With a lull in UFC action after the hectic New Year, most of this week’s fight news revolves around boxers pulling out of fights. The Floyd Mayweather/Manny Pacquiao superfight is now definitely off, and it now looks as if Pacquiao will take on the little-known Joshua Clottey while Mayweather is likely to face Shane Mosley. It’s possible that the hugely anticipated fight could still happen later in the year, and some have speculated that the furore over random drug testing might have been a ruse to further build up the fight.

What’s unlikely to happen at all is heavyweight boxer James Toney’s UFC debut. The former two-weight champ met with UFC president Dana White and was apparently made an offer –but calls it ‘laughable’ and says, ‘That’s why I wanted the camera guy in the room with us when I sat down with Dana, so the fans would know I was serious and if it didn’t happen, it wasn’t because of me.’ Was Toney unaware of the gap between boxing’s huge paydays and the typical cash an UFC fighter makes, or did he just suddenly realise that he, like another famous boxer of the past, doesn’t know much about MMA?



Finally, we’re pleased to report that two MF regulars are teaming up: British welterweight favourite Dan Hardy will be doing the final preparations for his title fight against Georges St-Pierre at Joe DeFranco’s gym in New Jersey, which MF visited in 2009. ‘When we sat down to plan Dan's title camp, we decided that in order to acclimatise and get used to being back in the US, we wanted to train for three weeks in New Jersey before the fight,’ says Hardy’s regular strength and conditioning coach, Ollie Richardson. ‘Because of my commitments with England and Leicester [rugby union teams] I couldn't afford the time away, so we immediately thought of Joe DeFranco, his team and his gym. Dan and I felt that the environment and intensity that DeFranco's is renowned for was exactly what we wanted in the run up to the title shot. The last few weeks of the camp are critical for Dan's preparation and we are supremely confident that we've made the right choice.’

‘I'm a big fan of Dan Hardy,’ DeFranco told MF this week. ‘I like how he fights – he's a tough, confident bastard!’

For loads more UFC workouts and interviews, check out the UFC section of the MF site. Plenty more in the mag too, so subscribe and we'll hook you up with five issues for £5.