Two 40-something legends will meet in the octagon on Saturday for UFC 118 predictions
in a bout that is as anticipated as the lightweight championship rematch that heads up the card. Heavyweights Randy "The Natural" Couture and James "Lights Out' Toney will meet in what will be a truly historic bout as Toney is a current heavyweight BOXING champion while Hall of Famer Couture is a past heavyweight champion of UFC. Online sportsbooks have the veteran Couture -600 as the betting favorite in UFC odds while the rookie Toney is listed as a +400 underdog. Tony and his training staff have not shied away from some smack talk heading into his first career UFC bout.
"If James gets an opportunity, they're going to rush Randy to the hospital," said trainer Trever Sherman. Head coach John Arthur discussed Toney and his rants and simply said the champ has "anger management issues." Arthur believes Toney is well suited for the MMA and its anything goes/lack of rules and compared it to street fighting. Toney decided to try UFC after attending an event last January. Couture, for his part, is not too concerned about being the overwhelming UFC betting favorite. "I'm not terribly concerned," said Couture this week. "I've been in there with a lot of big strong guys and I had them on their backs."
Couture expects Toney to struggle with the adjustment from boxing to mixed martial arts and online sportsbooks agree paying back 4-1 in UFC 118 odds for the unexpected upset. "My estimation is that there definitely needs to be some adjustments made," said Couture about Toney making the transition. "There are a couple other things that need to be accounted for with that particular stance and style of boxing, and I think that's what a lot of boxers in general, when they look at MMA, they fail to understand." The main event for the UFC 118 fight card will feature BJ Penn -350 vs Frank Edgar +250.