In what is poised to be a MMA vs Boxing match-up, James “Lights Out” Toney looks to knock out Randy “The Natural” Couture. Toney, an accomplished heavyweight boxing champion, will be trying his hand at MMA for the first time on Saturday, August 28, at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.
For months following this event, Toney has pursued UFC president Dana White, continually haggling him, stating that boxing is far superior to MMA and that if a “real boxer” were given the chance to compete in MMA, his opponent would be swiftly knocked out. Toney asked to fight UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar right away, and while that wasn’t a likely scenario for a number of reasons, Dana White decided to put Toney against former UFC heavyweight and light-heavyweight champion Randy Couture. Couture immediately agreed to the fight, and once the paperwork was finalized the bout was official.
This fight is essentially the classic grappler vs striker match-up with a few twists. Although Randy is no slouch on his feet, if he were to try and stand with Toney the fight would have a swift and devastating ending. It is unlikely, with no ground training and no intention of gaining any, that James Toney will have any chance at winning the fight should Couture successfully take him down to the canvas. Couture’s main strategy will be to avoid catching any punches on the way in to close the distance. Once he’s got a hold of Toney he’ll take him directly down to the mat, where he will most likely attempt a ground-and-pound approach. Toney will attempt to do whatever it takes to catch Couture with a punch and keep his distance.
With both fighters representing their respective sports, this will effectively be a “which style is better,” throwback-to-the-old-days type of fight. It will be a clash of worlds—and a treat for fans from both disciplines.
Tags: Boxing, Heavyweight, UFC
