Who is James Toney, the MMA fighter Daniel Cormier listed as his No.1 boxer in UFC history?
Daniel Cormier and Ryan Clark recently revealed their top five boxers in UFC history. Cormier caught everyone's attention when he chose James Toney as number one on his list.
James Toney is a former professional boxer. He held world titles in three weight classes from 1991 to 1993, including the IBF and lineal middleweight titles, the IBF super-middleweight title from 1993 to 1994, and the IBF cruiserweight title in 2003. In total, he has fought for 15 world titles in four weight classes.
James Toney has also challenged for the world heavyweight title twice. He was successful in claiming the title for the first time but was stripped of it pertaining to a failed drug test.
Speaking about his list, Daniel Cormier took to Instagram to share a clip from the DC & RC show. During it, he can be seen giving his argument for choosing James Toney as his top pick.
“At No. 1, the greatest boxer in mixed martial arts history and the greatest boxer to fight in the Octagon, is James Toney. James Toney may not have shown his ability in there but James Toney is No. 1 for me because guess what? Even though he got taken down and submitted by Randy (Couture), James Toney is the middleweight champ of the world. James Toney fought Bernard Hopkins. James Toney is one of the greatest boxers of all time."
Watch Daniel Cormier's argument for his Toney pick below:
James Toney squared off against Randy Couture in his UFC debut
James Toney's venture into the MMA world didn't go to plan. Toney squared off against Randy Couture in the co-main event of UFC 118 back in 2010. 'Lights Out' was defeated via first-round submission at the hands of the former six-time UFC Champion.
Speaking to ESPN about the fight, UFC president Dana White said:
"James Toney picked this fight and he got a fight. Toney lasted longer than I thought he would. It's unfair to put a guy in there with one discipline, even if he's trained for several months."
Ten years ago today, boxer James Toney made his MMA debut against Randy Couture at UFC 118.
Toney relentlessly campaigned Dana White to give him a UFC fight, hoping to prove boxing was superior to MMA.
On the night, Couture took Toney down and submitted him in the first round. https://t.co/rp8WtadRn1