Randy Couture vs James Toney – asking no questions, giving no answers

Written By: Jasveer Singh Gill

Ever since fighting was turned into sport and then formatted into different types of combat the debate has raged – who would win between the boxer and wrestler?

It does not stop with those two martial arts either. You have muay thai vs ju jitsu, karate vs kung fu and a million other combinations possible, taken from all the fighting styles developed all over the world. The UFC was created to end this debate.

In modern times the question was answered emphatically. No one style of combat is the best. It is always more about the fighter himself then how he actually fights. Also, any fighter in MMA that has gone on to be dominate the sport has always mastered at least two martial arts disciplines; see Anderson Silva (with ju jitsu and muay thai), Georges St Pierre (wrestling and karate), BJ Penn (boxing and ju jitsu) and Fedor Emelianenko (sambo and boxing).

Yet for some reason, many boxers have always looked down at the sport of MMA. The likes of Floyd Mayweather have mocked MMA fighters punching skills and always claimed they could knock out any MMA fighter. The loudest of these protagonists claiming they could step in the cage and defeat any MMA fighter using their superior punching skills has been James Toney. Having publicly called out for a UFC fight for a long time Toney finally has his wish and is fighting legendary MMA fighter Randy Couture.

Is this finally the match up that will tell us which is the better combat sport between MMA and boxing? Will this one way or another prove which sport has the better fighters? The answer is definitely no. This is because the argument is as ridiculous and as infantile as a soccer star mocking the kicking skills of the NFL’s kickers. They are different sports that share some characteristics that are applied in a totally different context.

In technical terms an MMA fighters punches are always going to be different from their boxing compatriots, as they must throw punches whilst being weary of a kick or take down attempt. Boxers are free to throw punches knowing if they get tied up the referee will split them, whilst knowing no kicks, knees or elbows will be thrown.

For another point, talking in practical terms, MMA fighters train less on punches then boxers do. MMA fighters also train on grappling, kicking, kneeing and elbowing techniques.

Therefore there can be no doubt that boxers are better punchers then MMA fighters, but to think that they can bring this one discipline into an MMA fight and be successful is just ludicrous.

No fighter with only one discipline has been able to come into the sport and dominate. The likes of Demian Maia (ju jitsu world champion), Matt Lindland (wrestling Olympic silver medalist) and Semmy Schilt (world champion kick boxer) have in modern times each tried to use their one discipline to conquer the MMA world only to come unstuck by an opponent who was more skilled in a different style of combat.

This is why this fight is not going to answer any questions, since they have all already been answered. The fight is not going to provoke any questions either, as both sports will continue on regardless of the result of this fight. Last year former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia – coming from a string of knock out defeats – took on former heavyweight boxing champion Ray Mercer in an MMA fight. Sylvia decided to stand and trade with Mercer and was promptly knocked out in 11 seconds. However, Mercer himself was stopped in two minutes in his previous MMA fight when he was tackled to the ground and choked out.

James Toney may think he is different. Having had over 80 professional boxing fights without ever getting stopped or even badly hurt means Toney may think he is invulnerable, but he has not yet felt the pain of being slammed on his back or having his limbs pushed to breaking point in a submission lock.

This is not to say that James Toney has no chance. A puncher as skilled, accurate and as powerful as him will always have a chance in any fight. What is guaranteed though is that unless Toney learns other skills, such as ju jitsu or muay thai, he will never be able to be as successful in MMA as he was in boxing. If he does knock out Randy Couture then the UFC will then line him up against a kick boxer who will look to unhinge Toney’s knee without ever getting in punching distance of him or a ju jitsu master who will tangle Toney up and choke him out.

In terms of how the fight will actually go, Couture has made it clear what he is going to do. For the first round expect him to be on the back foot simply throwing kick after kick at Toney’s legs. Sure, Toney is a warrior and will not flinch but the kicks add up, plus with Toney’s style (very sturdy footed, plants his feet), he will definitely be feeling them. Let us remember however, Couture is no kick boxing expert, his kicks are hardly renowned. A more difficult match up would have been someone like Mirko Crop Cop or Pat Barry (kick boxing experts) for James Toney, since they would literally kick his leg off. While Randy tries to hurt Toney’s leg, Toney will be unwinding big punches at his head and going close, making the crowd gasp. So near the end of round 1 expect Couture to run in for the clinch/take down. Expect Couture not to be able to finish Toney in round one, while he has some gas and fight left in him. In round 2 though Couture will come out aggressive and look for the takedown, once he has it, it is game over, with him using the ‘ground-and-pound’ technique (unleashing punches and elbows while on top of an opponent) to stop Toney.

There is a real possibility, albeit a slim one, that Toney could win this fight. We all know a punch, even a jab from Toney, could be enough to send Randy into daze and end up with him knocked out. The MMA world has never had a puncher on the level of Toney. Even in the boxing world he is technically very skilled, very slick and accurate. Plus he has good power. In the MMA world this pedigree makes Toney the most dangerous puncher in its history.

Therefore if Randy wants to kick at him for a while you can envisage Toney timing a hook well enough to hit Couture’s big head, especially since Randy is not a very good kicker. Also Couture must make sure he makes Toney miss before he goes for a take down attempt, because if he runs into a punch from Toney it is all over. In the scenario of Toney knocking Couture down the referee must also make sure he stops the bout quickly, because too many free punches from Toney could result in the first death in the UFC.

From what we are hearing from Toney, it seems he will be a true animal in this fight. It would not be a shock to see dirty tactics from him, including low-blows, back of the head punches and kicks/knees to a downed opponent. He has never gone out easily and he will never want to.

In all truth though, how Toney goes out – whether it is on his back in a hail of elbows or with a cigar in his mouth in his usual manner of celebration – does not even matter. After it is all over and a winner has stepped out of all the hype just remember, the result does not prove a thing that we did not already know about either sport, no matter how it ends.

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Tags: james toney, mma, randy couture