UFC 118 Preview: Has Dana White Got the Marketing All Wrong for UFC 118?
by Jonathan Snowden on Aug 24, 2010 1:57 PM EDT
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The name on the marquee at the TD Garden is "UFC 118: Edgar vs. Penn 2." I'll forgive you if you didn't know that. After all, the UFC lightweight title match between the legendary BJ Penn and the usurper Frankie Edgar has gotten very little attention in the build to the promotion's debut event in Boston. Instead, the UFC's marketing effort has turned the fight into the James Toney show. For better or worse, Dana White and the gang are banking on Toney drawing an audience and convincing the boxing crowd to take a gander at the new kid on the combat sports block. Zach Arnold explains:
The real main event in the eyes of the casual fans is Randy Couture vs. James Toney in a ridiculous ‘boxing vs. MMA’ fight that Dana White admitted that he shouldn’t have booked in the first place but did anyways after Toney wouldn’t stop following him from UFC show to show.
The idea behind promoting the fight is simple. James Toney is legitimately insane, made a name for himself in boxing, and Randy Couture is one of the most popular cross-over figures the UFC has. He’s coming off of filming the movie The Expendables, he’s "Captain America," and it’s two 40-somethings who are well-known symbols from their respective sports who will fight each other to prove… something. What that something is, nobody is sure of. The major Achilles’ heel in promoting this fight involves two steps:
1) Does the general public think that Toney has any chance of pulling off the upset?
2) Can Toney get the public to hate him enough to want to pay to see him get his ass kicked or will they be amused by his antics but not moved enough to pay to watch him fight?
The problem with this plan is the same issue that's been staring boxing promoters in the face for the last decade: no one cares about watching James Toney fight. As Toney ate his way out of division after division, fan interest crumbled:
Toney was once, indisputably, one of the very best boxers in the world. He exploded onto the scene with a shocking win over Hall of Famer Michael Nunn. That was in 1991. Great fights with Iran Barkley, Mike McCallum and Reggie Johnson solidified his status as a top guy. Those days have long since past.
When people talk about Toney bringing the boxing audience or proving a point to boxing fans remember this-his last fight was on the untelevised undercard of an Andre Ward bout on Showtime. His last headlining performance on PPV? 16 years ago against Roy Jones. Toney has never drawn boxing fans in, and as he's eaten his way out of weight class after weight class, he hasn't even been able to compel them to watch on free television. He was a complete flop on Fox Sports, where they attempted to use him as a headliner. The best Toney has ever been able to do in the ratings is a paltry .91 for FSN (Rydell Booker, 2004).
By the time he fought Samuel Peter on Showtime in 2007 fans had given up on him. The no-talent Nigerian fighter, grossly overweight, did the Ali shuffle to Toney, winning a disgraceful decision. Really. It was his last fight on premium cable. Reduced to fighting on Versus, Toney couldn't even live up to those modest expectations. His horrifying bout with Fres Oquendo killed not just the crowd, but boxing on Versus as well.
I have to wonder what the end game here is? Is it so important that the ancient Randy Couture defend the sport of MMA against the equally ancient James Toney? What does that prove to anyone? It's been evident since day one that boxers would have a pretty rough go at it inside the Octagon. No one believes that Toney has much of a shot-and, sadly, no one really cares. This won't prove that MMA is "better than" boxing. Would watching Julius Peppers charge the mound against Steve Strasburg prove football is better than baseball?
This is a freakshow, plain and simple. It's a worthless time killer of a bout that only becomes valuable with a Toney knockout. Now that, that would be a bonanza-the resulting matchup with the heavyweight champion would do beaucoup bucks. And maybe that's Dana's master plan. Perhaps this was the only high profile matchup that the Zuffa brass believes Toney has a real chance to win. Is Zuffa secretly rooting for James Toney, hoping against hope for a potential fight with Brock Lesnar? The mind boggles.
