Former Heavywieght Champion Signs With UFC

James Toney may be a big mouth but he's one smart dude. The IBA heavyweight champ put out the bait and he just hooked a big fish in the UFC. The 41-year-old boxer, whose paydays have dried up in the ring, has signed a deal with world's biggest mixed martial arts promotion.

Toney began to lay his trap back in January after UFC 108. He crashed the postfight press conference at the MGM in Las Vegas and demanded that UFC president Dana White step up to the plate. After several meetings with White and several more videos where Toney said the prez was afraid to bring him against his "minor league" fighters, "Lights Out" finally got his deal. White confirmed to Yahoo! Sports' Kevin Iole that it was a done deal.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewrite...?urn=mma,225645

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Amid rabid speculation this morning that Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson (5-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) may be James Toney's first octagon opponent, his manager told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) on Thursday afternoon that it's business as usual for the bearded brawler.

Slice, who is expected to face Matt Mitrione at UFC 113 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, is absent from the promotion's official event page. But Mike Imber, Slice's longtime manager otherwise known as "Icy Mike," said his client was never on the page to begin with.

And Slice's absence does not mean he has other plans.

"I really don't think that's got anything to do with us," Imber said.

UFC president Dana White confirmed Slice's rumored fight with Mitrione at a gathering of reporters following the UFC 109 pre-fight press conference, and the bout was advertised as a part of the Montreal card as part of the recent UFC 110 broadcast.

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