UFC 118: Boxing vs. MMA

It's been a debate ever since the sport of MMA has become relevant in mainstream society. Is the better fighting sport boxing or mixed martial arts?

We'll finally get to see at least a partial answer tonight at UFC 118 in Boston.

It will be a battle of two men who definitely aren't the prime of their careers, with James"Lights Out" Toney crossing over to MMA for the first time to take on seasoned UFC veteran Randy Couture.

Toney has not been shy of talking smack leading up to this fight, but I'm not so sure he realizes what he's got himself into.

Sure, if he connects with one of his signature punches then it could instantly be lights out for Couture, no pun intended.

I can't see Couture being that clumsy. He's going to be smart and try to put the inexperienced Toney on the mat and keep it as far away from a boxing match as possible.

In other words, make Toney beat you from where he's least comfortable. I find it hard to believe that Toney will be anywhere close to effective on the mat or in any area of MMA other than boxing.

Couture is a better wrestler than Toney, better at muay thai, and better at jiu jitzu.

For me personally it's going to be very satisfying if Toney is put on the mat and tapped out, and I can easily see that happening.

This match is somewhat unpredictable thanks to both men being in their 40's, with Couture at age 47 and Toney at age 42.

If Toney manages to win then it will be a tough blow to MMA as a sport, but it won't be a death sentence. People are still going to continue to choose watching MMA events over the more traditional boxing match.

What it's all going to come down to is the amount of experience, or lack thereof, that each fighter possesses. Couture has trained in MMA for somewhere around 13 years whereas Toney took up the sport over the last few months.

Couture wins by submission.

Tale of the Tape

James Toney (USA)

• 72-6-3 (boxing career) 0-0-0 (MMA career)
  
• Age 42
• 5'10''
• 237 lbs.
• 72'' reach

Randy Couture (USA)

• 18-10 (MMA career)
• Age 47
• 6'1''
• 220 lbs.
• 75'' reach
  

Rampage vs. Evans: Heads Will Roll

Perhaps one of the most anticipated fights since UFC 100's Mir-Lesnar fight pits Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (30-7) against Rashad Evans (14-1-1).

Needless to say these guys don't like each other which always makes for a good fight. This dislike for each goes back a while but really got going when the two fighters were coaches on one of the Ultimate Figther series.

We've always known Rampage as trying to get under the skin of his opponent, but Evans has generally been more mild mannered than Rampage.

However, don't expect any cheap shots like UFC 113 when Paul Daley sucker punched Josh Koscheck well after the final bell hand rang.

Both of these guys respect the sport and will put on a great show for the sport's most loyal fans.

Rampage is the knockout specialist while Evans is more of a technical fighter. If the fight goes to the canvas then many are saying Evans will have the advantage. To the same degree, with the fight standing Rampage possesses that deadly strength that can put you out before you even know what's coming. He did it to Chuck Liddell and he can do it to Evans as well.

Evans is a very smart fighter but has been known to get careless at times when the fight is standing. Don't expect that to happen this time around. Much like Rampage, Evans is completely focused on the most hyped non-title fight in UFC history.

UFC 114 marks the beginning to a summer loaded with good events that will lead up to the Lesnar-Carwin fight in July.

UFC 104 Overshadowed By Horrible Decision

There hasn't been a ton of hype surrounding the UFC ever since the historic UFC 100 occurred back in July, and last night won't help the sport gain anymore popularity among casual fans.

Last night was UFC 104 and the main event featured a guy who had never lost a round or been knocked out in a UFC fight. That guy was Lyodo Machida.

As great of a fighter as Machida is, he shouldn't have retained his light heavyweight belt last night. Mauricio Shogun owned almost the entire fight, giving Machida brutal leg kick after leg kick. Machida's left side of his rib cage was bright red and bruised.

The fight ultimately went the five championship rounds, thanks in large part to Machida never really pushing the fight. Instead, Shogun looked for all the action and capatilized on many attempts.

In the end it didn't matter. I guess if you want a belt in the UFC you got to knock the guy out and completely owning the fight just isn't good enough.

This controversial decision comes during a time when officials from other sports are also being called out. The MLB suspended some umpires from calling the World Series for their calls and in college football there are SEC officials who are under scrutiny for horrible calls in the Florida-Arkansas game last weekend.

I understand that these officials, and in this case the three judges, are only human, but these calls are just ridiculous. It would have been obvious to even the most casual fan that Shogun won that fight.

The belt was stolen from Shogun after all of his intense training and something should be done about it if the UFC doesn't want to start losing fans and respect.

UFC 100 Fight Card Could Elevate Sport to New Level

It's now been over 15 years since the UFC introduced to the world the idea of two men beating the crap out of each other in an octagon.

The UFC has unquestionably transformed into a world phenomenon since that day in Denver, Colorado.

On Saturday, the sports will celebrate UFC 100, and the fight card fits the title. This fight card might be one of the most anticipated fight cards in the history of the UFC.

Simply put, almost every fight you will see on Saturday night would have the power to be a main event at a normal UFC event. However, this is UFC 100 and UFC President Dana White made sure this UFC will be the most memorable to date.

The main event will be for the UFC heavyweight title as Brock Lesnar (3-1) will try to avenge his loss to Frank Mir (12-3), a fight that he owned until the few seconds it took Mir to secure his knee bar.

What's not intriguing about this fight? You've got a former WWE wrestler in Lesnar who is under a lot of scrutiny for getting a title shot when he was only 2-1.

The Lesnar enthusiasts will argue that Lesnar's lack of knowledge and experience in MMA was the only reason he lost that fight, and now he's more seasoned, if you will, to take on the technical specialist that is Frank Mir.

If that main even wasn't good enough, you also got an interesting fight between The Ultimate Fighter's most recent coaches, Michael Bisping (17-1) and the veteran Dan Henderson (24-7).

It was very obvious during the course of the last Ultimate Fighter that these two don't exactly plan on hanging out with each other anytime soon.

You've also got a fan-favorite in Georges St-Pierre (18-2) taking on Thiago Alves (16-3), which is for the Welterweight Championship.

There is a ton of buzz circulating among even the most casual UFC fans about this upcoming event. If UFC 100 lives up to the hype, it could elevate the sport to unmeasurable heights.

UFC 100 has the potential to gain so many fans to the sport that it could end up forcing the entire nation to respect it with the same sports as basketball, baseball, and even football.

Not only could it end up creating new fans, but it could turn casual fans like myself into absolute die-hard fans that can't get enough.

ESPN is already giving it more exposure than it ever has before as we lead up to UFC 100.

For the UFC, everyone will be a winner after the excitement finally comes to an end on Saturday night. Sorry boxing, but don't let the door hit you on the way out!