Quinton Jackson Goes Off on James Toney

The Similarities Between Toney vs. Couture and Kiyoshi Tamura vs. Matthew Saad Muhammad

Kiyoshi Tamura vs Matthew Saad Muhammad
If you're an old Pride head like myself(if not, shame on you) you will certainly recognize the name "Kiyoshi Tamura". Most famously I remember the drubbing that Wanderlei Silva laced on him back at Pride 19 and the armbar slapped on by Minotauro at Pride 31. He was always known for his powerful low kicks.

Matthew Saad Muhammad was a former boxing light heavyweight champion who was known for his fast-paced style and solid recovery abilities. He is a legend in the pugilistic world with his incredible back story which Ring Side Report lays out.

Born Maxwell Antonio Loach just outside of Philadelphia, Saad Muhammad was orphaned as a very young child. He and his brother lived with his aunt who, when she no longer could afford to care for both children, told Saad Muhammad’s older brother to lose and otherwise abandon him. From that, his brother took him to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and ran away. As a fan I long ago realized that much of the allure boxing held for me was in the human factor of those that had turned to it. Lack of direction and desperation are common themes among those that have taken to pursuing The Sweet Science as a means to an end. Boxing is often a last bastion of hope but nowhere can I recall a story as sad and pathetic as the idea of a child being utterly abandoned and left to the wolves of this life as was the case of Matthew Saad Muhammad. The lost child was found and taken to a Catholic children’s shelter where he was cared for and named Matthew after the saint and Franklin after the place where he was found...In and out of reform school as a youth, Saad Muhammad’s life turned a corner when he saw Muhammad Ali sparring at a local Philadelphia gym. The impression Ali left on him at that moment altered the pull of misdirection and mischief and he made the decision to become a fighter.

The IBHOF has more on Saad.

He turned pro in his native Philadelphia in 1974 under the name the nuns had given him -- Matthew Franklin. It wouldn't take long before everyone in the boxing world knew his name. He took an aggressive path to the top and after just 18 pro fights he was saddled with three losses and two draws. Each setback, though, came against quality opposition. His losses were to future champions Marvin Camel and Eddie Mustafa Muhammad and one of the draws came against another future champ, Mate Parlov.

In 1977, in just his 21st pro fight, Matthew knocked out veteran Marvin Johnson in the 12th round to win the NABF light heavyweight crown. He defended that title with wins over Billy Douglas, Richie Kates and Yaqui Lopez.

In 1998, Saad became a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame.  Like Toney, Saad has reached heights in combat sports that most MMA fighters can never even dream of. When Saad faced Tamura in 1991 under the UWFi banner which was known for it's worked bouts nonetheless, he was way past his prime and a shell of his former boxing self. Leading up to the bout he talked a lot of trash about easily knocking out Tamura and guaranteeing a victory in a similar fashion to what Toney has been verbally insinuating.

 In the below video you'll see the result as Saad actually wore his boxing gloves, takes a low kick and is subsequently choked out in 34 seconds. Take it with a grain of salt as they were known for worked matches, but this bout has been reported as a legit MMA match.  The parallels are in the pre-fight hype and the point in which Toney and Saad's respective careers were at when they made their decision.  An important story in the Boxing vs. MMA timeline.

Sport Science: Toney vs. Couture's Punching Power

Sport Science breaks down the difference in punching power in James Toney and Randy Couture in which they conclude that Toney's punch has 300 pounds more force than "The Natural".

UFC 118 Predictions and Analysis

B.J. Penn vs. Frankie Edgar
I've made it very clear that I thought Penn completely outclassed Edgar in the first bout and was the recipient of a royal screw job by the judges. The judges complete lack of competence to score powerful counter punching quality over Edgar's quick flickering punching quantity is still appalling. Penn has been hinting towards going for takedowns and if he gets them he can use his otherworldly grappling to work over Edgar. What I see is Penn's superior boxing ability again busting up a very tough Edgar, but with Penn being more adept at going for a finish. I see Penn hurting Edgar with a counter punch on the feet and following him to the mat to look for back control which is death for any opponent of B.J. Penn. B.J. Penn Regains the Lightweight Title via Rear Naked Choke.