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Edgar just can't get his name in a headline
He beats Sean Sherk, dominates him really. A fighter who looked unstoppable at lightweight until Bj dropped down. Who has only ever lost to four fighters, the other three being GSP, BJ, and Hughes. Now Edgar is in that group, and nobody cares. Then, he’s matched up against the “Invincible” (the UFC’s words not mine) Bj Penn and fucking wins. But nobody cares because Anderson Silva messed around on the same card. Now he is headlining what should be the biggest money making card of his life, a title rematch of a controversial decision, and all anybody can talk about is an old, overweight, punch drunk boxer. Sorry Frankie.
"I am a man who pisses largely and frequently, which they say is a sign of great mental activity" -Henry Miller-
by Neil Manich on Aug 24, 2010 12:12 PM EDT reply actions 3 recs
He might have gotten more attention if he stoppaged BJ or won a dominant decision but I think a lot of people still view Penn as the real champ.
He's a talent for shur but I didn't think he dominated Sherk, as a matter of fact I'm pretty sure Sherk won the second round.
And I also think it has something to do with the fact that Frankie isn’t a finisher never has been and prolly never will be. He’s a great fight but he’s too quite to garner big time attention.
Ride the Tiger!
by doonerthesooner on Aug 24, 2010 12:32 PM EDT up reply actions
No,
He just needs to convince people that he can win consistently. If he beats BJ again (and more convincingly) people will give him his dues. It’s the whole reason they’re having the rematch in the first place. Edgar has a legitimacy problem that will keep him from being a big draw. BJ is already a big draw. So if BJ loses twice Edgar will start to become better known.
You don’t have to be a douche bag to become popular, you just have to stay in the limelight long enough to be remembered. We’ve had pretty steady champions of late in most of the divisions (excepting LHW) and so a relatively un-acclaimed new guy is going to have to put in his time to become as big a draw as a GSP or a BJ Penn.
So true
Out of the last 8 headlines here at BE (at the time of writing this), SEVEN mention James Toney. Not ONE mention Edgar or Penn. I’d say they got the marketing just right, because this is clearly where the interest lies, from casual and hardcore fans alike
Actually, I had to go back 5 pages in the archives to find a single headline that mentions BJ Penn – and that only mentions him because he is being quoted about James Toney! Other than that, neither Penn nor Edgar are mentioned in any headline – I stopped looking after going back 10 pages in the archive (but there are consistently plenty mentions of Toney).
That's crazy talk, the Maia fight has real implications and Ken Flo is the man.
Ride the Tiger!
by doonerthesooner on Aug 24, 2010 12:38 PM EDT up reply actions
It's funny cause I didn't like him on the show, but the guy has earned his place as a top guy in the sport
and he doesn’t really run his mouth, with the exception of the whole “I’m gonna kill the master” thing.
Ride the Tiger!
by doonerthesooner on Aug 24, 2010 12:41 PM EDT up reply actions
Kenny is going to outwrestle him I think. He’s going to be doing something unexpected, we all know that. And I think it might be putting Maynard on his ass.
"I am a man who pisses largely and frequently, which they say is a sign of great mental activity" -Henry Miller-
by Neil Manich on Aug 24, 2010 12:42 PM EDT up reply actions
I don't know, Gray know he can't win standing I think, so it's him that's gona try something different.
If he can get Kenny down in the center of the cage and work his lay n pray he can win but there is no way he can do that to Florian for three rounds. I see a 30-27/29-28 win for Ken Flo
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by doonerthesooner on Aug 24, 2010 12:48 PM EDT up reply actions
Hellbow followed by a mess and a triangle...
or maybe a triangle / arm bar combo since that is the new rage.
Yeah man! Any card with 4 of the top 7 lightweights in the sport suuuuck.
It’s total stinky poo-poo! Demian Maia sucks too!
Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
MMA Editor - SBNation.com
by Brent Brookhouse on Aug 24, 2010 1:12 PM EDT up reply actions 6 recs
I’d go with four of the top five.
When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are in a confederacy against him. - Jonathan Swift
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by Derek Suboticki on Aug 24, 2010 3:18 PM EDT up reply actions
Rec'd for "total stinky poo-poo"
Best site out there, how many editors etc. could banter with their community like this?
