Last night, I posted up a piece in the MMA section, a section of B/R to which I commonly frequent and contribute, about if boxing legend James “Lights Out” Toney had a chance to beat UFC legend Randy “The Natural” Couture.

Maybe it is and maybe it isn’t considered a “freak show fight” as some are calling it.

Definitely, fans of Mixed Martial Arts are talking about it. Some think Toney could have a shot, while others feel that Couture’s ability will be just too much for Toney to handle.

But what about those on the other side of the spectrum?

What about those fans who know something about James Toney beyond the simple fact that he’s a boxing legend?

What about those who know who, besides Evander Holyfield, have fought and fallen to Toney in his boxing career —those that know exactly who Toney has KOed, and those who know which shots from Toney got him those wins?

What do those people who have followed James Toney’s career —what do they think about Toney’s chances in the octagon?

I’m not ruling out the possibility of Toney knocking out Couture, and I’m certain that even those who are boxing fans first know that a knockdown in MMA is on a different planet from a knockdown in boxing, as are the rules of the game in both sports.

What I don’t know is if the boxing legend has trained in arts outside of his natural element, but I do know that Couture is something that maybe James Toney doesn’t see yet.

Randy Couture, the UFC Hall Of Famer is a “Natural” problem for James Toney.

For his entire career, Randy has been the guy who has been well rounded and he has been able to take people down, submit them, and even knock them out or cut them open.

Even at his age, he can still put people agaisnt the cage and control them or clinch with them and dirty box with them.

Dirty boxing is a legal component of MMA, and I think it will prove trouble for Toney against Couture, maybe even more so than the obvious change of battlefield from ring to cage.

Generally, you can never hold an opponent’s head and box in the clinch in an actual sport, but you can in mixed martial arts because it incorporates a wide diversity when it comes to styles.

Maybe Toney knows that it’s cool to dirty box in MMA, but then again maybe he doesn’t.

It’s more than just the wrestling and the submissions that may affect Toney.

Plus if Toney does try to box regularly with Couture, fans of either sport must remember that while a left or right could knock out Couture; setting up for it could leave a leg open for a kick, and once you kick a leg enough times, it gets tougher to not only move, but it also gets tougher to land any significant shots.

Maybe Toney can be the problem solver in this fight in Boston and beat Couture the only way he knows how to — by knocking out Couture with one of his lethal hands or a devestating combination from both.

Or maybe the problem that is Couture could be too much for Toney to handle.

“Lights out” for Randy Couture come UFC 118 on August 28?

I wouldn’t be so sure, Mr. Toney.

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Courtesy of :Bleacher Report – UFC

Tiiimmmbbbbeeeerrrrr! When a fighter’s illustrious UFC career comes tumbling down in the middle of a forest and nobody is there to hear it, can it be taken as fact? Of course it can and it usually is. A sustainable career in the Mecca organization of the sport tends to share a common fate of the men they belong to—mortality.

In fact, they are rather rare to come by in the whole MMA spectrum, enjoyed by a select few who have struck the right balance of skill and popularity to ensure their continuation of employment under the UFC. As a fighter, having a career in the “big leagues” is the light at the end of the tunnel, the pay-off of years of blood, sweat, and tears.

Many competitors spend years in the amateur circuit, sacrificing family time and futures in potentially stable careers, for a single chance to showcase their skills in the famed octagon—to hear their names announced by Bruce Buffer in an arena packed with screaming fans.

Some make it and some don’t. It’s a cruel reality for the fighters who never see that big pay-off, to taste the fruits of their labor. There are simply not enough slots of opportunity for everybody. But the crueler reality is that of the fighter who has lived the dream in the UFC, the fame and the glory, only to hit a snag in their career that causes them to received their infamous “walking papers.”

This fate tends to surface after accumulating decisive losses, falling from the graces of competition. MMA fans are a demanding bunch, not afraid to withdraw their approval if matchmaker Joe Silva continues to employ fighters who haven’t held their own.

For every one guy looking to run with his short UFC stint, there are 10 others waiting to prove that they deserve a chance at a lasting career under the Zuffa banner. Even the most devout Keith Jardine fan understands that the UFC isn’t a charity, that they couldn’t give another fight to the “Dean of Mean” after he lost four in a row and preserve their legitimacy at the same time.

The pressure of seeing your hard-earned dream constantly under the microscope can either motivate a fighter to perform to his fullest or corrupt his mental toughness to the point of termination.

It is the way of the MMA world.

Which leaves me the opportunity to officially introduce this debuting series: The Chopping Block. Before every major event, I will pick fighters who are endangered of getting their walking papers if they in fact lose their next bout.

Let’s start with UFC on Versus 2: Jones vs. Matyushenko and see who will be thrown on the chopping block.

James “The Sandman” Irvin, 31, (14-6) – two fight losing streak

If Irvin wasn’t worried about getting cut after his debut at 185 lbs against Alessio Sakara, he will be after a loss against Igor Pokrajac this Sunday. Originally a heavyweight who later made a name for himself as a knockout artist at 205 lbs, Irvin had a disastrous time cutting to 185 lbs, looking sickly at the actual weigh-ins and in the octagon.

His performance against Sakara wasn’t much better. As it stands, Irvin is in Dana White’s good graces and finds himself a lifeline in hopes of turning his career around now that he’s back at 205 lbs.

Igor Pokrajac, 31, (21-7) – two fight losing streak

Needless to say, there’s a lot at stake for both Irvin and Pokrajac, the loser having to find a new fight home. The upside to this bout will be the fact that fans will get to see two guys battle for their respective UFC careers, which should produce some fireworks.

Neither one of this guys wants it to go to decision.

Like Irvin, 31-year-old Pokrajac—a long time training partner of fellow Croatian Mirko Cro-Cop—has dropped his last two fights in the octagon and is looking to bounce back into the winning column.

Steven Steinbeiss, 29, (4-3) – two fight losing streak

Steinbeiss had a rough octagon debut against Ryan Jensen last year, after coming over to the UFC once the WEC shut its doors on the heavier divisions. Before transferring to the UFC’s middleweight division, Steinbeiss suffered a split decision loss to Carmelo Marrero at WEC 36 in 2008.

With two straight losses and now fighting on the under-undercard, Steinbeiss is in a must win situation if he wants a chance to grow into a budding UFC contender.

***

Some events will have more chopping block candidates than others; in this case there were only three that really stuck out.

All of the main card participants are in no danger of losing their jobs, with the possible exception of Takanori Gomi. Even with a loss against Tyson Griffin, the Japanese Fireball Kid will more than likely get one last chance to prove his relevancy, even if it’s on a future prelim card, saving him from this edition’s…chopping block of doom!

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Courtesy of :Bleacher Report – UFC