Pros Pick: Couture vs. Toney

Pat Miletich: I was in attendance when James Toney knocked out Michael Nunn in Davenport, Iowa, to win his first world title. Toney is one of the few boxers in the world that can win boxing world titles without hardly training. He is that talented and experienced. Unfortunately, I think Toney needs money bad enough to get dumped on his face and mauled by Couture, like a groundhog getting mauled by a grizzly. Toney has that slight chance of landing a KO punch, but it’s as likely as my 8-year-old daughter taking me down. It’s about as likely as Iowa Gov. Chet Culver winning re-election. Not happening. I’m gonna watch simply to see which side of Toney’s face gets canvas burns from the landing.

Benji Radach: There is only one way Tony can win. Anytime during the fight, Randy has to reach out to clinch. A high-level boxer only needs a tiny bit of space to deliver a mind-altering blow, so he has that chance. I think if Randy sets up a good level change in order to get the clinch, Tony will be in a whole world of hurt. However, if Randy reaches to clinch, there is more of a chance for Tony to parade around the cage celebrating that boxing is better, even though there’s no comparison. Randy all the way.

Bill Mesi: My second pro fight was against the number one contender to the Canadian heavyweight title. I was told for months, if I get caught coming in, I’m dead. [You] can’t box when you’re getting dumped on your head and getting pounded into submission. True story. Couture in round one by whatever.

Jason Dent: Randy all the way, that’s fore sure. I think Tony is in it for some publicity and mainly a paycheck. This is definitly a dangerous fight for our sport, though, that’s for sure. Toney does have a puncher’s chance, as always, and if he wins, it definitely will not only be a black eye for Couture but the entire sport of MMA. My advice to Randy is, let’s get this fight in the clinch and to the ground as soon as possible. Don’t bother chopping the legs or playing around on the feet at all.

Alberto Crane: I think Randy will be able to close the distance with ease and trip Tony to the canvas and make it a short night. But you also have to respect Toney’s punching power, and all I think it would take is that one [punch], as well as factoring Randy’s age. I'm really excited for the matchup.

Dan Evensen: Randy by round one TKO.

Ray Elbe: Could James Toney really become the Buster Douglas of MMA? At +600 odds, I would say he is going to lose the fight to “Captain America.” That being said, I would love to see James Toney land that punchers-chance shot, turning Couture into his finger puppet for the night.

Elvis Sinosic: Everybody is picking Randy, so, knowing our luck, Toney is going to land that Hail Mary shot and make us look like monkeys. Saying that, Randy will be all over Toney like a bad suit. He’ll most likely shoot while Bruce Buffer is introducing Toney. We’ll hear Mike Goldberg crying, “It’s all over!” And we’ll hear Joe Rogan telling us, “You can’t stop the Internet.” So look for Randy to finish Toney in the first round, most likely with ground-and-pound, but I wouldn’t count out a sub at all. The best part is going to be the post-fight interviews. I can’t wait to hear what Toney has to say.

Pete Spratt: Now this one I will comment on. James Toney will be shown why he should have stayed in boxing or just retired altogether. Randy will maul or submit Toney within five minutes. I give him credit for stepping up and signing on the dotted line, but, at the end of the day, he will be shown why boxers should stay in boxing. All Randy has to do is close the distance without taking any big shots and press Toney against the fence, use his Greco-[Roman wrestling] to get Toney to the ground and ground-and-pound to finish or to open him up to be submitted. I will give Toney a puncher’s chance, as he could catch Randy coming in, but I don’t see it happening. Randy Couture by submission in round one.

Gabe Ruediger: As fun as listening to James Toney is, this is such a mismatch; it’s funny. There is always a puncher’s chance, but when the boxing community is saying Toney is going to lose, you have to figure that’s a really bad sign. If Toney makes it out of the first round, that’s a victory in itself. Randy by whatever in the first.

Cyrille Diabate: I think James was an amazing boxer, one of the greats. I also think that he doesn’t believe he’s gonna win this fight himself. Yes, Toney can knock any human being out with one punch, but Randy has a lot more chances of taking the boxer down and whooping him until he taps to strikes or a choke. After a quick calculation, I think Randy has an 84.8 percent chance of winning this fight, strengthening his status as MMA legend and getting paid a nice bonus for “Submission of the Night.” Randy wins by MMA in round one.

James Thompson: Even if Toney was training 24/7 and really studying the MMA game, he still wouldn’t get nowhere near good enough to stop Randy. Plus, I don’t think he’s doing that. I reckon he’s going to be hoping and praying to the gods of MMA. This match doesn’t really prove anything, no matter what happens. If Toney wins, it proves he got lucky. If Couture wins, it proves he can beat a once great boxer who now just turns up for the paycheck. I reckon it’s a 98.9 percent [chance that] Couture wins. I’d say as soon as it hits the floor, Toney will be tapping like an epileptic seal.

Stephane Vigneault: I hope Randy will not exchange with Toney. Randy is a wrestler, and he needs to clinch to do the takedown. That’s where he’ll have a risk to get hit by Toney, but Randy will have the MMA community on his back for that one; he represents all of us and our sport in that fight. I see him doing a takedown right away and getting the mount, and the ref will have to stop the fight from Toney not intelligently defending himself. Randy Couture over James Toney by ref stoppage on a mount position around 3:37 in the first round.

Roli Delgado: I’m picking Randy to win. He’s a very smart fighter, and the cards are stacked in his favor: wrestling, cage work, submissions, etc. However, the one thing that worries me the most is that Randy is slowing down a little bit and Toney is very fast. With four-ounce gloves, I’m concerned that Toney’s precision and speed pose a problem. James has slightly better than a puncher’s chance. He’s way more than just a puncher; he’s a great boxer. At the end of the day, my money is on Randy via rear-naked choke in round one, after he makes James roll over from strikes.

Kit Cope: I'm pretty much with the majority on this one. Toney, like all boxers, thinks that he’ll be able to just clip Randy on the way in, but he’s gonna be faced with something he hasn’t acclimated to. There’s even a high chance of Randy knocking him out from angles and movement that he hasn’t dealt with before. Boxers are also used to taking hits to deliver, which you just can’t do with 4-ounce gloves. Couture has the ability to take it to the deck whenever he wants since Toney’s gut is just not fast enough to move out of the way. Then he’ll just look like a newborn on a waterbed.

Ross Pointon: Randy wins.

Matt Hamilton: Conventional wisdom, of course, says it’s an easy win for Randy. Just too many variables in this fight, though. Randy has looked a little wobbly of late when he has been hit. Toney isn’t a one-punch KO artist; Toney is a great counter puncher. I wouldn’t bet 35 cents on this fight because anything could happen. That being said, I pick Randy by submission in round one.

Michael Guymon: Randy by brutal beating and better Metamucil (laughs).

Martin Kampmann: Randy all the way.

Scott Epstein: Let’s take a shot in the dark here and say Randy is gonna take down Mr. Punch Drunk. While Toney is looking like he’s having epilepsy and trying to do the worm, Randy will have mercy and finish with a sub -- because he can.

Charlie Brenneman: I think Randy could -- and should -- win this fight without throwing a punch on his feet. Unless he has a mental lapse, this is his fight. Hands up, chin down, Couture wins by whatever he wants on the ground in the first round.