I'm the best ever. You're the most average in a minute.
by slapjaw ackrite on Aug 24, 2010 5:36 PM EDT up reply actions
FWIW
The real main event in the eyes of the casual fans is Randy Couture vs. James Toney in a ridiculous ‘boxing vs. MMA’
All of the people that I have talked to, that I consider to be casual fans, have said to me;
“Who is James Toney?”
This is funny...
…because it is true.
by Jonathan Snowden on Aug 24, 2010 12:17 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah
Truthfully I don’t think anyone cares about any of these fights in a major way. Penn is the biggest star on the card and he will draw in most of the normal MMA fans. He would probably get those buys regardless of the marketing.
Back to Toney… I have no idea if the press about Toney will result in some crossover buys, but MMA fans don’t give two shits about James Toney aside from the hardcores that are tired of his shit talking. I suppose it doesn’t hurt to see if the boxing vs MMA angle still sells anything.
I don't think I understand...
How can you say BJ is a bigger star Randy? Adding a qualifier doesn’t even make sense. Being a star is about star power. It’s about name recognition. If your talking about being a star in the fight sport, then it’s about PPV buys.
Without a doubt, Randy will bring more PPV buys then BJ will.
Gotta agree with Truck.
Penn’s younger age and mouth make all the difference, added to his greater relevancy in the title picture.
I'm the best ever. You're the most average in a minute.
by slapjaw ackrite on Aug 24, 2010 7:41 PM EDT up reply actions
To answer the question in the headline: Yes, of course they got it all wrong by not having Frankie Edgar somehow show up on the current season of ‘Jersey Shore’. They frickin’ should’ve had Situation and Pauly D taking boxing classes from Frankie or something. Would have been huge with the Ed Hardy set.
a life: it's the shit that happens while you're waiting for moments that never come -Lester Freamon
by eastcoastatlas on Aug 24, 2010 12:17 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Lol... Oddly enough...
You may be on to something. They don’t have the brightest fan base and their fans would probably do just about anything they asked.
Sad fact… My girl was watching a couple minutes of TMZ yesterday and they said The Situation will make 5 million dollars this year…
hell, that $5mil estimate somehow found its way onto cnn.com, although i already knew it from readin TMZ and PerezHilton.
and i’ma pre-emt any haters of my reading choices; that shit works wonders in conversing with the ladies
a life: it's the shit that happens while you're waiting for moments that never come -Lester Freamon
by eastcoastatlas on Aug 24, 2010 2:20 PM EDT up reply actions
Sorry dude your excuse doesn't cut it.
Ride the Tiger!
by doonerthesooner on Aug 24, 2010 3:03 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
doesn’t cut what? your personal Man-test?
a life: it's the shit that happens while you're waiting for moments that never come -Lester Freamon
by eastcoastatlas on Aug 24, 2010 3:13 PM EDT up reply actions
Pretty much yeah.
I don’t care how much pussy it gets you Perez Hilton, no no fucking way.
Ride the Tiger!
by doonerthesooner on Aug 24, 2010 3:29 PM EDT up reply actions
shit you can’t even get a good laugh out of James Toney’s jibba-jabba. you’re the grinch who ate fun, likely with a sprinkling of salt, pepper, and homophobia.
a life: it's the shit that happens while you're waiting for moments that never come -Lester Freamon
by eastcoastatlas on Aug 24, 2010 3:40 PM EDT up reply actions
"Grinch who ate fun" that's awesome.
Now the homophobia line I don’t deserve, just because watching TMZ doesn’t result in a passing score on my man test doesn’t mean I was questioning your sexual preference. And no man, Toney doesn’t do it for me I get that a lot of people find him funny I just think he’s sad.
Ride the Tiger!
by doonerthesooner on Aug 24, 2010 3:45 PM EDT up reply actions
fair enough
a life: it's the shit that happens while you're waiting for moments that never come -Lester Freamon
by eastcoastatlas on Aug 24, 2010 3:53 PM EDT up reply actions
I conduct the man test by inserting my ____
into the subjects ____. That is the only way to know for sure….
I'm 100% serious that this is brilliant!
Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
MMA Editor - SBNation.com
by Brent Brookhouse on Aug 24, 2010 1:13 PM EDT up reply actions
"Is the UFC secretly rooting for James Toney?"
