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James Toney, the 41-year-old former boxing titleholder, has talked his way into the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Toney, who has taunted UFC President Dana White at live events and in the media for several months about signing him to a contract, has reached a multi-fight agreement with the promotion, the UFC announced this week. Terms were not disclosed. At one point earlier this year, Toney called an offer he had received from the UFC “laughable.”
The deal reportedly allows Toney to box while under UFC contract, a rare concession. White told Yahoo Sports that Toney told him he’d been talking to Strikeforce about fighting Herschel Walker before he signed the UFC deal. Toney, who has nothing but boxing in his combat sports background, has been training for his Octagon debut alongside former Quinton Jackson mentor Juanito Ibarra.
Toney holds the heavyweight boxing titles recognized by the NABO and IBA sanctioning bodies, and has held titles in four weight classes. His last fight was a victory in September at 217 pounds. It is unclear whether Toney would compete at light heavyweight or heavyweight in the UFC. Not one to embrace weight-cutting or heavy cardio training, Toney has entered boxing rings anywhere from 225 to 240 pounds over the course his career. The once-elite middleweight, whose peak as a boxing star came in 1994 when he opposed Roy Jones Jr., may be the most accomplished boxer to compete in mixed martial arts. He has failed two steroid tests in his pro fighting career.
No first fight date or opponent has been announced. White told Yahoo Sports that June or July are possible dates and that he’d avoid a “freak show” match, and would have no problem with Toney leveraging his UFC exposure for a big boxing fight. Several fighters postured for a Toney bout in interviews, including Randy Couture on his Twitter account. The UFC had once broached Couture with a bout against Toney in 2006 that never came to fruition.
The announcement comes a week after the upstart Shine Fight promotion announced former boxing star Ricardo Mayorga will make his MMA debut on their May 15 pay-per-view card against Din Thomas.