Actually, it was James Toney who did everything humanly possible to get into the UFC. Dana White, essentially, had no choice but to put him in there. There is a series of "behind closed doors" discussions between Toney and White, along with managers, and White is giving Toney nothing but respect and urging Toney to be conscious of his decision and White is attempting to make sure that Toney has, at the very least, a basic understanding of the fundamental skills necessary for Mixed Martial Arts competition. I wouldn't think it's likely at all that Dana White wants to "embarass" boxing. Simply giving Toney what he, frankly speaking, begged for.
Actually, I think boxing is a very effective fighting style. However, in the multi-discipline style fighting of Mixed Martial Arts, having a singular fighting style will meet with limited success. It's pretty much common knowledge that to be successful in MMA, you must have very well rounded skills in the following skill sets: Boxing Muay Thai Wrestling (Counter Wrestling) Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. (Those are the most common 4, but others add elements of other individual styles: Karo Parysian (Judo), Lyoto Machida (Karate).) I think it's quite sad that boxing and MMA fans alike have to resort to "bashing" one another. It's simply a matter of what is and isn't effective.
Interesting... They kept that thread in the GBF, but when I replied and attempted to defend the sport of MMA and Dana White, it's instantly moved here. Why not keep it there? Why merge it with this one? Pretty sure James Toney is a boxer...it's boxing news...
well it existed at the time... so i dont understand your point... type in brock submits gabriel gonzaga in on mmaforum.com/ufc search engine and it will come up with that story why on earth you think i would make that up is beyond me... im a massive fan of gonzaga & i was a bit gutted to read it myself, im happy its ended up being bull****... sol im cant be bothered arguing the fact its gettin boring
Dana White is a hypocrite. This is the same guy that criticised Japanese promotions for 'freakshow' fights. The same guy that takes digs at boxing whenever he can, the same guy that called Mercer v Sylvia a disgrace yet he signs James Toney. An old overweight boxer chasing a payday.
It seems James Toney has signed a multi-fight deal with the UFC. I didn't think I could get any more depressed after learning that B-Hop is going to go through with this shameful farce against the rigor mortis-afflicted corpse of Roy Jones... but this is even worse. Far worse. James has no wrestling skills, no jiu-jitsu skills, no ground game of any kind. He doesn't have the know-how to land kicks or defend against kicks, nor is he in the right physical shape to do so even if he did know how. As any MMA fan will tell you, that is a recipe for a very fast and very, very brutal annihilation. James Toney has worked hard over almost TWENTY years at the top of boxing to build a legacy of a man that cannot be knocked out or stopped. Middleweights have tried, as have supermiddles, lightheavys, cruisers AND heavyweights, and no-one has been able to stop him - most astonishingly of all, he's only really been visibly hurt once (by Reggie Johnson at middle). This is a natural middle/supermiddle who fought prime Sam Peter at heavyweight twice, and went 1-1 IMO, and lasted the full distance both times. In time, Toney will be spoken of in revered tones by historians as one of the most tough, durable and resilient boxers of all-time. He has proven that beyond any shadow of a doubt. And now, thanks to James's own ego/naivety and the highly questionable judgement and morality of Dana White and the UFC, we are going to see the bell ring, then James be dragged onto the mat, then his opponent sit on top of him, and smash his face into pulp until the referee pulls him off. Trust me, James's boxing skills will mean virtually nothing in an MMA fight. If his opponent has at least one solitary functioning brain cell, he is taking James down the second the fight starts, and James has absolutely zero chance of preventing that. It is going to be a grotesque, humiliating, and utterly utterly tragic spectacle which should never, ever have been allowed to occur. Shame on the UFC. I'll always be a James Toney fan, but I will not be watching, and I urge you all to do the same. :-(
James Toney clearly isn't in the best shape of his life. However, there is a huge difference between old Ray Mercer and James Toney right now. James Toney hasn't lost a professional boxing match in over 3 years... and the only person who beat Toney in the last 13 years is Sam Peter. James Toney is still a very competitive professional boxer and if given the chance could possibly become WBA Heavyweight Champion of the World by beating David Haye. I think that this is very interesting and don't see why some people act like it is some sin for James Toney to be fighting in the UFC. This is the kind of **** that people dream about.
It's a pretty fair assessment and will probably become evident if Toney goes ahead with this foray into the UFC.
:good True words. I might add that if given the change he could also possibly become WBC Heavyweight Champion of the world by defeating Vitali Klitchko.
Good thread. I'm a huge J.T fan but i can't see him lasting long in an octagon. He's not even a huge puncher.......if he had absolutely destructive one punch power, then maybe, i could envisage opponents being more than hesistant about getting into range, when attempting take him down. I definately do not want to see J.T stopped, its what still makes him marketable in boxing. However, seeing how confident he is gives me a bit of confidence too. Maybe he is dead serious about this??
I agree... hell, i'm not even a James Toney fan, not at all. But i respect the man for what he accomplished in the ring. I'd hate to see him get humiliated. :-( As a boxer he's not going to achieve nothing new either, but at least he'd keep his pride...