Yep.
Couture is at that point where no one cares if he wins or loses—he will draw or not draw the same no matter what. I think BJ let the cat out of the bag when he said he hopes that Toney will “do good.” Do good, indeed—make the UFC and its fighters some money.
by Lauren J Darkbloom on Aug 24, 2010 12:18 PM EDT reply actions
and James Toney winning against a "UFC Hall-of-Famer" like Randy
on only a few months of MMA training, could open the flood gates for more and more talented boxers to try their hand in MMA, which conversely means more eyeballs, and more money for the UFC… Either way, as I’ve been saying for the longest time, this is a WIN-WIN for the UFC.
by Anton Tabuena on Aug 24, 2010 12:23 PM EDT up reply actions
I believe Kid Nate
announced this a while back. “Why I’m Rooting for James Toney at UFC 118”
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
I believe truck
disagreed with this idea a while back.
Think long term people…
Unless we think Toney opens the flood gates for other more high profile names that get wrecked in the cage this isn’t beneficial in the long run. We want MMA to look head and shoulders better in terms of sport and practical combat.
No, we want great athletes from other disciplines to come over to MMA.
"You hear people say, 'You're the greatest,' and all this stuff. It's BS. It's fake, it's all fake. You've just got to keep training as hard as you can. The only thing real is the fight, everything else is fake." - BJ Penn
I thought we wanted the great athletes to choose MMA from the start
I am not talking about the now, I am talking about the next generation.
I want them choosing MMA, I don’t want them choosing boxing and thinking they can always use MMA as a backup plan if they suck.
by truck on Aug 24, 2010 12:50 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
Take what you can get. MMA is starved for great athletes right now. A little crossover can’t hurt. I mean, it’s not like anyone in their right mind thinks boxers are “better fighters” than MMA guys.
"You hear people say, 'You're the greatest,' and all this stuff. It's BS. It's fake, it's all fake. You've just got to keep training as hard as you can. The only thing real is the fight, everything else is fake." - BJ Penn
The majority of the masses are not exactly what I would call
people in their right mind.
The majority of people are idiots.
Why does everyone think
That the great athletes in sports are in boxing? Boxing doesn’t have any better athletes than MMA. The great athletes are in the NBA, NFL, MLB, and to a lesser extent the NHL. You know, sports that everyone plays growing up, are available to everyone at their middle and high school, and pay by far the most money. They also don’t involve getting punched in the face.
Boxing has roughly the same amount of great athletes as MMA. Just look at James Toney, he was considered one of the best in boxing, but he is hardly a great athlete. I can count on one hand the boxers I’d consider to be elite athletes. Also, growing up, I knew way more kids who trained martial arts then trained boxing. Boxing is just a weird thing to get into. Most towns have one small boxing gym or no boxing gym, its just not widely available to be trained in.
by IWillPartyHard on Aug 24, 2010 2:56 PM EDT up reply actions
Forgot to mention
Soccer also has great athletes, of the international variety. For the same reasons stated above. Every little kid plays it, its a widely available school sport, the professionals make a ton of money, and it doesn’t involve getting punched in the face.
by IWillPartyHard on Aug 24, 2010 2:58 PM EDT up reply actions
I just want to see the buildup to Brock Lesnar shoving James Toney’s body through the bottom of the octagon.
"I am a man who pisses largely and frequently, which they say is a sign of great mental activity" -Henry Miller-
by Neil Manich on Aug 24, 2010 12:44 PM EDT up reply actions
I believe in nothing, Lebowski!
Kermit Cintron is the only high level boxer who I believe can and should cross over to MMA, skill-wise. I doubt there’s enough monetary incentive though. I’d love for him to get fast tracked to a title shot in the UFC so he could make the money his talent deserves… assuming him swims instead of sinks.
"Someone is WRONG on the internet. What do you want me to do? LEAVE? Then they'll keep being wrong!"
-Randall Munroe
Jeff Bridges is Rooster Cogburn FTW!