Randy Couture vs. James Toney
There is a myth that James Toney is still a great pugilist, mostly a myth manufactured for fight hype. Toney is far beyond his prime and everyone can see that in the way he speaks. Let it be known that it is not humorous at all that a once great boxer clearly has some brain damage stemming from a long career in combat sports. It won't be funny when some of our mixed martial arts heroes go down the same path in 10-20 years. As far as technical boxing ability, sure Toney is overnight the best pure puncher in MMA, but that's not saying much when he just doesn't have the speed and power to land that one kill shot he's banking on. Randy Couture is not stupid, he's one of the very best game planners that we've ever had in this sport and will drag this to the ground with his greco-roman acumen, sit in half guard and pound away. Randy Couture by 1st Round TKO.

Gray Maynard vs. Kenny Florian
I am constantly impressed with the improvements that Florian shows from fight to fight. He is a fantastic student of the game and consistently adding new techniques to his arsenal. Maynard really only has one advantage, his wrestling. If he wants to win this bout he should go watch Florian's fight with Sean Sherk and emulate a similar game plan, although I wouldn't recommend bleeding profusely in Florian's eyes after taking razor sharp elbows from Florian's guard.  Maynard has a tendency to want to get into fire fights on the feet which will spell doom against Florian who can pick him apart at will from range.  Kenny Florian via Decision.

Demian Maia vs. Mario Miranda
Miranda comes in on short notice to face the BJJ behemoth in Maia. Miranda has some Muay-Thai chops that Maia would be smart to completely avoid. Maia needs to get dirty inside the clinch and get this fight to the ground anyway he can, whether it be the lateral drop that he hit Chael Sonnen with or the finishing takedowns that he was known for before he fell in love with his striking. It won't be easy, Miranda is a capable wrestler with decent takedown defense and his own BJJ black belt, but Maia's grappling is another level than most in the world. Maia can get it to the mat if he chooses and I suspect he will come with a better gameplan this time around. Maia via 2nd Round Submission.

Nate Diaz vs. Marcus Davis
While Davis has fallen off as of late he is still a capable fighter with decent boxing skills.  The Diaz brother's striking is less about technique as it is volume.  It is effective at smothering opponents and tiring them out, but the technique is inherently flawed which is why fighter's consistently land clean power strikes on both of them.  That being said Diaz, like his brother, has a rock solid beard and that allows them to get away with it.  The dynamic I'm most interested in is Diaz playing guard against Davis as his ability to keep a high guard and slap on triangles is his best technique and I think he can exploit a winded Davis later in the fight.  Nate Diaz via 3rd Round Submission.

James Toney: 'Nobody is Going to Lay on Top of Me and Just Pound Me Like I’m a Sissy'

Personally, I think that's exactly what is going to happen. Full UFC 118 predictions later tonight.

Captain America F*ck Yeah!

From UFCStannFan1 comes this brilliant UFC 118 hype/comic video. For the record: "U.S.A" chants at events are the worst trend in MMA since extra-medium skull shirts, but since both these fighters are Americans I don't really think this constitutes that criticism.

James Toney's Promoter Challenges Randy Couture to Get In the Boxing Ring

Dan Goossen, James Toney's boxing promoter, doesn't like his fighter's chances against Randy Couture at UFC 118. Goossen instead wants Couture to throw hands with Toney in the boxing ring.

"Win, lose or draw with Randy Couture, I'll match whatever he's making for this fight,"... "And let's see if he's got the same warrior makeup that James Toney has to crossover, to the boxing business."

I think Mr. Goossen is really missing the point. Toney has been very vocal over the past 6 months wanting an MMA bout, haunting Dana White, talking all kinds of trash about our beloved sport. Randy Couture has never called out boxers saying his sport is better and haunting promoters. Toney asked for this, Couture did not. Let's be honest Toney is putting all his eggs in the "I'll land one big shot" basket. My prediction? Clinch, takedown, sleep.

UFC 118 In-Depth 10 Minute Preview

James Toney vs. Randy Couture Video- UFC 118 Trailer

B.J. Penn (15-6-1) vs. Frankie Edgar (12-1)
Randy Couture (18-10) vs. James Toney (0-0)
Demian Maia (12-2) vs. Mario Miranda (10-1)
Kenny Florian (13-4) vs. Gray Maynard (9-0)
Nate Diaz (12-5) vs. Marcus Davis (16-7)

On Spike TV:
Joe Lauzon (18-5) vs. Gabe Ruediger (17-5)
Andre Winner (11-3) vs. Nik Lentz (18-3-2)

Preliminary card:
Dan Miller (11-4) vs. John Salter (5-1)
Nick Osipczak (5-1) -135 vs. Greg Soto (7-1)
Mike Pierce (12-3) vs. Amilcar Alves (11-1)
Gerald Harris (17-2) vs. Joe Vedepo (11-3)