James Toney Looking For Brock Lesnar Next

[dbreiden83080]

Well at least Toney can sell himself

Randy by 1st Round sub..

http://www.fightline.com/fl/news/201...ar/index.shtml

"MMA neophyte and boxing champion James "Lights Out" Toney has kept himself at least on the periphery, if not occasionally in the center, of MMA news since he began campaigning to UFC President Dana White for a shot in the UFC sometime around UFC 108 in January.

Through interviews with respected MMA media outlets to self-released hype videos, MMA fans have been fed a steady diet of Toney's trash talk for somewhere around seven months. Usually, Toney focuses mainly on self-promotion but occasionally he takes aim at the sport of MMA and some of its various personalities/prac ioners. In his latest interview with MMAWeekly Radio, Toney took to UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar, saying he wants the champ after he's done with Randy Couture at UFC 118 next month.

"I couldn't come in the UFC and fight a bum, or a tune up fight. I have to fight the best. I am the best. I wanted to fight Brock Lesnar, but unfortunately at the time he was sick," Toney told MMAWeekly Radio.

Toney is currently the International Boxing Organization and North American Boxing Organization Heavyweight Champion and won both belts by defeating Fres Oquendo by split decision in a match for the at-the-time vacant les (interestingly enough, Oquendo was dropped during an exhibition bout against former UFC Heavyweight Champion Andrei Arlovski in February). Toney explained that his plan is to compete both in MMA and in boxing and that after he fights former UFC Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight Champion Randy Couture in August he will defend his boxing les and then make a return to MMA against the current UFC Heavyweight Champion, whom Toney has apparently taken issue with.

"I will be boxing and UFC champion at the same time," Toney stated. "I'm officially a two-sport athlete.

"After I knock out Randy Couture, I'm coming for Brock's b---h ass next."

Toney will face Randy Couture this August 28th in the co-main event of UFC 118: Edgar vs. Penn 2 which is going down at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. Toney will get his chance that evening to back up everything he has said in the cage and he has quite a bit to back up."

[CubanSucks]

Wow, SHUT THE UP!!!!!! This guy isn't a good talker. He's a re who's takin too many shots to the head and literally can't just sit and listen to someone else, not to mention he stutters after like every 2 or 3 words when he rambles on.




I wasn't even remotely interested in this fight until I came upon this thread. So in a way I guess he is a good talker in that he's pulling in viewers. But anyone who tries talking but instead sounds like they have down syndrome would piss me off. So he succeeds, just not in the way he wanted. GO COUTURE!

[tlongII]

Why is Couture fighting this guy??? What is there to gain???

[dbreiden83080]

Why is Couture fighting this guy??? What is there to gain???

Embarassing a guy that is bashing the sport and it is a high profile fight so that means more money for Randy..

[Stringer_Bell]

Toney has a few loose screws, but he's a boxer and a showman at his core. He knows how to sell fights. It'll be explosive, most likely from Randy breaking Toney's back on the takedown, but I digress.

[dbreiden83080]

I think Randy is more about high profile bouts and pay-days now than le shots. He's clearly dropped a level but he's got some good ones left..

[eyeh8u]

that fanhouse interviewer wasn't getting from randy, dude is trying to ask interviewer questions, randy is answering it like they are shooting the

[DesignatedT]

Couture will this guy up.

[dbreiden83080]

There is a promo up for this on UFC.com and Toney looks fat as ..

This is gonna be such a cake-walk for Randy..

[lebomb]

Randy will get this fool to the ground as fast as he can............and submit him. Brock will do the same.

[dbreiden83080]

Randy basically calls his shot here about choking him out.. It should be a choke or an arm-bar that ends it..

[Stringer_Bell]

Good promo, it must be pretty intimidating to be told someone is going to choke you out and you have no defense against it.

[dallaskd]

Couture will win this easily. Toney would knock out Brock though. He doesnt have the hand speed to keep up.

