Here’s something I thought I would never see. UFC President Dana White signing a boxer to a fight contract.
Well, so much for that theory. Despite ripping the sport in recent years, White announced Wednesday that he signed 41-year old former boxing champ James Toney to a multi-fight deal.
It’s a curious deal to say the least. For starters, it seems to go against everything the UFC has built its reputation upon. Unlike incumbent stars who’ve built their careers in MMA and remain marketable for the organization – fighters like Randy Couture, Chuck Liddell and TIto Ortiz – Toney’s basically a washed up, over-the-hill fighter with no MMA experience. His signing also marks the first time a prominent boxer has been brought on by UFC since Zuffa, LLC took over operations back in 2000.
So what gives?
Toney is White's first 'big-name' boxer
For the short-term, it’s White’s chance to fight fire with fire. But over the long-term, the signing of Toney creates some potentially serious credibility issues for the UFC moving forward.
It’s fairly obvious why the UFC brought in Toney to fight. He’s a ‘big name’ fighter – albeit a boxer – who will likely attract interest, or at least curiosity, from MMA fans. With the UFC continuing to expand exponentially, they clearly feel the need to promote as many ‘big names’ as possible to sell their product right now. By the UFC’s logic, Toney fits that bill.
When talking to BloodyElbow.com this week, Dana emphatically stated that “(the UFC) won’t make a freak show out of it,” when referring to how they plan on using Toney inside the Octagon. Reassurances aside, the signing of Toney sets a dangerous precedent for the UFC. For White – who has devoted himself for the last decade to legitimizing MMA as a real sport – this latest move seems to be nothing more than a novelty act, going against everything the UFC has stood for over the years.
At 41, Toney Is No Longer The Epitome Of A Fighter
Dig a little deeper and you can find out the real reason driving Dana’s decision to sign Toney. He helps provide the perfect opportunity for White to stick it to his biggest rival, Strikeforce. Reports this week are suggesting that the UFC has plans to stage a fight card on April 17th in Nashville – featuring Toney vs. Kimbo Slice – directly opposite the Strikeforce/CBS ‘Dan Henderson vs. Jake Shields‘ card scheduled for the same night in the same city! That’s a low blow, even for White – who has a history of counteracting competitors’ events with UFC programming on Spite – I mean, Spike – TV.
Time will tell if Toney can provide the UFC and its fans with some ’steak’ to go along with his supposed ’sizzle’. But after Dana’s latest move, I find myself more inclined to watch the Strikeforce card, even if it isn’t the only show in town.
Toney is a bum — I can’t believe Dana would stoop to signing this guy. Goes against everything I like about MMA. Don’t be fooled by his multi-fight deal – I wouldn’t be surprised if he was a “one-and-done” in the UFC, especially if he loses to Kimbo.
Dana’s ethics in the sport are in question here. Going head-to-head with Strikeforce on the same night in the same city isn’t cool… especially since Strikeforce took the high road by not staging their event on the same night as WEC’s PPV. It’s one thing to be competitive and try to crush your opponents, Dana… you don’t need to resort to these types of tactics!!!!!
What the hell is up with Couture fighting every other month? Dana – do you even give a s*#& about your fighters? If The Natural takes on Toney, like his tweet implies, that would be his 4th fight in less than 8 months! That’s crazy. Let alone for a 46-year old. The UFC is putting on too many events and it’s watering things down, not enough good fighters to go ’round. James Toney – what a joke!
As a casual MMA fan and being familiar with Kimbo’s street fight videos it’s an intriguing matchup for me if they slug it out. Maybe there will be some sort of “wink wink” let’s keep it to a punching match understanding with Kimbo which could translate into a good fight. Who knows but I bet this brings new eyes to the sport that never considered watching before.
What is UFC’s goal? To make money. Spend some to make more. Maybe watering it down and selling out makes more money.
You know what the UFC needs next? Bring in Tom Cruise as “The Scientologist”. Have him fight Richard Simmons “the UberNatural” in the Octagon in a Texas knife fight.