The only other guy i can think of (who knows a lot about mma) is Tyson. I'm reposting this here. (sorry in advance if you already read it)... (speaking about Toney & MMA) David Haye: “Six months of training isn’t going to be enough. As a UFC fan, I know two or three years wouldn’t be enough. How many times has Toney sprawled in his life? 500? How many leg kicks has he taken in his life? 300? How many Kimura attempts has he defended? 140? Even if he’s done double that amount, he wouldn’t have nearly the experience needed to win a UFC fight.” “I know from training in MMA myself that the wrestling aspect ruins your punching power,” he reveals. “After a minute of grappling, your arms, back and shoulders fill with blood and even if you then find space to throw punches, your power is suddenly crap." “And I hit a lot harder and I’m so much faster than James, and I couldn’t land a punch on fighters when all they wanted to do was take me down to the ground. James is a much more static fighter than I am, and is going to get thrown on his back immediately by Randy. I admire Toney’s spirit and boxing skills. But he’s delusional here.”
Very articulate and astute observations from the Haymaker.. I feel like with his superior athleticism and greater power as well as taking conditioning way more seriously - Haye would be more viable in mma than any other boxer to date. Haye is way more intelligent and informed than Toney about what the grappling aspect of the sport does to your punching power. If Haye learned a good sprawl and sub defense coupled with his explosive power I think he could be successful in mma. But he's not going to switch now.
Big respect for Haye, great comments from a champ. Boxers can't fight alone with MMA, the sport doesn't work like that.
Haye is one of the few fighters who if he made the transition he would respect the sport and work on new skills and technique. It's a shame he won't respect his own sport, not gas and fight the best.
But James is a much more squat rougher more durable fighter than Haye - and is more suited to grappling and getting rough on the floor. Haye is right - he has more speed and power and agility than Toney. Haye is right - Toney didnt have no-where near enough experience to beat a legend of the sport and former UFC Heavyweight Chmapion. Toney is still more suited to MMA than Haye is though.
