UFC
UFC 118 PREVIEW: James Toney ready to play the bad guy against Randy Couture; not considering the possibility of a loss
Aug 13, 2010 - 3:24:05 PM UFC 118 PREVIEW: James Toney ready to play the bad guy against Randy Couture; not considering the possibility of a loss

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

James Toney is talking a tough game heading into his UFC 118 entrance into the world of mixed martial arts against multi-time champion Randy Couture. The brash and outspoken boxing world champion thoroughly believes that his sport is superior, and he's not envisioning any way he loses this fight in Boston.

"Randy's going to be Randy, James will be James, you know what I'm saying?" Toney said in a pre-fight teleconference this week. "Whatever happens, happens. But you know what, I'm winning, point blank, hands down. If he decides to get close to me, he knows it's a wrap for him."

"I don't even think about losing... I'm the best fighter in the world [and] I'm the best fighter Randy's ever fought."

Toney also continued his string of commentary against the ground game in MMA.

"Randy's good at what he does, I'm great at what I do," he said. "Now he's talking about he's going to lay on top of me? God bless him, but I ain't no female so I ain't going down like that. He's getting knocked out."

And while Couture is happy to take up the mantle for mixed martial arts, even though he doesn't see this fight as "MMA vs. boxing," Toney isn't trying to take up the cause for his sport.

"I don't care about the boxing community," he said. "I care about James Toney. It's about James Toney and Randy Couture. It's not about James Toney and boxing."

Toney will enter the TD Garden in Boston, Mass. as the enemy. Fans that have taken offense to his comments about the sport will be cheering on Couture, hoping to see a quick finish from "The Natural." And Toney's just fine playing the bad guy.

"This ain't nothing new for me, so I can't wait," he said. "If they boo me, I love it."

Penick's Analysis: Toney mumbled his way through the entirety of that conference call on Thursday, as he has with every interview he's done over the last couple of years. It's a clear sign that punches to the head over a long career are taking effect, and it makes it all the more surprising that this fight will even be sanctioned. Still, as Couture contends, the amount of boxing fights that Toney has should allow him to be licensed by the Massachusetts State Athletic Commission. Hopefully Couture can come in and put a quick end to this freak show on August 28.

RELATED STORY: UFC 118 PREVIEW: Randy Couture carrying the MMA mantle against James Toney, but not plugging into the "boxing vs. MMA" pressure: [CLICK TO READ FULL ARTICLE]