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by doonerthesooner on Aug 24, 2010 12:50 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
atgreat was first :)
more than a month earlier :)
http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2010/7/8/1558128/is-the-ufc-playing-russian#41566610
It goes all the way back to the sell on UFC 1
Can a boxer beat a wrestler? When champions from separate disciplines meet, which style proves superior?
That’s a lot easier to sell quickly than “BJ Penn runs through some guy named Frankie Edgar who danced for 5 rounds and eked out a pitty-pat decision.”
█♣█
A wise man told me don't argue with fools
Cause people from a distance can't tell who is who -- Jay-Z
Yeah
But we already saw how that ends. They tap when they get mounted.
"I am a man who pisses largely and frequently, which they say is a sign of great mental activity" -Henry Miller-
by Neil Manich on Aug 24, 2010 12:24 PM EDT up reply actions
Because what happens to one will always happen to all.
Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
MMA Editor - SBNation.com
by Brent Brookhouse on Aug 24, 2010 1:14 PM EDT up reply actions
It was supposed to be a joke
"I am a man who pisses largely and frequently, which they say is a sign of great mental activity" -Henry Miller-
*
That this fight won’t even be competitive. It will be a one-sided beatdown like we all deep down know it will be. We contemplate the possibility of Toney putting up a good fight, but after the fight is over, we’ll all look back and say we knew that’s how the fight was gonna go. We’re just amusing ourselves by giving Toney a realistic chance in this fight.
by drudog1715 on Aug 24, 2010 12:31 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Well the X-factor is how much has Couture aged. It could be he’s totally washed up at this point. But other than that there’s no reason to believe Toney has a chance.
"You hear people say, 'You're the greatest,' and all this stuff. It's BS. It's fake, it's all fake. You've just got to keep training as hard as you can. The only thing real is the fight, everything else is fake." - BJ Penn
While I agree with the basic sentiment of the article,
I keep hearing these analogies that make zero sense
Would watching Julius Peppers charge the mound against Steve Strasburg prove football is better than baseball?
Of course not, but this is hardly a fair comparison when talking about a boxing vs MMA match.
You gotta pay the troll toll, to get into this boy's soul.
That makes more sense than Snowden’s analogy. At least they are both bears.
You gotta pay the troll toll, to get into this boy's soul.
by WestbergIDFC on Aug 24, 2010 1:03 PM EDT up reply actions
I don’t agree. They are distinct sports.
by Jonathan Snowden on Aug 24, 2010 1:03 PM EDT up reply actions
Of course they are, but to deny ANY similarity is obtuse. Boxing and MMA have more in common than most any other two-sport comparison
You gotta pay the troll toll, to get into this boy's soul.
by WestbergIDFC on Aug 24, 2010 1:05 PM EDT up reply actions
You think? More so than football/rugby? Baseball/cricket? Soccer/lacrosse?
by Jonathan Snowden on Aug 24, 2010 1:07 PM EDT up reply actions
You should use those analogies then when trying to prove your point. Football and Baseball have nothing in common, Boxing and MMA do.
Listen, if Couture drags Toney to the ground, and chokes him out, it doesn’t really tell us anything we didn’t know
If Toney knocks Couture out, it doesn’t really tell us anything we didn’t know.
BUT, if Couture stands with Toney, and gets the better of the strikes, we have something very viable to discuss. There is more than just a tenuous link between boxing and MMA.
You gotta pay the troll toll, to get into this boy's soul.
by WestbergIDFC on Aug 24, 2010 1:11 PM EDT up reply actions
Wait
You disagree that boxing has more in common with MMA than Football does with Baseball?
That’s crazy.
"Don’t quote old fucks to me" – Brent Brookhouse
by Chris Barton on Aug 24, 2010 1:31 PM EDT up reply actions
he's a contrarian
Even when I'm laying on my back I'm never backing down
by Austin Martin on Aug 24, 2010 1:34 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Football and Baseball have nothing in common, Boxing and MMA do.
I disagree.
by Jonathan Snowden on Aug 24, 2010 3:05 PM EDT up reply actions
With which part?
That FB and BB have nothing in common? That Boxing and MMA do have things in common?
