UFC
UFC 118 PREVIEW: Randy Couture carrying the MMA mantle against James Toney, but not plugging into the "boxing vs. MMA" pressure
Aug 12, 2010 - 4:57:26 PM UFC 118 PREVIEW: Randy Couture carrying the MMA mantle against James Toney, but not plugging into the "boxing vs. MMA" pressure

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Randy Couture and James Toney will square off later this month at UFC 118, and despite the outside chatter pitting this fight as "boxing vs. MMA," Couture is entering the fight without any of that on his mind.

"I don't really choose to plug in to that kind of pressure," Couture said on a pre-fight conference call on Thursday. "I think the sport's going to be fine no matter what the outcome of the fight."

Though he doesn't think the fight will say much in the "boxing vs. MMA" debate, he understands he's taking up the side of MMA in this bout for those looking into it.

"I've been representing mixed martial arts in a lot of venues for a long time," he said. "Back when this sport was being banned all over and most people didn't understand who we were or what we did, coming from an Olympic sports background as a bona fide world-class athlete, I ended up representing the sport a lot.

"It's an honor for me to be considered for this fight and to kind of carry the mixed martial arts mantle."

Again Couture would mention that, because the fight is an MMA fight, Toney's success is contingent on his ability to implement more facets of the MMA game, and his boxing alone isn't being represented.

"It's a mixed martial arts bout in my mind, certainly," he said. "The question is what are the skillsets and what are the things James is going to be able to learn and try to execute in this fight. That's going to determine how much it's just boxing versus MMA. Obviously the rules of engagement for me are purely MMA. It'll be interesting to see what other things James develops specifically for this fight."

With that in mind, Couture is preparing to bring the fight to the ground, and once there he won't be worried about the power Toney possesses.

"I've been in there with a lot of big, strong guys and had them on their backs, who I'm sure hit just as hard as James does," Couture said. "Technique changes when you're laying on your back or sitting on your butt. The mechanics of a punch are different in those circumstances. Certainly I have a gameplan for the ground, and I'm not terribly worried about being knocked out from that position."

Although takedowns are certainly the main thing that Toney needs to be preparing for, Couture tells Toney that it's going to be a much harder transition into MMA than he may believe.

"My estimation is that there definitely needs to be some adjustments made," Couture said. "There are a couple other things that need to be accounted for with that particular stance and style of boxing, and I think that's what a lot of boxers in general, when they look at MMA, they fail to understand.

"With the takedowns and the punching and the kicking and the dirty boxing and clinchwork that takes place in mixed martial arts, you have to change your stance. You have to kind of change your fighting style a little bit in a pure boxing perspective."

Penick's Analysis: This is an MMA fight, pure and simple. If James Toney wins it will be because he's been able to implement enough of what he's learned about MMA to stay on his feet and land a few punches with four ounce gloves. But even if he knocks Couture down, I don't see him having the instinct to follow up to the ground to finish him off, and I don't think he's going to knock Couture out cold. Randy will be able to put him on his back in this fight early, and I don't see Toney being able to avoid it.

[Randy Couture art by Cory Gould (c) MMATorch.com]