Signing James Toney is good business for UFC - News - FOX Sports on MSN
The Ultimate Fighting Championship made an interesting move this week with the signing of boxing great James “Lights Out” Toney.
Speculation surrounded the situation between Toney and UFC president Dana White for several months and reached a high point at the beginning of the year when the two discussed a possible deal that would make Toney the most notable boxer to make the move to any mixed martial arts promotion.
FOX SPORTS POLL
In MMA, James Toney will ...
62% Disgrace himself
32% Be decent
6% Be a very good fighter
Total Votes: 485
Toney is not necessarily MMA's highest-profile signing this year. That honor belongs to former college football great Herschel Walker, who won his debut fight in January.
While Walker is a tremendous athlete, his move to MMA seemed to be a publicity stunt of sorts for Strikeforce. Is that also true of Toney?
It’s going to be hard convincing anyone that the UFC signed the 41-year-old to be a large factor in any division, let alone a champion, although a pro boxing career that included 70 wins and a host of titles is a strong claim for legitimacy.
The most logical explanation is Toney's name recognition, and will be used, as did UFC with Kimbo Slice for its 10th season of "The Ultimate Fighter", to draw in the eyes of the fans and the green of their wallets.
After all, everyone is doing it.
The UFC signed current heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar after just one mixed martial arts fight. While there is no comparison between Lesnar and Toney, the UFC champion’s history and fan base carried over from his stardom with World Wrestling Entertainment.
Toney is in a similar situation. His career in boxing has been spent accumulating wins, belts, and, perhaps most importantly, an enormous fan base, which the UFC no doubt looks to use to its advantage.
Given the current state of boxing vs. mixed martial arts, there has never been a better time for a MMA promotion to grab a boxer from the sport's dwindling list of stars.
