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Wayne McCullough Talks Toney vs. Couture
25 Aug 2010
By Ben Cartlidge
With UFC 118 round the corner, the boxing world has had a lot to say about the MMA debut of James Toney; being topical as ever MMA Hit Pit took the time to speak to a former WBC Champion and Olympic medalist. A boxer who has been working with the UFC for some time and who had a great deal to say about both UFC 118 and James “Lights Out” Toney; Wayne “The Pocket Rocket” McCullough.
Wayne, thanks for taking the time to chat to us here at MMA Hit Pit, how have you been?
I've been great. Thanks for asking :) I love chatting about MMA so I'm delighted!
I’ll get it out of the way first, what were your initial impressions when you heard that James Toney was making his way into MMA?
I was a bit shocked because other boxers talked about but he's the only one who has backed it up - although if I was bigger I would have done it too!
Do you think that Toney believes that he can beat Randy Couture?
James is a driven man who has been successful in boxing so by adding MMA to his repertoire he believes he can beat Randy.
What did you make of Toney calling out Brock Lesnar?
It should be one fight at a time but that's James. He likes to talk. But IF he beats Randy, you never know. I truly believe he belongs at light heavyweight.
Do you think that, win or lose; Toney will be the first of a lot of boxers making the crossover into MMA?
If he wins, yes; if he loses, no. James is one of the best boxers ever and if he is defeated they will realize that even with his skill and talent, if he can't beat an MMA fighter, then how could they?
At UFC 118 do you see BJ Penn getting the job done this time against Frankie Edgar?
I think this time Edgar will be more prepared this time, even though he's the champion, because he knows BJ is coming with his best game.
Who did you think won the first Penn vs. Edgar fight?
The last fight was close and I thought BJ edged it but Edgar fought a great fight.
How do you think the growth of MMA affected boxing, both domestically and internationally?
With the UFC especially, they advertise and promote fights along with looking after their fighters whether they win or lose. They care about their fighters, but I honestly don't think that MMA did anything to affect boxing. I think boxing affected itself.
What’s your pick for fight of the night at UFC 118?
It could be Kenny Florian vs. Gray Maynard or Marcus Davis vs. Nate Diaz.
What’s next for Wayne McCullough, any exciting projects coming up?
I'm working on putting together a "Camp with the Champ" where everyone can attend a day camp to learn how to live like a world champion; so I'm excited about that and hope it works out. I also want to train more fighters both MMA and boxing.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give a shout to at this time?
I want to thank Dana White and the Fertitta brothers for giving me the opportunity to come into the UFC to support and promote their sport which is one that I love.
Follow The Pocket Rocket on Twitter @WayneMcCullough
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