[DesignatedT]

no way Toney would knock Brock out. Brock would this dude up. Toney is a .

[dbreiden83080]

Toney would knock out Brock though. He doesnt have the hand speed to keep up.

[CubanSucks]

Couture will win this easily. Toney would knock out Brock though. He doesnt have the hand speed to keep up.

If you're saying he has the abilities to knock out Brock then sure. But if you're saying that that's how an mma fight between them would end, then you're insane

[dbreiden83080]

Toney should be studying this video very carefully...

[dbreiden83080]

Great article here...





His fight plan is a simple one: enter the Octagon, deliver the knockout blow and go home.

http://sports.espn.go.com/extra/mma/...ory?id=5352849

Former boxing champion James Toney has 83 professional fights under his belt, but none as a mixed martial artist. That will change Aug. 28 when he meets Randy Couture at UFC 118 in Boston.

Taking on one of the greatest fighters in mixed martial arts history doesn't bother Toney. He believes the strategy that has worked throughout his boxing career will serve him well on fight night -- just keep punching.

His fight with Couture will be contested under MMA rules, but Toney couldn't care less. To him, it's just another fight, and he promises to rely solely on his boxing skills to prove a point.

"I look at this [fight] as a way to show everybody that boxing ranks supreme," Toney told ESPN.com recently while in Las Vegas to observe UFC 116. "It's still the No. 1 sport; it's still the best sport. I like MMA; I'm not a hater. I watch it all the time.


"But when somebody like [UFC president] Dana White, who started in the boxing game, says that MMA is better than boxing -- then hold on. You're wrong there."

It's this at ude that motivated Couture to ask White for the chance to fight Toney. Couture loves boxing, but not the disrespect he believes many boxers show toward mixed martial arts.

"The mixed martial artists I know have a ton of respect for boxers and what boxers do," Couture told ESPN.com. "Most of us train in boxing as part of our mixed martial arts training.

"You don't hear too many mixed martial artists going around, running their mouths about how boring boxing is, which is what we could easily be saying about boxing. On the other side of the coin, you continuously hear boxers running their mouths about how terrible mixed martial artists are with striking and how they'd knock everybody out."

The former UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight champion is confident his hand, not Toney's, will be raised when the bout is over. The Octagon is his domain, and he refuses to let a boxer walk in and dominate.

Couture (18-10-0) is one of the best fighters ever to compete in MMA. His wrestling abilities are legendary, and he's also comfortable applying several other fighting disciplines. The same can't be said for Toney.

The former International Boxing Federation middleweight, super middleweight and cruiserweight champion has never competed in wrestling, Muay Thai, jiu-jitsu or kickboxing. Toney will rely primarily on his hands and is confident that will be enough to get the job done.

"In [MMA] you have people like Randy Couture who are scared, and will try to hold me like a girl," said Toney, who has a professional boxing mark of 72-6-3 (2 no-contests). "I'm going to make him pay for that. Everybody knows that if you're inside on me, one mistake and that's your ass.

"Did y'all tell Randy Couture that I'm wearing smaller gloves? What do you think is going through his head right now? 'How am I going to stay away from his hands?' That's what he's thinking."

Interestingly, that is exactly what Couture has on his mind. He knows Toney is a very skilled striker whose hand speed and punching power are likely to increase with five-ounce MMA gloves.


There isn't a thing Randy Couture hasn't seen in his 13 years inside the cage.

But Couture is a seasoned mixed martial artist who knows his way around the Octagon. There is nothing in the cage that Couture hasn't seen or experienced.

He will have a huge advantage in the experience department. Couture plans to avoid Toney's striking, then use his inexperience in the cage against him.

"He's a great striker; he's got good power. To be honest, he's going to be dangerous in that realm of the fight," Couture said. "If I try to trade punches with him, then [getting knocked out] is a possibility. "That's why I'm doing my homework, and have no intention of standing in there and boxing with James Toney. That would be stupid.

