James Toney is set to defend his IBA heavyweight title on Nov. 5 in New Orleans, but he's not done with MMA. Toney made that decision in the locker room of Boston's TD Garden moments after UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture tapped him out with an arm-triangle choke three minutes into his first real taste of the sport at UFC 118. "They might have won the battle, but the war ain't over yet," recalled John "Pops" Arthur, Toney's trainer of 12 years, of the boxing champion's words after the fight. Of course, a lot of MMA fans breathed a sigh of relief. The bout drew a tremendous amount of interest based on its "boxing vs. MMA" angle, though observers from both sides of the aisle gave Toney little chance of succeeding. Instead, most in the know saw it as a payday for an aging boxing champion with few available opportunities. Still, the matchup held its intrigue based on a simple question: If Toney had the chance to land one, clean punch before Couture closed the distance, would boxing show-up MMA? That question was answered pretty quickly. Toney (0-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) didn't even get one punch off before Couture (19-10 MMA, 16-7 UFC) felled him with a low single-leg takedown and secured the choke after a few minutes of struggle on the mat.
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