Reactions to the UFC Signing James Toney

Steve Cofield doesn't pull any punches, with this headline "The UFC gets into the freak show biz: James Toney signs" here's more from the piece:

James Toney may be a big mouth but he's one smart dude. The IBA heavyweight champ put out the bait and he just hooked a big fish in the UFC. The 41-year-old boxer, whose paydays have dried up in the ring, has signed a deal with world's biggest mixed martial arts promotion.

Toney began to lay his trap back in January after UFC 108....

...

Later Wednesday, we'll find out why exactly the UFC is rolling the dice on Toney. One reason has to be the quick payday via pay-per-view. The boxing vs. MMA matchup is likely to bring in a huge audience. Plus Toney will do his part to hype the hell out of the fight.

Mike Chiapetta speculates on possible opponents:

Chuck Liddell (3:1) - Liddell seems like the best fit for Toney's debut. Though the UFC has money invested in the last fight of Liddell's trilogy with Tito Ortiz, they may switch plans if they can make more with Liddell-Toney, which seems quite possible. Also, both Liddell and Toney have few fights left in their careers; why not pair them against each other?

Randy Couture (4:1) - Amazingly enough, this fight was talked about once, years ago. Couture only wants big fights, and a Couture-Toney fight would get massive media exposure.

Kimbo Slice (6:1) - Slice has an May date against Matt Mitrione, but after making his name as a backyard brawler, it would be interesting to see him against a star boxer, even if it is in an MMA cage rather than a boxing ring. Because Slice isn't thought of as a future champion, there would be little risk to his reputation in such a matchup as well. The fight would be a win-win proposition.

The Shane Carwin-Frank Mir UFC 111 loser (8:1) - This may seem a bit more far-fetched than most as Toney isn't really ready for a huge hitter who can take him to the ground, but he's said he'll face anyone, and this could be a way for Dana White to prove MMA's superiority over boxing as a combat sport.

Anderson Silva (12:1) - A darkhorse, but maybe more possible than we might imagine. Silva's always wanted to box Roy Jones; maybe Toney would help him quell his desire to face a boxer. He is big enough to fight Toney even at heavyweight, and he may campaign for the opportunity. The "Boxing Champ vs. MMA Champ" storyline is also an easy one to sell.

Rampage Jackson (15:1) - Jackson has said he may be done with the UFC after fighting Rashad Evans at UFC 114, but perhaps a chance at a big payday against Toney might lure him back into the fold.

I think the competition that Dana White is most concerned with is Strikeforce and he had to pre-empt a possible Herschel Walker vs James Toney fight.

It would seem that competition is pushing Dana White into a freak show direction. Kimbo Slice would never have been in the UFC if he hadn't been on CBS first and I don't think James Toney would have signed without the threat of CBS broadcasting Herschel Walker vs James Toney.

My prediction is that Kimbo Slice will be James Toney's first opponent, possibly at UFC 113. Sorry Matt Mitrione you'll have to fight someone tougher and lower profile.

More reactions in the full entry.

Zach Arnold speculates on Dana White's motivations:

For UFC President Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta, the signing of James Toney is a luxury. If he flames out, then everyone predicted it would happen. If Toney succeeds, White and Fertitta will make a lot of money. When Toney spent months stalking Dana White at various UFC events to get a fight contract, White was nervous and respectful around Toney. After all, Toney is a legitimately crazy man who has made his bones unleashing violence on other human beings. After White and Toney sat down and talked at a January UFC PPV event in Las Vegas, both parties came away saying that they were unlikely to work with each other.

So what changed?

White was quoted by Yahoo Sports writer Kevin Iole as saying that he had been told that Strikeforce was negotiating with Toney for a fight against Herschel Walker. No matter how many times White buries Showtime and Strikeforce as minor-league MMA promoters, the natural reflexive motion for UFC is to try to stop whatever Strikeforce is attempting to do. Call it the Vince McMahon business principle of paranoia.

If Toney was indeed negotiating with Strikeforce, suddenly he found leverage to get UFC to allow him to box while booking him in MMA fights. The alleged contract between the two parties is a five-fight deal. Most people understand that if Toney does not succeed in MMA that he will get cut by Zuffa after a couple of fights. However, if Toney somehow manages to not look bad in the cage, then Zuffa will be able to book him relatively cheaply.

Dave Meltzer has more (via Fight Opinion):

"Strikeforce was negotiating or at least Dana (White) was under the impression that Strikeforce was negotiating a Herschel Walker/James Toney fight for CBS most likely, perhaps for PPV. And so he decided that I will outbid them and ruin that fight. So I think that's what that's all about because the key to me is that they're letting [Toney] box. I mean, like if [UFC] had any you know thoughts that this guy was really valuable to them, they weren't going to sign him to a non-exclusive contract. They've never signed anyone to a non-exclusive contract and they signed him to a non-exclusive contract."

Our own Luke Thomas probably had the most balanced and  thoughtful take, here's an abbreviated version of his three possible reasons for the signing:

1. Boxing has had something of a resurgence or at least re-popularization of late although even without the resurgence the overall point of boxing vs. MMA (even though the odds are hardly fair) still holds sway. With the booking of the first major boxer to crossover into the MMA "big leagues", the UFC could be attempting to make an example of what is highly likely to be Toney's absymal MMA skill set.

2. The Herschel Walker effect. As White has curiously remarked (it makes perfect sense to me), ESPN and many in the traditional sports establishment still won't pay attention to MMA or the UFC, yet will when one of their favorite sons from another, more established sport gets in the mix. 

3. I don't find this particularly likely, but White could actually be curious about Toney's ability. Greg Savage Tweeted that Toney has been working (albeit on fundamentals) with Juanito Ibarra in recent weeks.