"Experience is a huge thing in our sport, but you can't discount the boxing experience that James has. Many people did that with me when I started; they discounted the years of wrestling experience I had. This is an individual combative sport; experience counts for something."

Cage experience should play a significant role in this fight, especially if Couture can get Toney off his feet. But like all fights, this contest will begin standing and that's where Toney is at his best.

Toney will enter the cage with a chip on his shoulder. He knows White wants him to lose but vows it will never happen. In fact, his intent isn't just to defeat Couture, but to humiliate him by registering a knockout.

"I heard all the things that Dana said, but if I listened to that I wouldn't be me," Toney said. "Losing is not an option. I'm not going in there to lose; I'm going in there to destroy this dude."

Competing in the Octagon excites Toney. He doesn't have a shred of fear as the days wind down to his MMA debut.

His confidence is at an all-time high. And while he won't allow the thought of losing to enter his mind, Toney isn't taking Couture lightly.

"Y'all talk about Randy this and Randy that, but if you look at my background, you know I have never had an easy fight," Toney said. "I've fought the biggest and best fighters in the world. Why should I be afraid of an MMA fighter?"

http://sports.espn.go.com/extra/mma/...ory?id=5352849

[atxbuttknocker]

Toney should be studying this video very carefully...

Opie and Anthony!! Now we're talking!! Those two horribly unfunny s are just what this burgeoning sports needs!!

[Zelophehad]

This is a smart move. When Toney comes in at 400 lbs and gets splattered, White can say "see boxers can't compete with mma fighters." Of course if a pro ing wrestler who hasn't fought compe ively since he college wrestled in the late 90s can dominate the sport we all know a ton of boxers could pimp slap big time in this game.

[dbreiden83080]

we all know a ton of boxers could pimp slap big time in this game.

They'd all have to train their asses off in JJ and wrestling to do it is the point.. This is where the Boxing vs MMA debate gets lost. Brock's base coming into the sport is the dominant base in MMA. Dominanat amateur wrestlers through the divisions basically rule the sport.
They add to their game from that wrestling base.. There are MMA guys like Anderson Silva that are so good at striking they could beat up some of the middle of the row boxers in straight boxing. Super-elite boxers will wreck MMA stars in straight boxing but if they want to come to MMA they have to train hard in eveything else or they are dead..

[Blackjack]

I absolutely love this!

I agree with you dbreiden83080 about the wrestling aspect and I believe Toney's chances of catching Randy before getting taken to the ground are probably less than 10%, but this is getting back to the roots of the sport. This is where it all started. And though Toney ain't what he used to be and most would call him washed up, some would argue that to be the case of his opponent as well -- though it's relative since being a wrestler and grappler is something you can be good at and more effective for longer, as eye-hand coordination and speed are nowhere near the same factor as they are with a boxer.

Regardless of outcome, I just dig the premise and set-up of the whole thing. This isn't a freakshow or just another fight, it's old-school; where it all started.

[dbreiden83080]

I absolutely love this!

I agree with you dbreiden83080 about the wrestling aspect and I believe Toney's chances of catching Randy before getting taken to the ground are probably less than 10%, but this is getting back to the roots of the sport. This is where it all started. And though Toney ain't what he used to be and most would call him washed up, some would argue that to be the case of his opponent as well -- though it's relative since being a wrestler and grappler is something you can be good at and more effective for longer, as eye-hand coordination and speed are nowhere near the same factor as they are with a boxer.

Regardless of outcome, I just dig the premise and set-up of the whole thing. This isn't a freakshow or just another fight, it's old-school; where it all started.

Great post and great points all around. This is old school, like UFC 1 all over again style vs style..

[cornbread]

Hopefully Toney doesn't come out wearing one boxing glove.

[dbreiden83080]

Hopefully Toney doesn't come out wearing one boxing glove.