James Toney to try his hand at MMA ?!

Boxing legend James Toney Looking to try out MMA | UFC News | LowKick.com
Boxing legend James Toney Looking to try out MMA



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"Chuck Liddell seemed uneasy with me being at UFC 107. I met up with Dana. He was cool and said we could do business. We exchanged numbers and I texted him all night, but I was sitting behind Chuck Liddell and I could tell he was uncomfortable with my presence." We haven't seen James Toney for alittle while, he hasn't fought in boxing in over 6 months. Well now we find out he is trying his hand out on MMA and might try a run at UFC.

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So we have another boxer intersted in making it in the ranks of MMA, any thoughts on this, how he would do etc.

I suppose if he can keep it stand up then no reason he couldnt do damage to some out there, guess he would be looking at LHW division, possibly matching against Chuck as he loves the stand-up, or possibly even Kevin Ferguson AKA Kimbo Slice

If he's a big tubbo still, no way. One thing about MMA, you have to be up on your cardio. Grinding on another man tends to take a lot out of you.

not really at HW, hello Tim Sylvia was UFC HW champion twice, the same fat bum that was KO'd by Ray Mercer

Frank Mir is a jiggly fucker as well, who usually has stamina issues, and yet he's a multiple time HW UFC champ as well

that being said, apparently Toney is hard for cash, and is trying to make a buck off of his name

Tim Sylvia was as good as done when he fought Mercer, but there is no excuse for him not winning that fight. I mean seriously, how hard can it be for an ex UFC champ to take down an aged boxer at will ?

As for Toney, the same should happen to him if he's paired up against any decent MMA fighter worth his salt. You certainly wouldnt be looking to trade hands with him, you would be taking his fat ass down and dishing out some serious G&P as soon as possible.

I personally hate all the talk of boxers fighting in MMA, they are completely seperate sports, and as much I love MMA and boxing, I resent the thought of both disciplines mixing it up. I remember all the talk of RJJ fighting Anderson Silva, it's ridiculous in my opinion. These boxers could get seriously hurt.

Wonder if he has sparred anyone or its just talk so far,easy to find out if his mind is adaptable;
stick him in with a leg kicker smotherer type and they'll soon find out if he can think on two levels.

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Originally Posted by Jimmy G-Force

Tim Sylvia was as good as done when he fought Mercer, but there is no excuse for him not winning that fight. I mean seriously, how hard can it be for an ex UFC champ to take down an aged boxer at will ?

As for Toney, the same should happen to him if he's paired up against any decent MMA fighter worth his salt. You certainly wouldnt be looking to trade hands with him, you would be taking his fat ass down and dishing out some serious G&P as soon as possible.

I personally hate all the talk of boxers fighting in MMA, they are completely seperate sports, and as much I love MMA and boxing, I resent the thought of both disciplines mixing it up. I remember all the talk of RJJ fighting Anderson Silva, it's ridiculous in my opinion. These boxers could get seriously hurt.

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Tim Sylvia was probably 2 years past being the "heavyweight champ", and still under 40 I'm pretty sure.. I don't think he was exactly shot. He's just that horrible. Mercer was about 45??

Anderson Sylva was talking about BOXING RJJ... not the other way around EVER.

Chuck wouldnt fight him he's doing tuf 11 then fighting Tito in the final. If he did Toney hasnt got a chance with chuck!

It's a wired one. I wouldn't mind watching someone like Anderson Silva box (although, he would be letting go of a lot of his skills). But i dread the though of a boxer trying MMA. Unfortunately Boxing as a skill to far too lineal in comparison.

Complex in it's own right, but still lineal in comparison.

As highly skilled as James Toney is, he'd be so outclassed in MMA, it would be sad to watch.

That's wierd I read on another site him and Tarver are in the works for a fight at HW with the winner possibily fighting Haye

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Originally Posted by Wadeb_21

That's wierd I read on another site him and Tarver are in the works for a fight at HW with the winner possibily fighting Haye

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Chances are it probs aload of bullpoop, a chance to get his name in the media again, who knows :confused: Im afraid if he did fancy having a pop at Haye he would be delusional to think he could anything productive imo.

Toney is the last guy I thought would try to go into MMA. I thought he was 1 of the last remaining old skool boxers with natural talent and now he is willing to ruin his rep by getting tapped out in a round by some unknown street fighter. Shameful.

If he cant dedicate himself to getting in shape then I cant see him having the discipline to learn several new combat sports. He will need to master alot of of new things before they throw him to the wolves.

He should fight Hopkins then be done.

im more of a boxing fan then a mma but he would get demolished in the mma, reasons you gota have ground game, submission game etc toney dosent have none of that besides stand up

his stand up too isnt quite right for the ufc... i havent really seen anyone be succesful in mma by being slick and elusive

Didnt he train alongside Arlovski at the wildcard?

Delusional with Dementia

Toney vs Mercer MMA. Or let him get a run on TUF

I am new to MMA and have only watched UFC this past year.i have a new respect for these guys, going in a sa boxer alone will not keep you in good stead against an all rounder.

Don't under estimate the MMA guys.

