For years now the debate as to how a ‘high level’ boxer would do competing in MMA has raged (even more than the old ‘how would Bruce Lee have done in the Octagon?’ discussion). Of course, some boxers / kickboxers have transitioned into the sport and done rather (hello Mr. Marcus Davis), but the key component here is that they trained in various disciplines, you know, to follow up on the ‘mixed’ part of MMA.
James Toney signing with the UFC was such big news, because even though he’s past his prime at 41, he’s still a heavyweight champion. Now, since the news blazed across the internet that Toney would indeed fight Randy Couture August 28th, there’s been a ton of speculation as to how and what the boxer is doing in preparation for his MMA debut. According to some reports, Toney’s been pretty slick on the mats, even tapping out “King Mo” Lawal. So, while keeping this in mind, consider the following comments Toney made at a recent presser to hype UFC 118 (thanks to MMA Junkie for the quote)
“Why should I be scared of an MMA fighter?” Toney asked. “What’s different? MMA ain’t no different than boxing. Boxing is much tougher because you’re in there constantly punching and pounding. Right here, you’ve got Randy Couture who’s going to be scared and constantly try to hug me like a little girl, and I’m going to make him pay for that.”
Toney also stated that he will knock Randy out, wait for it…even from his back. We’ll let you decide if the ‘charismatic’ fighter is just taking utter sh-t. To read more from James ‘I Got This’ Toney head here.