UFC Signs Boxing Veteran James “Lights Out” Toney
After weeks of calling out, following around, and stalking Dana White, heavyweight boxer James “Lights Out” Toney has agreed to a contract with the UFC. The deal is rumored to be a multi-fight contract, but if the contract is similar to others issued by the UFC, the company has the right to terminate the deal after a loss.
White has been considering signing Toney for quite some time, and Toney has pressured White to do so numerous times. Toney confronted White after UFC 107 in December as well as after UFC 108 in January. A meeting between the two in February ended without an agreement in place, with Toney having this to say afterwards:
Dana White is a straight up ho! He makes me a 5-fight offer for chump change and said I can’t box anymore if I accept it. He must have lost his damn mind. I’m the best of both worlds. Anyone in either sport that wants to come see me, we can do this.
Either White upped the offer after that meeting, or Toney decided that “chump change” was good enough. Reports indicate that Toney will be allowed to continue his boxing career along with attempting a UFC career, so perhaps that was all that Toney was seeking.
Toney is still considered a heavyweight champion in boxing, though the titles he currently holds are considered lesser titles (NABO and IBA). The 41-year old heavyweight has a career 72-6-3 record, and last defeated Matthew Greer in September. In his career, Toney has also held titles in the 160, 168 and 190lb weight classes.
White has long been a boxing fan and had kind words to say about Toney in a statement today:
A lot of pro boxers have made a lot of noise about how they would do in mixed martial arts, but nobody on the level of a James Toney has been willing to back up his talk. He’s a legend whose boxing record speaks for itself, and he’s a guy who I’ve got a lot of respect for.
White added that he didn’t have any firm plans as of yet for Toney’s first fight, though late tonight one former UFC champion said that he would like to fight Toney. On Twitter, Randy Couture had this to say:
I hope I’m the first guy they call to fight tony !
That seems like an awfully stern test for someone who really hasn’t trained MMA, but if Toney truly wants to test himself against the best, perhaps a fight with Couture makes sense.
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