BOXING legend James Toney became the first to trade the ring for the UFC octagon – but it did not go to plan.
Toney was among the best during the 1990s and went on to win titles in three divisions.
But in 2010, he made the shock move to MMA and challenged UFC legend Randy Couture.
It ended in disaster for Toney, who got taken to the floor within seconds and tapped out to a chokehold in the first round.
Reflecting on the fight, he told Sky Sports in 2017: “My plan was to knock him out quickly but he got to my legs, took me down, and did what he did.
“It worked. MMA is not my game but, if I did it again, it would have been different.”
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In recent times, MMA fighters have more frequently crossed over to boxing.
It came after the financial success of Conor McGregor’s money-spinning bout with Floyd Mayweather six years ago.
McGregor, 35, lost in ten rounds but it encouraged several others MMA fighters to step into the boxing ring.
But none performed as well as former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.
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Ngannou, 37, floored and took Tyson Fury, 35, all ten rounds of their clash in Saudi Arabia, with many feeling he was unlucky to lose on points.
It was the latest and most shocking of the crossover clashes but if Toney had it his way he would have got Couture back in the ring.
He said: “I would have loved for Randy to do a boxing match but he wouldn’t. I couldn’t wrestle with him but he can’t box with me.”
Toney would return to boxing six months after his dismal MMA debut and went on to fight nine more times over seven years.
His last bout was against Mike Sheppard in 2017 all the way up at heavyweight, which he won by knockout aged 48.
But now at 55 Toney prepares for another comeback bout in an exhibition in Jamaica against Razor Ruddock, who is 59 himself.
Toney said: “At my age, I can still whup anybody on the planet, any time, anywhere, any place.
“I’m the original old-school fighter. I was born to fight. Everybody else was taught to fight.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