"Don’t quote old fucks to me" – Brent Brookhouse
by Chris Barton on Aug 24, 2010 5:17 PM EDT up reply actions
Lacrosse is for rich white men and Soccer is for women and foreigners big difference.
Ride the Tiger!
by doonerthesooner on Aug 24, 2010 1:46 PM EDT up reply actions
I think a comparision of Lacrosse and Hockey would be more apt anyway.
"Before I do anything I ask myself, "Would an idiot do that?" And if the answer is yes, I do not do that thing." - Dwight Schrute
I was wondering when someone would take the bait.
And isn’t it basically the same rules as far as how your players can move?
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by doonerthesooner on Aug 24, 2010 5:02 PM EDT up reply actions
I think Lacrosse might be more restrictive in terms of defenders attacking,
but I’m not 100% sure. But in terms of face-offs, penalties, etc. they definitely share many commonalities.
"Before I do anything I ask myself, "Would an idiot do that?" And if the answer is yes, I do not do that thing." - Dwight Schrute
If you've ever taken a boxing class and then a striking for MMA class
you’d realize the similarities are few and far between. Sure, the goal is trying to hit somebody, but in soccer and basketball the goal is to put a ball into a net supported by a metal frame. Stance, defensive movements, distance, and available strikes are totally different. It doesn’t translate that easy. Just ask Marcus Davis.
"Someone is WRONG on the internet. What do you want me to do? LEAVE? Then they'll keep being wrong!"
-Randall Munroe
So you guys aren’t intriguied in the slightest by this?
You gotta pay the troll toll, to get into this boy's soul.
by WestbergIDFC on Aug 24, 2010 1:26 PM EDT up reply actions
I completely agree with Westberg
Boxing is a combat sport, now differences on throwing strikes is irrelevant. Boxing is a key component in mma. Trying to argue the minor differences when ignoring the common similarities is obsurd and obviously you are then trying to argue a moot point just because you wish not to admit you may have been wrong.
The promotion for this fight reminds me of GSP-Hardy.
That was a fight that was such a mismatch that the UFC needed to do something like UFC Prime Time to get people to actually believe the underdog has a shot. Obviously the other angle in that instance was that they were trying to appeal to the British fans and draw them in, which seems to be what they’re going for with the boxing fans in this case. The more people saw of Dan Hardy the more the betting line shifted in his favor. And like before, many people seem to have started to buy James Toney as a credible threat. However, the end result of course was a one-sided beating which is exactly what will happen in this fight as well.
"Before I do anything I ask myself, "Would an idiot do that?" And if the answer is yes, I do not do that thing." - Dwight Schrute
Toney via gogoplata
Toronto FC - Where road games are forfeited and we STILL have no idea how to play from behind.
only if this fight took place in 2012
Even when I'm laying on my back I'm never backing down
by Austin Martin on Aug 24, 2010 1:26 PM EDT up reply actions
Wait so
Overweight and punch drunk vs. A UFC Hall of Famer doesn’t prove anything? :)
Been rattling my brain about this., this is a boxing to MMA crossover, but what is the MMA to boxing equivalent?
Is this like Mark Coleman fighting Evander Holyfield in a boxing ring? Or is this like Roy Jones Jr. fighting Matt Hughes in a boxing match?
What level of freak show would those fights be in comparison to Toney vs. Couture?
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It would be more like...
Roy Jones Jr. vs. Anderson Silva. There’s no direct comparison because the UFC has less rules than boxing, but at least Anderson Silva would bring some tools to the table that would give him a slim chance against Roy Jones.
that would at least be the best mma striker vs.
a semi- washed up boxing legend. AS would have a shot.
Even when I'm laying on my back I'm never backing down
by Austin Martin on Aug 24, 2010 1:27 PM EDT up reply actions
Agree
anderson silva is known as one of the best strikers in MMA. There’s no best grappler in boxing. Honestly I’d say if Couture tried boxing it would be about as fair.
by chasethegoose on Aug 24, 2010 1:36 PM EDT up reply actions
Agree
A Silva is considered a top 3 p4p MMA fighter while RJJ is just washed up at this point
Couture and Toeny are not ranked anywhere near the top ten in their sports at this moment
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USA TODAY / SB Nation Consensus MMA Rankings disagrees.. Randy is on #13 at LHW
by Horselover Fat on Aug 24, 2010 1:41 PM EDT up reply actions
I consider near only #11 and #12 (lol I kid, I kid)
Where in the world is James Toney ranked in boxing though right now?
