Massachusetts is hosting its first ever UFC event when boxing meets MMA in the Octagon, live August 28th, 2010 and 
the event has the potential to be the biggest event of the summer, bigger than Brock Lesnar’s return at UFC 116 vs. Shane Carwin.
UFC President Dana White is pumped and ready for the event: “I’m thrilled to bring the UFC to Boston for the first time. Boston is one of the world’s greatest fight towns, fans only expect the best, and we are bringing it with the rematch between BJ Penn and Frankie Edgar, and the Octagon-debut of boxing legend James Toney versus one of the greatest UFC heavyweights of all-time, Randy Couture.”
Toney’s opponent, former UFC champion Couture, doesn’t plan on trying to outbox his opponent and will likely look for a take down at the first available opportunity and introduce Toney to the world of MMA. But Toney and his camp have maintained that the boxer possesses enough power in his strikes to end the fight even from his back, which I think is a joke.
Toney has a punchers chance, that’s about it. Couture on the other hand has been in the octagon with the who’s who of Mixed Martial Arts and his experience should overwhelm the one-dimensional boxing champ.
“Certainly I have a game plan for the ground, and I’m not terribly worried about being knocked out from that position,” Couture said. “With the takedowns and the punching and the kicking and the dirty boxing and clinch work which takes place in mixed martial arts, you have to change your stance”
While Toney is making his mixed martial arts debut in the contest, the 41-year-old brings 22 years of professional boxing experience to the cage. Toney has fought the best in the world during his boxing career, and the two-time Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year’s unique shoulder-roll approach to striking has been a trademark throughout his career.
“I look at this [fight] as a way to show everybody that boxing ranks supreme,” Toney told ESPN.com recently while in Las Vegas to observe UFC 116. “It’s still the No. 1 sport; it’s still the best sport. I like MMA; I’m not a hater. I watch it all the time. But when somebody like [UFC president] Dana White, who started in the boxing game, says that MMA is better than boxing — then hold on. You’re wrong there.”
It’s this attitude that motivated Couture to ask White for the chance to fight Toney. Couture loves boxing, but not the disrespect he believes many boxers show toward mixed martial arts.
“He’s a great striker; he’s got good power. To be honest, he’s going to be dangerous in that realm of the fight,” Couture said. “If I try to trade punches withhim, then [getting knocked out] is a possibility. That’s why I’m doing my homework, and have no intention of standing in there and boxing with James Toney. That would be stupid.”
“Losing is not an option. I’m going in [the octagon] to destroy this dude,” – James Toney.
The main event for this night features Frankie Edgar in a rematch against the “Prodigy” BJ Penn. Penn faced a very controversial decision at UFC 112 when he was stripped of his belt and Edgar became the new lightweight champion.
There are a few questions we should ask ourselves about this match. Is Frankie Edgar that much better than BJ Penn? Was BJ Penn unprepared and not ready for the assault he took from Edgar? Did BJ Penn lose a step?
BJ Penn used to be unbeatable in the UFC lightweight division and this rematch against Edgar will show us a lot about him.
Did we see the real BJ Penn at UFC 112 or will we see the real BJ Penn at UFC 118?
Let’s not take anything away from Edgar, he is a great UFC fighter, but BJ Penn wants revenge, he wants his belt back, and he plans to get it at UFC 118 on August 28th.
Joe Silva did an excellent job putting this fight card together with other exciting match-ups that feature two Boston natives, one being Kenny “Ken Flo” Florian who is taking on veteran fighter Gray Maynard and Joe Lauzon vs. Terry Etim.
Also on the card is Nate Diaz taking on Markus “The Irish Hand Grenade” Davis.
Used with permission of the author.
Scott Medeiros is a Florida-based MMA fighter and sportswriter covering the sport. For a competitor/fan’s point of view and pre and post fight info, updates, and the latest buzz surrounding MMA, follow Scott on Sports Climax. In addition to contributing to Sports Climax, his material can also be found on American Top Team’s website. Email Scott @ skizberry@aol.com.
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