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UFC 118: James Toney is “in the mix” if he defeats Randy Couture, Seriously?
25 Aug 2010
By Chris Shanks
There is a number of fights that interest me, this coming weekend at UFC 118. James Toney and Randy Couture is one of those bouts.
This fight has many interesting dynamics to it. It's harps back to the age old questions of MMA or Boxing. Lets be fair about this most of us would agree that unless Toney gets a lucky punch at the start of the fight then he is going to loose. No one is expecting the boxer to win in the cage or vice versa.
For the sake of the argument lets just say that “Lights out” was able to pull off the win over Couture. Where does that put the boxer in the division? According to Dana White “right in the mix”. When I heard this originally it annoyed me, James Toney is only doing this because he wants to prove a point, he wants to show that boxing is the superior sport, it doesn't mean that he will become a committed mixed martial artist.
It doesn't paint a desirable image for the UFC or MMA, it shows that if you fly to every state that the UFC is in for a few weeks and talk the normal boxer smack then the pay off will get you a fight contract and the opportunity to extend your ego. Lets face it, that's one of the main points why Toney is doing this. If Toney pulls off the win I see one of two things happening, more boxers will come to the sport to again stick another boot into MMA or Toney again starts another round of smack talking, pisses off Brock Lesnar and gets a giant XXXXL hole in his face.
Not only that, but if he wins that means that he is one fight away from a title fight. This wouldn't be the first time this has happened in the UFC. Lesnar did it. The difference between Lesnar and Toney is this. Brock Lesnar had a wrestling background which is arguably the strongest base in MMA, he had trained for 3 years before he had his first fight. James Toney has only has a few months to learn what takes a lifetime. I can see how a Brock Lesnar Vs James Toney fight would be a gold mine for the UFC. Champion Vs Champion, Boxing Vs MMA, the biggest draw in MMA Vs one of the biggest draws in boxing. It would be one of the biggest PPV of all time, if not in my view the biggest.
I don't know how I would feel about a James Toney win. I'd be devastated that MMA lost and I will be gearing up for the backlash that would come from the boxing industry, like children “my sports better than your sport” However I would be glad that boxing could have a new found respect for our industry. It could be the end of the argument and everyone wants that.
Lets get back to reality, when Couture wins, where does that put him in the UFC. Randy Couture is my idol. He is 46 years old and is still one of the most competitive fighters in the organisation, I would go as far to say that he is close to another title shot. If he beats Toney. I would love that, its what I want. Another option of Zuffa is to keep Couture doing legendary fights. Mark Coleman was a legendary fight. James Toney is a unique fight. Randy has taken up the position as figurehead for the industry and It could stay that way. This man is a freak and I love it. Mike Tyson on Dana White's video blog leading up to UFC 118 said “boxers only have to punch, so they can duck and weave. They can come in a little overweight. But Randy is in shape all of the time!”
I want to know what you think?
Mailbag: chrisshanks@hotmail.co.uk
Twitter: @chrisshanksMMA
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