James Toney: Is He Planning to Join UFC?
What would you call a person who wants to try his hands on a completely different area of expertise? Give it a thought because from MMASpark, we have got news for you! Something exactly like that may happen soon as 41 year old boxing champion James Toney is reportedly planning to enter Mixed Martial Arts and join UFC. Toney is the current NABO and IBO Heavyweight Boxing Champion and now has expressed his intention to compete inside the octagon.
There were some serious rumors in the air when Toney visited two UFC events recently. Last December, he was found in UFC 107 event and later in Las Vegas, he also showed up in Saturday night’s UFC 108. Toney also jokingly said that he plans to go to Dana White’s residence to discuss a potential contract with UFC. But an opportunity to fight in UFC is not confirmed by the authorities; White, however, said that he will sit with Toney for a discussion soon.
But the experts are a little shocked and dubious; both about Toney’s decision and his chances to reach the top of the ladder in Mixed Martial Arts. Firstly, payments in UFC are not comparable to what a professional boxer generally earns. Secondly, Toney is well past his prime; 41 year is the time when a sportsman involved in such a body contact game starts to think about retirement. So it will be quite difficult for him to accustom himself with a game that needs a lot more than a pair of accurate hands. But most importantly, UFC has recently criticized their rival promotion Strikeforce for signing 47 year old former NFL superstar Herschel Walker; now it will be interesting to see whether they are ready to accept similar criticism from the rivals.
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