James Toney/UFC Update: Toney vs. Couture at UFC 118?

[cowboyronnie]

Couture likes strategic challenges. This is perfect, this is exactly what he wants.

[High 5]

It basically just comes down to him grabbing onto Toney before Toney knocks him out. If Couture gets his hands on him then he's going to take him down and finish the fight. I don't think he has enough of an ego to try to dirty box with him for long, because he's not going to win that fight.

[Posey H8er]

Couture is probably one of if not the smartest fighter in MMA with his experince and all. Whatever gameplan he has will be minimize the chances that he gets KO'd.

[cowboyronnie]

I'm sure he'll chip away with inside low kicks or something until Toney drops his hands, and then he'll jump to a clinch or a double leg. I don't think I've ever seen Randy shoot.

[Nemesis21]

Randy will own him.

[Prop]

Randy will own him.

i think randy would win this fight but the fight does start on the feet...and we all know toney's a former boxing champ. so randy's gonna be a punch away from being unconscious until he gets his hands on him. i wouldn't be surprised at all if toney wins.

[funkatron101]

Imagine Toney Vs. Nate Quarry...Oh man...I like Nate, and have talked to him a few times, I wouldn't really wish that upon him. Whether it's his neck fusion surgery, lack of proper boxing training, or a mix of both, he really lacks some basic boxing fundamentals. Toney would destroy him unless Quarry completely turns it into a grappling bout.

Couture vs Toney scares me as well. I really want MMA to shine here. Couture needs to end it quickly. If I were him, I would try to model the Van Arsdale fight. Randy clearly had one thing in mind that whole fight. 1. Look for the clinch 2. Secure a front face lock. 3. Take him down. 4. Wait for an opening for the Anaconda choke. Toney won't know what to do with that and Couture shouldn't have to wait long.

Boxing has a rich history, and will forever be known as "the sweet science," but these loud-mouthed boxers who trash the sport need to show some respect for these athletes. It's a different game, different tools. If a MMA fighter came out as arrogant as Toney has and claimed he could beat anyone in boxing, I would hope a mid-level boxer shut him up as well. Fortunately you don't see it that often. You'll get some guys wanting to test the boxing waters, but that's about it.

[singh_shady]

Boxing has a rich history, and will forever be known as "the sweet science," but these loud-mouthed boxers who trash the sport need to show some respect for these athletes. It's a different game, different tools. If a MMA fighter came out as arrogant as Toney has and claimed he could beat anyone in boxing, I would hope a mid-level boxer shut him up as well. Fortunately you don't see it that often. You'll get some guys wanting to test the boxing waters, but that's about it.

Definitely. In different circumstances I wouldn't mind seeing Toney win but it wouldn't be the best thing for MMA to have a loud-mouth, cocky boxer beat one of the GOAT fighters in his first match lol.

[Headliner]

UFC middleweight Jorge Rivera (18-7 MMA, 8-5 UFC) told MMAjunkie.com (http://www.mmajunkie.com) in March that he shouldn't even have to ask to fight at UFC 118, the promotion's first trip to Boston.

Apparently, he didn't.

MMAjunkie.com has learned from sources close to the promotion that the Massachusetts resident and Italian slugger Alessio Sakara (15-7 MMA, 6-4 UFC) have verbally agreed to meet at the event.

Bout agreements are expected to be finalized shortly.

While not yet officially announced by the organization, UFC 118 is expected to take place on Aug. 28 at Boston's TD Garden.

While Rivera earned just moderate success in building a 5-5 record in his first 10 UFC bouts, "El Conquistador" has undergone a resurgence as of late with three-straight UFC wins.

After edging out Nissen Osterneck by split decision in April 2009, Rivera has since earned two straight TKO victories. The 38-year-old stopped Rob Kimmons at UFC 104 in October 2009 and destroyed Nate Quarry at UFC Fight Night 21 in March.

Meanwhile, Sakara also seeks his fourth-straight win. After battling through a rough 1-3 stretch in the UFC in 2007, Sakara has scored knockout wins over Joe Vedepo and James Irvin and a split-decision victory over Thales Leites.

Sakara had been expected to face Nate Marquardt at UFC 116, but the Italian was forced to withdraw after the passing of his father.