What to do with James ‘Light Out’ Toney?
The UFC signed Toney. Now What?
James Toney…he is brash, confident and his best days are very much behind him as is his ability to get back to the weight were he had his best boxing years. While Toney has won titles in the heavyweight division in boxing, he is not the draw that he once was. That being said, now that he has signed with the UFC, Toney’s first fight or two will bring much attention from media and fans that would not normally watch or even pay attention to MMA. Could be a good thing to have all that attention, but then again with some of the sports casters out there just hate MMA and would try to spin it into a story that it is not. But what the other media will do with the story of James Toney in the UFC is not the main subject of what I am talking about here.
The big question is what to do with Toney now that the UFC has signed him. I have talked about my opponent ideas for Toney before on my weekly video news round-up This Week in Combat Sports. So, allow me to expand on my opponent ideas for James Toney.
It all depends on where Toney will compete. There has been talk that Toney will drop down to Light Heavyweight, but Toney keeps talking about fighting the big boys that cut down to 265 pounds to make weight.
Let’s start in the heavyweight division. I have said it many times that Antoni Hardonk would be the best first fight. Hardonk is a K-1 level kickboxer with a very limited ground game. Toney would not have to worry about being taken down too much. The one thing that Toney would have to worry about would be the kicks of Hardonk. Leg kicks specifically. I think facing Hardonk would be a winnable fight for Toney and would give the boxing champion a chance to slowly mix in other aspects of the MMA fight game. Kind of like the Boxer vs Karateka fight I saw back in the 80′s. Or was it the late 70′s?
If Toney gets past Hardonk, I think a bout with Cheick Kongo, Mirko Cro Cop or Mustapha Al Turk. Kongo and Cro Cop would be a lot like the Hardonk fight. Kongo is just a beast and Cro Cop has that killer left head kick that Toney would have to be extremely concerned about. Al Turk, might not have much of the striking ability, but his ground game is really good. If Toney can’t keep the fight standing, we would be able to see if Toney has been working on his submission defense to keep from getting choked out or losing a limb.
Finally, if Toney gets past the first 2 tests in MMA, he can get one of the elite in the heavyweight division. With Frank Mir‘s recent loss to Shane Carwin, I will add him to the possible opponent list. Mir has vastly improved striking skills, endurance, strength and his ground game in one of the best in the heavyweight division. The other heavyweight that would be a good opponent for Toney, providing he gets this far, would be Big Nog…Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. Almost a mirror in ability to Frank Mir and Nogueira has been through some MMA wars for the ages. Cro Cop, Emelianenko and Heath Herring are just a few of the top heavyweights that Big Nog has faced. James Toney would have to possess top notch take down defense and submission defense to survive against Mir and Nog. Toney would also have to be able to handle the height and weight difference in a bout with Mir and Nog as well.
That’s it for the heavyweight division. And now for the light heavyweight division.
For the light heavys I like the first fight of a Steve Cantwell or a Stephan Bonnar. Both have good striking for MMA and both have decent ground games to test Toney in the first fight. Bonnar is a Golden Gloves champion. I know that isn’t much to go against a world champion like Toney, but it might be enough to set up a takedown. Did I forget to mention that Bonnar holds a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu? Cantwell is just a gamer when it comes to fighting. Cantwell is a former WEC Light Heavyweight champ, but is having some problems establishing himself in the UFC’s light heavyweight division.
If James Toney makes it past the first light heavyweight test…I had mentioned a bout with Keith Jardine or Brandon Vera, but I would like to add a couple names to the list of second light heavyweight test for Toney. Maybe Luis Cane, Tito Ortiz or Thiago Silva. All of these fighters in the second tier are killers when they are at the top of their game and could easily take the fight anywhere at anytime. Jardine is one of the oddest fighters in the business, Vera is probably one of the most versatile fighters in the UFC and Cane is just a beast.
Ortiz…well, I firmly believe that Tito’s best days are long behind him, but a bout with Toney would pit 2 of the best trash talkers in the biz and if Ortiz could get Toney to the ground, Toney would get a rude introduction to ground and pound.
A match up with a killer like Thiago Silva, well…maybe I am just cruel and want to see Toney go in against someone that could knock his head into the upper deck or tear a limb off and take it home. I am a bit sick and demented in that way.
Now, if Toney has survived his foray into the light heavyweight division, it is time for the big boys of the division. I think for the third fight, whoever is just outside of a title shot. If the third fight was to happen in the very near future, Forrest Griffin or Randy Couture would probably be the best bets right now. I thought I would add Rashad Evans and Rampage Jackson, but those 2 will be fighting at UFC 114 and will most likely determine who will face the winner of Shogun Rua and Lyoto Machida for the Light Heavyweight title.
Griffin is the hardest working fighter in the division and possibly the UFC and Couture, well, both Toney and Couture have called the other out and I think Toney needs to earn a shot at Couture.
UFC President Dana White has a chore ahead of him of booking the enigma that is James ‘Lights Out’ Toney. Now, I doubt that he will ever read this opinion, but wouldn’t it be cool of he did and said, “yeah, I think I will use those ideas.” Doubt it will happen, but my ideas have been implemented before. The fight was booked, but never happened. Nick Diaz vs Joe Riggs for the Strikeforce Welterweight title, but Riggs got sick and well…I doubt that Strikeforce watched This Week in Combat Sports and decided to use my idea, but it is nice to think so.
We should know who Toney will be facing first in the UFC sometime this summer.
I know some of you might want a bout between Kimbo Slice and Toney. I really don’t like that bout and I have a feeling that Dana White doesn’t like it either. Reason is that a bout between the two would play into the sideshow circus that Dana White has been trying to avoid. Now if Slice gets past Matt Mitrione at UFC 113, then I would look at a bout between Slice and Toney under a more legitimate light.
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