Comments Thread For: UFC Officially Announces James Toney Has Signed To Fight

[BIGPOPPAPUMP]

Las Vegas, NV (USA) – He’s one of the premier boxers of the last 25 years, a future Hall of Famer who has won world titles in three weight classes while taking on a Who’s Who of the sport, including fellow champions Evander Holyfield, John Ruiz, Hasim Rahman, Vassiliy Jirov, Roy Jones Jr., Mike McCallum, Iran Barkley, and Michael Nunn. But there is one more mountain left to climb for James “Lights Out” Toney, and that’s to show if he can defeat the mixed martial arts warriors of the UFC®. [Click Here To Read More]

[STILL_DETOX]

scared ***** .

[Zarco]

scared ***** .

More like broke fat piece of **** who's pay days are over in boxing.

[P.WILL]

...........

[EL_cano]

Toney better make a great impression by knocking out his first opponent. Goodluck!

[BOLLOCKS]

Get yer money, fattie.

[Kakutogi-Gumi]

http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2010/3/3/...gn-james-toney

It certainly isn't because he's a world-class MMA fighter. So what could be the potential reasons? Let's run through the most likely possibilities:

1. Like the UFC did with Shamrock vs. Ortiz 1 and Royce Gracie vs. Hughes, the UFC will on occassion book mismatches to prove a point about the latest iteration of top-shelf MMA fighters competing when there is public misperception. In both the case of Shamrock and Gracie, there was a lingering belief among casuals that their era of competitors and their skill sets were tantamount to the most evolved, most technical fighters of the present day. White & Co. knew bettern but had to prove the most recent UFC product was the best. Boxing has had something of a resurgence or at least re-popularization of late although even without the resurgence the overall point of boxing vs. MMA (even though the odds are hardly fair) still holds sway. With the booking of the first major boxer to crossover into the MMA "big leagues", the UFC could be attempting to make an example of what is highly likely to be Toney's absymal MMA skill set.

2. The Herschel Walker effect. As White has curiously remarked (it makes perfect sense to me), ESPN and many in the traditional sports establishment still won't pay attention to MMA or the UFC, yet will when one of their favorite sons from another, more established sport gets in the mix. Toney is hardly as beloved as Walker, but the interesting mix of a former high-level boxer throwing his hat in the (ostensibly) top shelf MMA ring creates a new magic worthy of eyeballs from the same group. And if we refer to the first point, with their attention and a likely butchering of Toney at the hands of what should be a more than competent wrester, White could be killing two birds with one stone.

3. I don't find this particularly likely, but White could actually be curious about Toney's ability. Greg Savage Tweeted that Toney has been working (albeit on fundamentals) with Juanito Ibarra in recent weeks. In fact, I saw with my own eyes and heard with my own ears Dana White tell Chad Dukes and Lavar Arrington Toney had been training in secret for quite some time. For anyone who takes elite-level MMA training seriously that still doesn't mean much of anything, but who knows what machinations lurk in the hearts of MMA fight promoters?

[COVID-19]

This will be fun to see.........Toney is gonna kill some MMA guys!

[Toney Loc]

This will be fun to see.........Toney is gonna kill some MMA guys!

I hope he KOs Brock. Can't see it happening unless Brock decides to trade lol.

[BennyST]

Ouch. That will be bad. Toney is a fat, slow, old forty and, not only that, he's a very, very small HW with no legs. There is simply no way possible he can beat any of the contender level MMA guys, let alone anyone really good.

Very bad move by Toney and I hope this is untrue because it will put a stain on his great reputation. He should try to have a couple more boxing fights, maybe even try to get a minor title and then give it all up. He's done as an athlete.