I’ve been having discussions with friends and MMA fans about the next pro athlete to cross over.  Today my question was answered, as James “Lights Out” Toney signed with the UFC.

James Toney is a professional boxer, with a total 83 fights and 72 wins.  He is the former IBF Middleweight, Super Middleweight, and cruiserweight champion.  He’s fought boxing superstars like Roy Jones, Jr., Evander Holyfield, and Hasim Rahman.  His boxing career has spanned 21 years, and 4 different weight classes.  But now he’s making the change over to Mixed Martial Arts.

Toney began going after the UFC back in January, where he crashed the post-fight press conference, and demanded Dana White step up to the plate.  After many meetings with White, and trash talking about his “Minor League” fighters stepping up against “Lights Out”, he finally got the deal.  Now, the next question is, where does Toney sit in the divisions?  Will he stay at a heavyweight or jump down to 205?  This is the guy who started his career as a middleweight all 20 years ago.

We’ll find out why exactly the UFC is rolling the dice on Toney. One reason has to be the quick payday via pay-per-view. The boxing versus MMA matchup is likely to bring in a huge audience. Plus Toney will do his part to hype the hell out of the fight.

Who’s next to cross over into MMA?  Michael Phelps?  Reggie Miller?