Randy Couture vs James Toney – MMA & Boxing Collide

Randy Couture will face James Toney at UFC 118 on Auguts 28 in Boston, MA

With UFC 118 just days away, I’m nervous! Not for the main event, not because I bet $200 against the champion (because that’s never smart)... I’m nervous for the sport!

The co-main event can change the game of MMA for the rest of its existence and just as in any fight there are three outcomes, win, lose, or draw. James Toney is a HUGE name in the world of boxing, and is the only man to step to the plate and take Dana White up on his challenge. And although the man in the opposing corner is a hall of famer on a two fight win streak, he’s iffy!

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Randy Couture is a legend, that’s a given, but his last two fights were against some fellas on their way out. The last time he took on any fighter that was still a contender he was unanimously beaten, and the time before that he was bobble-headed by Brock! He is always a scary fighter and I would never dream of taking him on, but if Chuck Liddell has shown us anything it’s that with age comes fatigue. At 47, Randy’s AARP card is in the mail! He is a virtual moses in the sport of Mixed Martial Arts and I fear he may not be the best representative for the sport against a man nicknamed “lights out”!

James Toney has knocked out more men then Couture has fought, and has beaten more than double the amount in “The Naturals” win column. In other words, when it comes to winning, Toney has a PhD. And Couture dropped out before his Bachelors!

So, with that all being said, let’s explore the options here. With boxing and MMA going back and forth as to who’s better we finally get two household names of the sport squaring off against one another.

First, let’s say it is a knockdown, drag out war. Randy Couture and James Toney go crazy for 3 rounds and regardless of the winner, each fighter walks away with a new found respect for the other and their sport. AWESOME! The highlights on Sportscenter, MMA Live, The Daily Line, they all just express how awesome it was to see the sports collide and that it was a landmark day for the world of fighting. Neither the UFC, nor the IBA looks like a producer of the lesser fighter at the end of the day. Each brand would probably benefit with stronger Pay Per View sales, and a few thousand new fans! We can move on from this debate agreeing to say something like this in every interview about Couture v. Toney after the fight… “we are all warriors of the sport”

Now assuming Randy Couture is still strong enough mentally and physically to take out the IBA champ, what happens then? If there is one thing no one can take from Couture, it’s his sportsmanship! If at the end of the night Joe Rogan is interviewing Couture about his win, it’s almost 100% certain what he will say. “James Toney is a hell of an opponent, and I respect him as a competitor in this sport, and I thank him for the fight!” yadda yadda yadda… I know my speech prediction is boring, but its true Randy has class and will maintain that through a win or a loss! Now, that being said, we still have to hope Dana White can keep his mouth shut so as not to spark even further war between each sport with his “I told you so” antics.

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Finally, let’s venture into what I’m calling our worst case scenario. Toney walks into the cage and sends Couture, his career, his chin, his four kids, and the hearts of all his fans into the upper deck! Couture himself has said he knows he can go in there and get knocked out, and only the most ignorant of fan would disagree. But knowing the reputation the boxer has of mumbling as much trash talk as oxygen will allow, I can already see him basically saying he can wreck house throughout the entire MMA world. Brock, GSP, Silva, Overeem, Fedor, if James Toney beats Couture, he will believe he can kill them all, and each of those fights are much like Mayweather v. Pacquiao … NEVER GONNA HAPPEN! Instead we will just have to hear Toney, and I’m sure a select few of the trash talking boxers around the world continually laugh at MMA as if one fight predicts them all. But who knows, maybe Toney will take the Kimbo route, and be humbled by the world of MMA and open his mind to new experiences and actually bring some respect to BOTH sports! One could only hope!

By Harold Hughes
ProFighting-fans.com MMA Staff Writer