Quote of the Day: Dana White Made a 'Laughable' Offer to James Toney
by Anton Tabuena on Jan 18, 2010 8:45 AM EST
in MMA News
Email
Print
"Dana White's first offer was a joke and that let's me know he really don't want to do this."
"I know that [purses in MMA aren't as big as in boxing], but this offer was laughable. That's the reason I wanted the camera guy in the room with us when I sat down with Dana, so the fans would know that I was serious and if it didn't happen, it wasn't because of me."
--James Toney, the 41-year-old heavyweight boxer, confirms that Dana White indeed made an offer for him to fight in the UFC. It just wasn't as lucrative as what he expected. Seems like it's going to take a lot more money before we see side-check-kicks in the UFC.
HT: Fight Hype
96 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Good
Now maybe he’ll stfu and go away
http://mixedmartialartsblogger.wordpress.com/
by Cory Braiterman on Jan 18, 2010 8:05 AM EST reply actions
he would have gotten stomped anywayz...
bye bye Toney
"If I told you I was good, you would think I am boasting. If I told you I was not good, you would know I am lying" Bruce Lee
I think TOney was truly the only one taking this seriously
He probably offered him $10k/$10K or something. I would have offered him $0/$0. I cant believe Dana was even entertaining this guy.
NABO? Both times I got tickets to their events they were free, the tickets had a face value of $20, and the venues weren’t even sold out. Now thats laughable.
@fjbar on twitter...formerly El Mexicutioner
I thought he wanted the cameras in the room so fans could get a good laugh at how preposterous the whole thing was to start with? Are there any “fans” out there that are upset that this didn’t happen?
by who me on Jan 18, 2010 8:08 AM EST reply actions 1 recs
I didn’t care to see Toney in the UFC, but I would like to see a high caliber boxer, in his prime give MMA a try against a high caliber mixed martial artist to see what happens.
Mayorga is 36.
and if he does well in his first few bouts, maybe….
by Anton Tabuena on Jan 18, 2010 8:36 AM EST up reply actions
IF Mayorga is an elite anything
He is an elite brawler. And he that may be true, he is/was a professional opponent. People would sign him to fight because they knew he’d be exciting, and was extremely beatable. See Trinidad, DLH, Mosley… to the truly elite boxers (and I hesitate to give DLH that much credit) Mayorga was tailor made opponent who had virtually no chance of winning. And at 36 years old, with his fighting style, taking as much punishment as he did, there is no way he is a solid 36 years old. I wouldn’t be surprised if Hopkin’s brain biologically looks younger than Mayorga’s now.
Ricky Hatton came closer to beating Manny Pacquiao than Marquez did to beating Floyd.
-SC
by The Lethal Haze on Jan 18, 2010 3:46 PM EST up reply actions
that's if he actually shows up when he fights Din.
by Anton Tabuena on Jan 18, 2010 8:37 AM EST up reply actions
Actually I’d love to see Enzo Macarinelli try MMA though I can’t see it happening. I remember hearing him talk about it a while ago but there’s been no more about it for a while
by StevenGiles on Jan 18, 2010 10:11 AM EST up reply actions
I wanted to see him fight to be honest, but I bet DW presented him with a contract not allowing him to fight in boxing (which is good) and he declined. Not going to cry about it, it would have been interesting though.
Pain is Temporary
Pride is Forever
He probably offered him a pretty standard 3 fight contract but Toney was expecting 7 figures. I can’t imagine White offered him more than $100k a fight and it was quite probably less.
30k a fight, for 3 fights?
that’s what I’m thinking.
by Anton Tabuena on Jan 18, 2010 8:37 AM EST up reply actions
Wouldn’t surprise me at all and honestly for Toney in MMA that wouldn’t be a bad deal. Of course chances are he would of fought once and got clowned and then been gone. I doubt Toney was looking to try and make a career in MMA, he was just after one big pay day.
That’s the absolute maximum Zuffa can give him I think. Kimbo got 25 flat right? And Kimbo was at least a proven MMA draw and a vehicle to boost TUF’s ratings.
Toney doesn’t bring nearly as much to the table in terms of earning potential.
Skills however, are an entirely different matter.
