopped or even down on the canvas
James Tony is way too small and weak to be a Heavyweight in MMA. I have met him and talked to him a few times at one of my customers shops in Woodland Hills CA. he is not at all an imposing figure. I am 5'10" and a fairly solid 250 pounds and he was a lot smaller than me and had very little muscle tone.I would fight James Tony in a MMA match any day. And I will tell everybody right now I would never never never EVER get in the cage with Brock Lesnar. He is just way too big of a man for an average to slightly large person to handle. If James is serious about this he needs to be fighting at Light Heavyweight or even Middleweight he is really chubby and could shred a lot of fat if he wanted to,The dudes got fat rolls on the back of his neck and even a big one in his forehead. The only other HW his size is Pat Barry,and that could be a good fight too although Pat is a solid 240.If he insists upon fighting Lesnar, let him fight somebody like Carwin or Duffy first and watch him get steamrolled.
Toney, -sorry had too much kush already.
hey richie he would kick that jello all over the ring you must be nuts to think you could do anything to JT, since youve met himm a couple of times maybe next time you could meet him at the gym and test your balls he would woop that big time
Hi,Like I said before I'm not worried about somebody who gets excited and runs his mouth about tapping his training partners in practice. You have no idea what ether myself, nor James Toney could do in a MMA match. Great idea If I happen to see him I will definitely ask him. I will be more than happy to spar with him, that would be a great experience thank you for the suggestion hi.
If Toney wanted a win, he should have taken the Kimbo fight. That would have been his best shot. I like Kimbo, but he is much like Toney in that he is a pure puncher and he would have stood with Toney and given him a chance for a KO. Randy is way too savvy to stand and trade with Toney. He's going to take him down early and not let him up. I can't imagine Toney has very good takedown defense or scrambling ability. (Think Kimbo in TUF. Once down, he just didn't know what to do to escape.) I really expect a 1st round TKO from Randy.
Toney need's to keep him at bay (jab ) and just target that right hand to that weakened jaw !
tony has taking 2 many hit 2 the head stay in boxing !!!!
let me just say this again, ARE YOU KIDDING ME. james toney in mma, gosh i hope wwe buys out dana white and they can start hitting eachthese are not other with chairs. these are not 22oz gloves, and the ref is'nt going to give a standing 8 count. this is a nightmare that wont go away. i hope randy breaks toney's leg, then chokes out dana white for signing this match.
Randy wanted this fight. Everyone is so upset with Dana yet how many boxing fans will tune in and thus help MMA move mainstream even further. The boxing fanatics will see Couture's greco wrestling and jj. I think this is good for the sport. Now had it been Kimbo v Toney I agree that Dana is dumb. But that could not be further from the fact. Dana White is a ridiculously intelligent individual who continues to deliver. This is a champion in the sport of boxing. We support fighters from wrestling or bjj backgrounds so why is a boxer so far fetched? And if Toney goes "Lights Out" or cries uncle think about how this benefits MMA and shuts up Mayweather amongst others who say they would kill MMA fighters cuz of their "superior" boxing skills. This is good for MMA and Dana. Either way a 40 something year old is going to lose. So no need to freak out over this fight. Its intriguing and gonna be sweet. And wouldnt it benefit Toney to not use "22 oz gloves"?
I can't wait till Toney lands one on Randy's weak old chin and knocks him out.
This is one of the times Dana's dumb decisions is actually going to haunt him. He's been lucky so far but it's time the tide turns against these Zuffa crooks.
toneys gonna woop that ass good it aint gonna be good for MMA I envision james post fight interview and brock comes into the ring and runs right into a right hand number 46 on the same night
james toney has over 70 wins and like 6 losses with 44 KO's. He has been training with King Mo. He is quick and has a KO punch. He now has a standard ground defense so if u think Randy shouldnt be thinking twice U ARE OUTTA UR FN MIND!! Randy is old, and 100 dollars says KO round one Toney wins...as for Lesnar...hell no...but u assclowns are really underestimating this athlete. And oh yea, i shook hands with Randy at an airport in LA and dude is not an intimidating figure either
Toney is not quick by MMA standards. He may have quick and snappy punches, but he is plodding and slow in the body. Training with King Mo is very smart, but his TD Defense is not going to be good enough to stop a shot or a tie-up trip. It'll be interesting to see how he responds to dirty boxing, and if his jab is strong enough to keep randy from getting into the clinch. Pushing off ropes in a tie-up is different than a cage. If Toney isn't doing cage work he is going to have a hard time there as well.
Unlike a lot of MMA fans I think Toney has a very good chance of getting the KO, but there will be no G-n-P, there will be no kicks, there will be no JJ, there will be no wrestling. Toney needs to stay low, use his jab and cross, and if Randy comes in for the clinch he needs to circle away and use punishing body blows.
Sorry dude, but training with King Mo for a few weeks isn't going to enable a guy to out wrestle or avoid a take down with a former olympic caliber wrestler. Much like, sparring with a professional boxer for a few weeks isn't going to give you the tools to stand with a heavyweight boxing champion. Hence, the reason Randy doesn't have a single boxer in his training camp. This is going to be like old school MMA when different styles matched up against each other. Remember what happened back in the early 90's? Wrestling dominated! It dominates becasue 90% if every fight ends up on the ground. Sorry, that's just the way it is. My prediction: Randy Couture TKO, round 1. Ground-N-Pound!
Randy is going to take him down right away, and Toney has nowhere near the agility to stop it. Once Randy is on top, thats about all she wrote.
I like this fight, and Dana wins both ways on it also. Randy wins, he gets rid of Toney for good, but if Toney has learned some ground defense and can keep Randy in range for a KO, I see Dana putting Toney in with Silva. Silva has always said that he wanted to become a boxer, and silva is cocky enough to try and stand toe to toe with Toney. I hope Toney wins and he fights Silva next and kicks Silva azz.
Make no mistake.This fight is a "Circus ACT" at best.Randy is over-rated & Toney is over the hill = FIXED FIGHT!!
You know, as a nice consolation prize, not that he needed it, they should have given Toney, Shane Carwin. It would have still been a 'Circus Match', but at least I would have enjoyed watching him beat him down. Not that Randy wouldn't do the same, but I don't see Randy actually finishing Toney off. It would be hilarious though if it was 'lights-out' for Lights-Out. Overall, no big accomplishment for Randy when it's over.