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at the tail end…
"The only freakshow's the one in my pants"
-James Toney
by chasethegoose on Aug 24, 2010 1:48 PM EDT up reply actions
Hehe, well I get the point of what you were saying, just wanted to be a smart ass :)
Where Toney is at, I have no idea! And that isn’t just one click away, so I won’t be doing any more investigating for you sir.
by Horselover Fat on Aug 24, 2010 1:50 PM EDT up reply actions
It makes sense
to market it this way: Hype the garbage boxing vs mma to get the casual/non mma audience into it, and at the same time not cause a general revolt among the actual mma fans by making it the headline fight.
It's genius as a one-time only thing
I think because Edgar’s win was such a shock they’re probably not giving him much of a chance to win the rematch. If this was BJ Penn vs. GSP III for the welterweight title or something like that I could see both getting equal marketing time.
Toronto FC - Where road games are forfeited and we STILL have no idea how to play from behind.
Am I the only one that continually finds it funny whenever people try to tell the UFC how to promote or market fights?. Because i’m sure that alot of other mma orgs out there could actually use that advice while the UFC doesn’t and never will. Like I always say let the proffesionals do what they do best and let’s stop acting like we know better when we don’t.
"they mad at me, I keep going hard reppin/
cause what's your Rampage to Rashad Evans/"
-Joe Budden (Something To Ride To)
http://www.zshare.net/audio/76866807deabe3c1/
It's still fun though
Ride the Tiger!
by doonerthesooner on Aug 24, 2010 3:35 PM EDT up reply actions
It's akin to
Me yelling at my TV when I don’t like the play Belichick calls, the man has forgotten more about football than I’ll ever know in my life
Ride the Tiger!
by doonerthesooner on Aug 24, 2010 3:39 PM EDT up reply actions
It seems like you might really enjoy the fine content at ufc.com or Yahoo Sports.
by Jonathan Snowden on Aug 24, 2010 4:26 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I believe it's a polite offer to get the fuck out.
"Before I do anything I ask myself, "Would an idiot do that?" And if the answer is yes, I do not do that thing." - Dwight Schrute
I wonder what I said to incur the wrath of Snowden?
Ride the Tiger!
by doonerthesooner on Aug 24, 2010 5:29 PM EDT up reply actions
It wasn't at you
"Don’t quote old fucks to me" – Brent Brookhouse
by Chris Barton on Aug 24, 2010 5:30 PM EDT up reply actions
He's responding to Nightwhistler.
"Before I do anything I ask myself, "Would an idiot do that?" And if the answer is yes, I do not do that thing." - Dwight Schrute
Ahhh makes sense now,
Context clues Ryan take them.
Ride the Tiger!
by doonerthesooner on Aug 24, 2010 5:44 PM EDT up reply actions
If Dana got the marketing wrong...
Why is every second article on BE about James Toney?
Given that I’ve purchased every MMA ppv over the last 8 years, have a couple dozen UFC/Pride/IFC/KotC DVDs, a few mma books, and my Axe Murderer figure for my office, I’m pretty sure Dana’s not too concerned about drawing in the BE crowd.
by Ironbuddha on Aug 24, 2010 9:51 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
This is a freakshow, plain and simple. It’s a worthless time killer of a bout that only becomes valuable with a Toney knockout. Now that, that would be a bonanza-the resulting matchup with the heavyweight champion would do beaucoup bucks. And maybe that’s Dana’s master plan. Perhaps this was the only high profile matchup that the Zuffa brass believes Toney has a real chance to win. Is Zuffa secretly rooting for James Toney, hoping against hope for a potential fight with Brock Lesnar? The mind boggles.
After seeing the amount of attention someone like Herschel Walker got when fighting for Strikeforce, I believe this was primarily a move to keep him away from a competitor.
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