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Dana White’s UFC 118 Video Blog: Mike Tyson Talks Toney vs. Couture

(Video courtesy YouTube/UFC)
Dana White is back with another installment of his self aggrandizing video blogs and he’s rubbing in our faces how much better his life is than ours is again.
In this edition, White hangs out with former multiple time world…

(Video courtesy YouTube/UFC)

Dana White is back with another installment of his self aggrandizing video blogs and he’s rubbing in our faces how much better his life is than ours is again.

In this edition, White hangs out with former multiple time world heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson and the conversation inevitably turns to the Randy Couture-James Toney bout set for Saturday night in Boston at UFC 118.

Tyson calls the bout intriguing, but seems to be leaning towards Couture as the favorite. The most interesting comments made by Iron Mike in the video were regarding Toney’s personality.

"Toney’s a crazy guy. He’s a really dark kind of crazy guy…. ha…ha..ha..ha..ha!!"

When Mike Tyson calls you dark and crazy, it might be time to re-examine things.

Kenny Florian Says He’s Improved in All Areas Heading into UFC 118

Due to James Toney ‘WTF did he say now?’ antics regarding Saturday’s tilt with Randy Couture, plus the understandable speculation about how Frankie Edgar vs. BJ Penn II will play out, the fact that Kenny Florian is also fighting Gray Maynard at UFC 118 has kind of gotten lost in the mix. Not that we […]

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Due to James Toney ‘WTF did he say now?’ antics regarding Saturday’s tilt with Randy Couture, plus the understandable speculation about how Frankie Edgar vs. BJ Penn II will play out, the fact that Kenny Florian is also fighting Gray Maynard at UFC 118 has kind of gotten lost in the mix. Not that we should talk of course, as we’ve been drawn to the Toney pre-fight sh-t show just as much as the next guy, but when you think about it, Florian vs. Maynard is huge. Both guys are top contenders; both have taken out some notable fighters, and a win for either dude is crucial. If Maynard wins, he’s gotta be a lock for a title shot; if Florian wins, then things could get really, really, complicated (depending on what happens with Edgar vs. Penn II).

It will be interesting to see how Florian handles Maynard’s size, power and wrestling, especially since “KenFlo” has improved leaps and bounds since he was grounded and pounded to a UD loss by Sean Sherk. Speaking to Heavy.com about this Saturday’s tilt, here is some of what Florian had to say:

“This is the biggest challenge of my career, my way of proving to myself how far I’ve come,” Florian said. “My striking is at higher level. My jiu-jitsu, conditioning, and even wrestling are all better. I’m going to play the same game I always play. I’m going to be aggressive, go forward and wait for a mistake. Hopefully that mistake will come at some point and hopefully I’ll be there to capitalize on it.”

Should be a doozy. To bet on it head here.

Report: Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen Rematch Slated for This Winter

(The unstoppable force meets the immovable asshole. Photo courtesy of MMAFighting.com)
According to the LA Times’ Lance Pugmire, a middleweight title rematch between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen is being penciled in for the UFC’s next New Year’s E…

(The unstoppable force meets the immovable asshole. Photo courtesy of MMAFighting.com)

According to the LA Times’ Lance Pugmire, a middleweight title rematch between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen is being penciled in for the UFC’s next New Year’s Eve or Super Bowl weekend card, after Silva recovers from the rib injury that reportedly plagued him before the fight. Unlike other immediate UFC title rematches that have been booked recently — see esp., Machida vs. Rua II, Penn vs. Edgar II — Silva and Sonnen’s first meeting didn’t end in a close/controversial judges’ decision. Instead, Silva sunk a triangle-armbar with less than two minutes remaining in the fifth round, after getting out-wrestled and battered for the previous four frames.

