Video of boxer James Toney's meeting with UFC President Dana White has surfaced. Shot by David Avila and Don Avila for Uppercutmagazine.com, the clip shows White pressing the 41-year-old Toney on his seriousness on fighting in MMA as well as his capability.
At one point, White asks Toney, "Can you wrestle?"
"I got surprises for you," Toney responds.
"Do you have takedown defense?" White later queries.
"He's been practicing," a representative answers, telling White that in about three more months, that aspect of his game will be ready.
White doesn't appear completely sold on the idea but tells Toney that he and his business partner Lorenzo Fertitta are indeed interested. His hestitation, it seems, is in contradicting his previous statements about boxers fighting mixed martial artists. Telling Toney that he's had other boxers including Evander Holyfield, approach him about fighting the UFC, White laid his reservations on the table.
"Here's the hard part for me," he said. "Yes I'm interested. I've been talking to Lorenzo, and yes, we're both interested. The hard part is, I'm the one who always starts talking s--- about the people who put together freak shows. And the reason this is a freak show is because the whole boxing vs. MMA thing. It's either boxing or it's MMA."
The video ends with White telling Toney and his representatives that they should speak again soon about both sides' expectations if a deal were to be struck.
It still seems a long shot that Toney, who is 72-6-3 with two no contests in his boxing career, will ever fight in the UFC, but it does appear that both sides have some interest.
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