I hope this doesn't turn out to be true. MMA is horrible, and Toney is a boxer through and through. Toney needs to get back in the ring ASAP, I've no idea what he is playing at. This isn't turning into much of a comeback so far.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JonnyFolds

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Originally Posted by Jimmy G-Force

Tim Sylvia was as good as done when he fought Mercer, but there is no excuse for him not winning that fight. I mean seriously, how hard can it be for an ex UFC champ to take down an aged boxer at will ?

As for Toney, the same should happen to him if he's paired up against any decent MMA fighter worth his salt. You certainly wouldnt be looking to trade hands with him, you would be taking his fat ass down and dishing out some serious G&P as soon as possible.

I personally hate all the talk of boxers fighting in MMA, they are completely seperate sports, and as much I love MMA and boxing, I resent the thought of both disciplines mixing it up. I remember all the talk of RJJ fighting Anderson Silva, it's ridiculous in my opinion. These boxers could get seriously hurt.

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I don't think he was exactly shot. He's just that horrible. Mercer was about 45??

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Sylvia had been on a huge downslide, ok he may be far from shot but the reason he was on the Adrenaline card is because he couldnt get a fight anywhere else, and he hardly looked in condition. After checking into this, it wasnt even an MMA match, it was a boxing match only. I didnt realise this at first. With that in mind, I'm not surprised Sylvia got beat, he would have got sparked in a boxing match against Mercer whilst he was still the UFC HW champion.

The level of boxing technique in MMA is a million miles away for the most part from professional boxing. Apart from fighters in MMA that have come from a boxing background initially, like Marcus Davis or KJ Noons for example, or, the naturally talented fighters like BJ Penn, then MMA fighters would get schooled in a pure boxing match against a decent professional boxer.

I'd even include Anderson Silva against Roy Jones Jnr in that statement.

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Anderson Sylva was talking about BOXING RJJ... not the other way around EVER.

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Your right, that was my bad, I knew that as well, not sure what I was thinking when I wrote that to be honest. Please feel free to 'De-Rep' me for making such a schoolboy error. ;D

Can't stand the fat tub of lard, but I still have one word of advice for him:

SUMO

Heres the interview I was telling you about that I read that Toney is in the works for a fight with Tarver at Heavy Weight

BOXINGTALK

I really hope he is not serious about this. He can still make a little more noise in boxing and finish his career where he is best suited and make more money than he would in mma. Plus I cant see Toney throwing a leg kick or trying to get out of a rear naked choke to save his life. I would love to see him face Hopkins or Haye when its all said and done or even Adamek.

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Originally Posted by Wadeb_21

Heres the interview I was telling you about that I read that Toney is in the works for a fight with Tarver at Heavy Weight

BOXINGTALK

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I prefer that to the MMA thing, but I think Toney should be trying to make some noise with proper heavyweights. Tarver has looked somewhat shot recently and going up in weight isn't going to help him.

I think Toney beats up Tarver quite easily. Toney should be looking for a fight with someone like Arreola and then a shot against Haye. It just sounds like he's looking to finish with a few names on the way out with this.

He's in shape right now and just isn't getting any fights. Whatever else you can say about Toney, he's a warrior. He just loves to fight and isn't afraid of ANYBODY. I don't want to see THIS however.

I really wish James would stick to BOXING.

But if he insists then I say let him fight Kimbo Slice.

That'd be an easier fight for Toney than Adolpho Washington or Al Cole.

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Originally Posted by miles

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Wadeb_21

Heres the interview I was telling you about that I read that Toney is in the works for a fight with Tarver at Heavy Weight

BOXINGTALK

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I prefer that to the MMA thing, but I think Toney should be trying to make some noise with proper heavyweights. Tarver has looked somewhat shot recently and going up in weight isn't going to help him.

I think Toney beats up Tarver quite easily. Toney should be looking for a fight with someone like Arreola and then a shot against Haye. It just sounds like he's looking to finish with a few names on the way out with this.

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There was a another article on that site that said the winner of Tarver/Toney would possibly fight Haye now thats a fight I would like to see. If Toney has to get fight Tarver to get a shot at the hayemaker so be it.

But you could be right miles maybe he just wants a few more fights before you hangs them up. I love Toney one of my all time fav fighters him and sweetpea.

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Originally Posted by TitoFan

Can't stand the fat tub of lard, but I still have one word of advice for him:

SUMO

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Toney came in at 217 in his last fight and says he knows time is running out. He actually spoke logically besides saying over and over that the Klitschkos are sisters (which they are I guess, just not pushovers).

I want to see him come out against Adamek or Tua and see what happens. I think he whoops Adameks butt, and Tua who knows! Tua is the X-factor, yet again in the HW division.