That was 25k flat for the finale, I would expect that number to be about 5 to 10 times larger for future fights.
by Matthew Roth on Jan 18, 2010 2:08 PM EST up reply actions
yeah
and 100 grand to me sounds gracious since he has no record in MMA and I’m not sure he has proven he can bring in ratings either.
Pain is Temporary
Pride is Forever
I didnt really
know who he was until he was talking to the UFC. I had heard the name but he isn’t someone I would regard as a high-quality boxer. Plus he is certifiably nuts.
I didn’t know him either (I’m not into boxing), but he does have a good record and he’s supposed to be a current champion. I know there are a bunch of championships in boxing, but I’d be puzzled if he wouldn’t be further from mediocre.
Pain is Temporary
Pride is Forever
He’s a 41 year old fighter who has been at it since 1988, heck his big come back year was 2003. He was very good in his day and has held a number of titles but he was never a star outside of boxing and probably wouldn’t draw all that much interest for the UFC.
He was never a draw in boxing. Yes he did beat Evander but in the past couple of year he doesn’t have a solid win. 30/30 was probably the offer and Toney laughed at it.
by Matthew Roth on Jan 18, 2010 9:06 AM EST up reply actions
He also beat OLD Holyfield.
Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
MMA Editor - SBNation.com
by Brent Brookhouse on Jan 18, 2010 9:09 AM EST up reply actions
Yeah I forgot to add that, this was Holyfield who was old and he got out pointed by Sam Peter who isn’t exactly a great boxer.
by Matthew Roth on Jan 18, 2010 9:18 AM EST up reply actions
prime Holyfield owns prime Toney
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Jan 18, 2010 7:07 PM EST up reply actions
I don't know what he expected
He has failed multiple drug tests, hasn’t headlined a PPV in a long time, he is overweight, no MMA experience, etc. I would think he would have gotten, 150K/150K and a small PPV %.
zero chance he even got that deal
http://mixedmartialartsblogger.wordpress.com/
by Cory Braiterman on Jan 18, 2010 9:53 AM EST up reply actions
Considering what kind of purses the undercard fighters get (remember, these are fighters with previous MMA experience) offering Toney that kind of a deal would be nothing short of ridiculous. Especially since he’d probably get tied in a knot in the first round by any semi-decent grappler.
by Monday Morning Martial Artist on Jan 18, 2010 12:07 PM EST up reply actions
I wouldn’t be shocked…if they offered him a figure they knew he wouldn’t accept because they didn’t actually want him in the promotion.
Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
MMA Editor - SBNation.com
by Brent Brookhouse on Jan 18, 2010 9:10 AM EST reply actions 3 recs
Well he did corner White in an interview and insult him and the entire sport and then demand that the negotiations be filmed by a camera crew, where he made a fool of himself. It wouldn’t be surprising if they just wanted him to go away (like most MMA fans do).
by who me on Jan 18, 2010 9:12 AM EST up reply actions 3 recs
Yeah, there’s a reason Dana didn’t return his phone calls.
by ufc4 on Jan 18, 2010 9:17 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
Dana should of just given him Scott Coker’s number and told him to ask about the Lashley fight.
by who me on Jan 18, 2010 9:20 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
lol.....good idea..
"If I told you I was good, you would think I am boasting. If I told you I was not good, you would know I am lying" Bruce Lee
I don’t think Dana is scared of saying no (by phone or in front of cameras) and probably cussing the shit out of him while doing so. I really think he was originally interested in the fight.
Pain is Temporary
Pride is Forever
Dana does seem to respect the boxers though, he may of thought the guy was serious and then during the negotiations decided it was a waste of time. The negotiations that were taped were quite funny and it was obvious that Toney had no clue about MMA.
it was
but I rather take his word for it, there is no reason to believe he wasn’t interested unless he says so. Perhaps even he wants to see a boxer inside the octagon?
Pain is Temporary
Pride is Forever
There really is no way to tell if White was ever seriously interested or not, heck even if he came out and stated that he was it doesn’t mean much. We do know that White was ambushed by the guy and put on the spot, he may of just gave the guy a listen because of that. There is just no way of knowing what goes on in Dana White’s head (or James Toney’s for that matter).
