UFC 118: Five Ways James Toney Beats Randy Couture

UFC 118 will certainly be entertaining from many perspectives. Dubbed Boxing vs. MMA, the UFC will forever be changed by a James Toney KO.

Many believe a "lucky" punch is needed. I personally believe when you are a multi-class world champion, there is no such thing.

This fight is pretty simple in many people's minds. Randy takes down Toney, he wins. Randy stands with Toney, he loses.

Not so quickly, here are the five things Toney needs to have in his arsenal to shock the world on Saturday night...besides a "lucky" punch.

Gets Back to His Feet

If in camp emphasis was placed on getting back standing after a Couture takedown, James should be able to win the fight.

Every time (including start of rounds) the two are toe to toe, James is at a significant advantage to end the fight.

He trained with King Mo Lawal (world-class wrestler) leading up to the fight, so it is not that unreasonable to believe Toney may get back up.

Sprawls

Toney also needed to learn the basics of takedown defense. All of the talk is about Toney having one chance with an uppercut on a Couture double leg. WRONG.

If Toney is smart (which I don't think he is), instead of striking and leaving himself vulnerable to said takedown, he will create separation and look for an improved striking position during Couture's attack.

Avoids Clinch

Boxers are used to tying up and having the ref separate them after a couple seconds. This won't be the case in the cage.

If Randy gets inside, which is easier said than done, it is imperative that Toney have the technique to once again create the separation needed for optimal striking distance.

Leg Kick Counters

Definitely a new component that "Lights Out" will not be used to. If Toney trained to counter leg kicks with his hands, this fight could end in under a minute with Toney walking out victorious.

Toney is a very gifted athlete that is still very fast and can punch quicker and harder than anyone in all of MMA.

Also, despite the love for "The Natural," he does not have a very good chin. Bad combination for Couture if he gets caught.

Takes Fight to Couture

So many times I have seen fighters over think a fight. They come in and stray from their strengths. BJJ guys turn into boxers, wrestlers into Muay Thai guys, and so on and so forth.

James Toney, former champion boxer, needs to box MMA star Randy Couture.

Toney needs to walk across the ring and make Randy counter his fists. If you see a long feel-out period on Saturday to start the fight, Randy will have the advantage.