Classic Fights: BJ Penn, The Early Days

Going into his UFC 118 title rematch against Frankie Edgar, BJ Penn is carrying a title that he hasn’t had since before UFC 80 — former champion. We’re willing to believe that the Prodigy had an off night in Abu Dhabi, but if he wants his belt back he’ll have to relocate the kind of violent aggression that got him to the top in the first place. With that in mind, let’s take a look back at four of Penn’s early fights that set him up as a star in the UFC, and laid the groundwork for the legend that was to come…

BJ Penn vs. Joey Gilbert, UFC 31, 5/4/01

As the first non-Brazilian to win the black belt division at the Mundials, Penn entered the UFC with a reputation to uphold. But he wasn’t looking to become the next Royce Gracie. Even from the beginning, the Prodigy was a true hybrid fighter, whose grappling and striking worked in tandem. His Octagon debut was against another UFC newbie, Joey Gilbert (1-1 MMA record at the time), and though Gilbert showed impressive ground defense in neutralizing Penn’s attacks and positions, Penn was finally able to flatten Gilbert out on his stomach and whale him in the head until the ref stopped the fight with three seconds left of the first round. It looked like there might be something to this BJ Penn kid after all.

BJ Penn vs. Din Thomas, UFC 32, 6/29/01

Penn returned to action just eight weeks later to take on another fighter who was making his UFC debut. But even though Din Thomas was new to the Octagon, he’d already been around the block, compiling a 12-1 record with all victories by stoppage and a notable win over future champ Jens Pulver. Penn plays guard for a while (and shows off his famous leg flexibility at the vid’s 2:13 mark), but once Thomas starts to threaten with ground-and-pound, Penn escapes to his feet and turns Din off with a perfectly-placed knee to the jaw. The Prodigy was no fluke, and the UFC’s fledgling lightweight division was officially on notice.

Toney’s Trainer Respects Couture, but Expects ‘Knockout in the First’

Filed under: UFC, FanHouse ExclusiveTrevor Sherman is the Bizarro James Toney.

Toney, the former world champion boxer making his mixed martial arts debut Saturday at UFC 118, is being trained in MMA by Sherman, and the two couldn’t come across any mor…

Filed under: UFC, FanHouse Exclusive

Trevor Sherman is the Bizarro James Toney.

Toney, the former world champion boxer making his mixed martial arts debut Saturday at UFC 118, is being trained in MMA by Sherman, and the two couldn’t come across any more differently in interviews. Where Toney is brash and cocky, Sherman is modest. Where Toney expresses nothing but contempt for his opponent, Randy Couture, Sherman shows nothing but respect, even reverence. Where Toney blabbers on at a mile-a-minute pace to the point where it’s hard to understand half of what he says, Sherman is articulate and measured in his comments.

In fact, Sherman and Toney seem to have only one thing in common: They both believe Toney will knock Couture out on Saturday night.

Amilcar Alves: UFC 118’s New Guy (Besides James Toney)

(Props: EASJBS)
Since you’re probably tired of hearing about James Toney and his wack-ass smack talk, we’re going to leave him out of today’s installment of The New Guys. Instead, we’ll focus on a fighter who actually has a decent chance of w…

(Props: EASJBS)

Since you’re probably tired of hearing about James Toney and his wack-ass smack talk, we’re going to leave him out of today’s installment of The New Guys. Instead, we’ll focus on a fighter who actually has a decent chance of winning his UFC debut at #118, and will probably stick around for one more fight even if he loses. Ladies and gentlemen, meet the other guy who will be entering the Octagon for the first time on Saturday…

AMILCAR ALVES (WW)
Experience: 11-1 record (seven wins by first-round stoppage), competing for various Brazilian promotions. Last competed in December 2009, avenging his only career loss with a 59-second knockout of Fernando Paulon.
Will be facing: Mike Pierce (11-3, 2-1 UFC), in the first fight of the preliminary card.
Lowdown: A product of the red-hot Nova Uniao team in Brazil, Amilcar Alves is a training partner of such elite fighters as Jose Aldo and Marlon Sandro. The judo black belt plans on being a crowd-pleaser: “I know what audience and the promotion expect from a newcomer: to be a ferocious and hungry dog, and this is what I want to [be]. I know what I’ll bring will please the person who’s a UFC fan, much aggressiveness and versatility…I’m capable of bringing new tricks to the table in any moment.”