Of course not, there is no way to know what is in anyone’s head, but we only have what they say to base arguments on it. I mean, if Fedor comes out today and say he wants to fight for the UFC there is no reason to think he has no interest whatsoever in joining the UFC. Also, from my understanding that wasn’t the first time Toney met with White, he had been pursuing him for the whole week earlier from that video.
Pain is Temporary
Pride is Forever
Yes Toney has been showing up an UFC events and calling the UFC but he didn’t get a sit down with Dana White till he cornered him on camera. White said he was interested once he got cornered by and put on the spot but that doesn’t mean that Dana White was actually ever interested in James Toney it just means that he got asked that question at an awkward time. Who knows what Dana White was actually thinking but if he was really interested in Toney then he would of talked to him the first time he called.
he said he was interested many times, not only that once though (and he said he was interested away from Toney).
Pain is Temporary
Pride is Forever
yeah, I thought I heard White say that before but I can’t find anything right now, brain fart probably :p
regardless, this quote is pretty telling:
"I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think it made sense," said White. "There are a lot of guys out there from boxing that call me but it never made sense. You’re a guy I respect."
If White really respects boxers I just don’t think he’d waste his time and Toney’s with a probability that he knows won’t happen, that’s all I’m saying.
Pain is Temporary
Pride is Forever
Dana for all his talk is a boxing fan. He grew up on boxing and I wouldn’t doubt that he was at least a little interested. I think that changed when Toney spoke about kicks.
by Matthew Roth on Jan 18, 2010 9:33 AM EST up reply actions
This
That’s actually what I came here to type.
Blackout612- "Wuts teh UFC?"
Ubernoober- "It like two guy who just stand and swing for fence and try to knock each other shit out it awesome"
Its true, you are the James Toney of this thread.
I dislike Matt Hughes. Shogun beat him like a dirty horse.
He's got Milk?
Walking the line between intelligence and ignorance since 1985
@deowade
by Damon O. on Jan 18, 2010 9:39 AM EST up reply actions 3 recs
His offer should be lower than Kimbos, and he got 25000 flat rate. Toneys a great boxer but unproven in MMA and i doubt he could even pull many ppv buys anymore. if toney was serious he should have took the offer and if he won and did alot of buys he could ask for more. but who really cares about this guy.
Toney wasn’t a great boxer. He was a good boxer. His skills have significantly declined and while he was boxing he was never a draw. And you can’t really do the “if he won and did a lot of buys, ask for more” because you signed the contract. Now if he finished all three fights and then was a proven draw? you can negotiate for more money/ppv%. His offer was probably a 30/30 and he decided that it was too low.
by Matthew Roth on Jan 18, 2010 10:02 AM EST up reply actions
No, Mike Tyson, Holyfield, Lennox Lewis, Klitchkos..those are great boxers…Toney was very good.
by Matthew Roth on Jan 18, 2010 10:20 AM EST up reply actions
I cant say anyone
on that list is great buy I think I get your idea.
Holyfield was great, Lewis verging on it. I still don’t know about Tyson. Obviously he was a monster in the late 80s-early 90s, but I’ve always wondered if it was the competition more than him. The Klitchkos, eh. Very good, if I’d consider one brother great it would be Vitali for knucking on Lewis, but I’d still hesitate to say that
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Jan 18, 2010 7:10 PM EST up reply actions
I was thinking
more along the lines of Duran, Julio Cesar Chavez, Hearns, Hagler and Alexis Arguello. But I grew up in a different era in boxing.
i was just going with the theme of HWs
but those are great boxers. is Hagler still making Italian films?
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Jan 18, 2010 10:11 PM EST up reply actions
No, Noooooooooo.......
Walking the line between intelligence and ignorance since 1985
@deowade
by Damon O. on Jan 18, 2010 1:33 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Just for grins, who else do you consider to be great and not just very good?
by Matthew Roth on Jan 18, 2010 1:44 PM EST up reply actions
So you named 4 fighters ( you included Wladimir… that’s really laughable) you thought were great and I’ll do the same. I already named Toney. Hopkins, Mosley, Pacman.