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Originally Posted by hitmanhatton

i havent really seen anyone be succesful in mma by being slick and elusive

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Do ya watch much MMA bud :confused:, Ok i'll give ya just a few examples of being a slick and elusive MMA artist:-

Anderson Silva - rarely gets hit, cannot remember one fight of his when he has been cut or even slightly marked up. Pretty much dominates his opponents. Dan Henderson being his toughest match to date. UFC Middleweight Champ

BJ Penn - Did ya see his last fight against Diego Sanchez ? Not one mark on BJ's face after 25 mins of fighting, yet Sanchez looked like he got run over by a bus, which then reversed back over his face for good measure.
UFC Lightweight Champ

Lyoto Machida - Now granted his last fight, for me he got beat by Shogun Rua, but before that he had yet to lose 1 rd of MMA action in the UFC, this due to being slick and elusive.
UFC Lightheavyweight Champ



As previously mentioned boxing and MMA are vastly different diciplines and it takes a hell of a lot of dedication to do either form of combat. Im a huge fan of both and can appreciate what these guys have to do to get to the top of their respective sports. I would worry for Toney if he were to enter the Octagon, but as proved recently by Kimbo it can be done, as long as your matched to someone with relative skill set to yours. Put him in with a banger and you have an interesting fight, put him in with a BJJ expert and he's buggered.

I wonder... Toney a few years ago in such tremendous condition could have done wonders and damages. NOw... I would lean on thinking that the last late bus just went away and that it's too late now.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by miles

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Wadeb_21

Heres the interview I was telling you about that I read that Toney is in the works for a fight with Tarver at Heavy Weight

BOXINGTALK

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I prefer that to the MMA thing, but I think Toney should be trying to make some noise with proper heavyweights. Tarver has looked somewhat shot recently and going up in weight isn't going to help him.

I think Toney beats up Tarver quite easily. Toney should be looking for a fight with someone like Arreola and then a shot against Haye. It just sounds like he's looking to finish with a few names on the way out with this.

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I agree Miles but I think it is all rumour. Toney talks non-stop bullshit so this was probably a night out for him watching some man-on-man grindage and he just talked some shit.

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Originally Posted by Mattyhitman

Quote:

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Originally Posted by hitmanhatton

i havent really seen anyone be succesful in mma by being slick and elusive

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Do ya watch much MMA bud :confused:, Ok i'll give ya just a few examples of being a slick and elusive MMA artist:-

Anderson Silva - rarely gets hit, cannot remember one fight of his when he has been cut or even slightly marked up. Pretty much dominates his opponents. Dan Henderson being his toughest match to date. UFC Middleweight Champ

BJ Penn - Did ya see his last fight against Diego Sanchez ? Not one mark on BJ's face after 25 mins of fighting, yet Sanchez looked like he got run over by a bus, which then reversed back over his face for good measure.
UFC Lightweight Champ

Lyoto Machida - Now granted his last fight, for me he got beat by Shogun Rua, but before that he had yet to lose 1 rd of MMA action in the UFC, this due to being slick and elusive.
UFC Lightheavyweight Champ



As previously mentioned boxing and MMA are vastly different diciplines and it takes a hell of a lot of dedication to do either form of combat. Im a huge fan of both and can appreciate what these guys have to do to get to the top of their respective sports. I would worry for Toney if he were to enter the Octagon, but as proved recently by Kimbo it can be done, as long as your matched to someone with relative skill set to yours. Put him in with a banger and you have an interesting fight, put him in with a BJJ expert and he's buggered.

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Na i think i know what HMH means.
James Toney's style is completely lost in UFC where as someone with a far more traditional/upright style of say, Mikkel Kessler or Vitali Klitschko would fair better if stand-up was gonna be their thing.

You can't just go into MMA on the highest level with just boxing. Boxing is a huge asset, as guys like BJ Penn and Anderson Silva have shown, but its a whole different ball game.

First of all, there is an entirely different range and stance. You don't fight at punching range like boxing, you fight at kicking range. MMA guys utilize a wider stance to avoid double leg takedowns. Toney won't be able to stand in the pocket with guys like he does in boxing, because they are either going to take him down or put him in a muay thai plum.

Speaking of takedowns and kicks, you need to know how to defend these. Realistically, no one is going to box with Toney. They will either a) shoot for the takedown or b) try to pick him apart with leg kicks. Those leg kicks you see on TV don't look like much, but they're the "bodyshots" of MMA in a sense. They do tremendous damage to the leg if you don't know how to block them, and what good is Toney's punching power if he can't put weight on his leg? Many a boxer in MMA and K-1 have been picked apart and neutrilized by only a handful of low kicks.

Toney is old, he's rather stationary at this point in his career, and he has absolutely no grappling/kicking experience as far as I know. Unless he finds someone stupid enough to trade with him (like TIm Sylvia was against Ray Mercer), then he's going to be in for a rude awakening.

And being that TOney is one of my all time favs and one of the most underrated fighters in history IMO, I really don't want to see him get embarrassed like this.

It's not going to happen. Toney has never given any inclination that he wants to compete in MMA and as has been pointed out earlier, there are rumours of possible boxing contests in the works. I wish Toney had stayed busy and gone the George Foreman route, but he's waiting again and the truth is that he doesn't have the time to waste.

Come on Toney, get back in the ring!!

i have read on another forum that james toney has some wrestling/grappling experience because i think the gym he trains at and people he trains with also wrestle/grapple. need to confirm though.