Lennox I could agree with, the older Klitchko I might agree with, and maybe even Tyson but that is also debatable. A phenom yes, maybe the biggest start ever in boxing, but as far as a problem solver in the face of adversity or a real great pugilist, he was neither. He was a tomato can wrecking machine for sure and a demolisher of fighters out of their prime. Every other fight was a gamble for him, trying to land a big punch.
Toney on the other hand was a master of his craft and maybe the best cruiserweight ever. A great problem solver in the ring when faced with adversity, a pugilist specialist as your boy Lennox might have said. Like Lennox was for his big losses, Toney spent his much of his career not in the best of shape – talented enough to get by on technical boxing and heart. He definitely didn’t have the star power, but that doesn’t take away from his serious skills in the ring – a deep contrast from how ridiculous he is outside the ring.
See I’d say that I agree that Tyson was a tomato canopener but let’s be honest, most boxers fight cans on their way up to give the appearance of greatness. Lewis was a great fighter.
I’d say Toney was a very good cruiserweight and fell off as he aged (like most fighters) and his draw was weak cause the 80/90s were the days of the HW with very little focus on the lighter weight classes (including cruiserweight). He was very good but his skills severely declined to the point where Sam Peter outpointed him twice and that’s not his game.
As I said lower though, the only two boxers that really would interest me in MMA would be Kermit Citron and Kelly Pavlik as both have wrestled in the past so I think they could at least fake the funk for a while until the rest of their skills advance.
by Matthew Roth on Jan 18, 2010 3:08 PM EST up reply actions
Best cruiserweight ever? You’re forgetting Evander Holyfied? Beet Booze and Qawi (twice!) and unified the belts. I also might put Johnny Nelson and Carlos De Leon ahead of Toney as cruiserweights (and only as cws. Toney had a great run as MW and superMW before). Still Toney is definitely a hall of fame boxer.
I think if Lewis had shown up every night like he did for the rematch with Rahman, he could have been an absolute superstar, maybe even considered a solid top-10 HW all-time.
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Jan 18, 2010 7:19 PM EST up reply actions
It easily could have been done.
Sign a one fight contract at 30-30 or 50 flat (just throwing out numbers) with an option to renew at 150-150 or something more palatable to Toney’s expectations. Let him to prove himself and if he does, then UFC will exercise the option.
"Someone is WRONG on the internet. What do you want me to do? LEAVE? Then they'll keep being wrong!"
-Randall Munroe
Please stop talking James Toney.
Minowa vs. James Toney please.
Follow me on Twitter @lelandroling
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
that would be fun..
Toney should join the next super hluk tourney.
by Anton Tabuena on Jan 18, 2010 10:28 AM EST up reply actions
Is invoking The Hex
no longer sanctioned in these parts?
There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.
Out of all the boxers today, only two that really interest me are Kelly Pavlik and Kermit Citron…both have wrestled before.
agree
I even saw an interview on the net where Cintron stated he wanted to fight in the UFC
by xbuckeyex05 on Jan 18, 2010 1:20 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
What a joke.
Toney would get put on his ass and submitted or pounded out in the first round by an mma heavyweight. Go fight in a lesser promotion and prove you’re ready for the UFC. I love boxing as a sport, but stunts like this, plus the May-Paq fiasco make me hate it even more as an institution. Arrogant fools.
-
He was only in it for the Pay Day?
I for one did not see that coming.
"of a world thats doing its best, night and day,
to make me everybody else"
perfect now we don’t have to read the headlines “Boxer killed in cage fighting match: Murderer BROCKLESNAR!!”
Dana wanted to get this guy off his back.
Let him walk Dana. Go to Strikeforce Toney. They’ll take any one.
by snakecharmer1340 on Jan 18, 2010 4:47 PM EST reply actions
James Toney will fight in Japan before the end of the Summer.
Walking the line between intelligence and ignorance since 1985
@deowade
James Toney will fight in City Japan before the end of the Summer.
Fixed
by Matthew Roth on Jan 18, 2010 5:23 PM EST up reply actions
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Bloody Elbow
Related FanShots on Bloody Elbow
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
MMA Rankings
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
