Tag: Rashad Evans (Page 5 of 5)

      Jones not shy about saying he can beat Evans

      April 15, 2011 /

      nullWhen the UFC decided to have a Jon Jones-Rashad Evans title fight take place in the future, I think every level-headed fight fan knew the hype for this fight would get ugly quick.

      Clearly there is more bad blood between these two than meets the eye. The pre-fight talk has now begun and it is Jones throwing the first verbal jab.

      During an interview with ESPN’s Josh Gross, Jones talked about his superiority over Evans when they trained together.

      Jones won’t need to go out on a limb to earn his share of media coverage over the summer as a showdown with Rashad Evans, 31, looms. The bout, Jones’ first scheduled title defense, is likely to take place in September, and puts former training partners and friends in the cage together.

      The champion, almost brazenly, claims an advantage in style, preparation and experience.

      “We fought each other in practice,” said Jones, who pushed his record to 13-1 with last month’s triumph. “A finish has been possible several times and it has always been me finishing him. I never did it out of respect that he was the elder of the school. It’s against protocol in a way. Some people would do it but I believe in tradition.

      “He has a lot to study. I have a lot to study, but I get to study[ing] more in-depth. He gets to study[ing] and gets a headache.”

      I am not one for bickering about training and fighting, but the more this story plays out, the more it seems Jones instigated the problems. He was the first to say he would fight Evans when Evans was willing to step aside and now he is the first to degrade Evans and his abilities.

      Maybe Jones has reasons to be upset, as Evans isn’t shy with his trash talk either. I am sure there is a lot of back story to this fight that we may never know about. All I know is, I can’t wait for this fight to take place.

      Fighters, News, UFC

      Top 10 Light Heavyweight Rankings

      April 13, 2011 /

      nullAfter having released my pound-for-pound and heavyweight top 10 rankings, it is time to unveil my first light heavyweight top 10 list.

      1. Jon Jones (13-1): Jones is the easy pick as he has destroyed everyone in his path on his way to the UFC championship. Media pundits are quick to label Jones as an unstoppable champion, but those same words were spoken about Lyoto Machida two years ago. Jones has been unbelievable thus far, but we have still yet to see him overcome adversity in the octagon.

      2. Rashad Evans (15-1-1): I put Evans in my No. 2 spot as he has just one loss in his career. It was an embarrassing loss to Machida, but I think it was more due to a poor game plan as opposed to the lack of skills to beat him. Evans has quickness with his hands and feet and has a sturdy base with great wrestling ability. He is a hard opponent to game plan for and really his only weakness may be his confidence in his hands. He is next in line to try to figure out the Jones puzzle and reclaim his spot on top of the division.

      3. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (31-8): Rampage has been a hard guy to figure out over the last few years. He seems to be suffering slightly from the evolution of MMA into more of a wrestling style. His grappling skills cost him a decision to Evans and were still lacking in his win over Machida. Jackson still has arguably the most powerful hands in the division and his aggressive nature makes him difficult for anyone. Rampage takes on another wrestler next in Matt Hamill at UFC 130, and a win could put him in line for a title shot.

      4. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (19-5): Despite being the guy that dethroned Machida, I still haven’t seen anything real special from Rua in his time at the UFC. He has certainly not been the guy that fought his way to the PRIDE championship. Rua has really struggled with his conditioning in the octagon, and that was a big problem in his loss to Jones. Rua’s edge on Machida may be more about fighting style than talent.

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      Fighters, Strikeforce, UFC

      Jones vs. Evans set for fall 2011

      April 2, 2011 /

      nullThe drama between Jon Jones and Rashad Evans will come to a head this fall.

      According to Fighters Only, UFC President Dana White posted on an online forum that the two will square off for the UFC Light Heavyweight title in “September or October.”

      This fight was quickly put together following Jones’ UFC 128 win over Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. After the victory, the bad blood that had been brewing between Jones and Evans quickly spilled on the octagon floor and it is only likely to get worse in the months leading up to the fight.

      Aside from the hype that will surround this bout, the fight itself should be pretty interesting.

      While Jones seems unbeatable right now, Evans has trained with him enough to have picked up some weaknesses in his game. The challenge facing Evans will be getting inside the reach of Jones and handling his slightly larger frame.

      Jones will have to contend with Evans’ quickness and explosiveness. Evans is arguably the best athlete Jones will have faced in his MMA career. Staying out of Evans’ punching range and off his back will be a must for Jones.

      My personal prediction for this bout (which is still five to six months away mind you) is Jones to beat Evans like he has everyone else. I don’t think Evans will succeed at getting Jones to the ground and I feel that Jones is the better overall striker.

      But, only time will tell.

      Events, Fighters, News, UFC

      MMA pound-for-pound top 10 rankings

      March 31, 2011 /

      nullWhat’s a blog site without rankings?

      Everyone has their say. Everyone has their opinion. Well, as someone that has been watching MMA for almost a decade, I think I have a pretty good eye for a well-rounded fighter.

      Here is my take on the top 10 in all of MMA. This is a list I will update regularly and I am sure there is plenty of room for debate in my choices.

      1. Anderson Silva (28-4): The pound-for-pound king to me is the UFC middleweight champion. The guy hasn’t lost since 2006, and that was by DQ. His last loss by submission or KO was a 2004 loss via flying heel hook. Silva is a work of art and a pleasure to watch in action. He truly is an artist with his striking and he rarely throws a punch or kick that goes to waste. Silva has been unbeatable in the UFC, but the blueprint to beat him seems to be pretty clear. His takedown defense is somewhat lacking and you have to bring the fight to him right away. Many opponents make the mistake of letting Silva go through his feel out process in the first round and once he does, it is lights out. Silva likely has a super fight with Georges St. Pierre or a title defense against Yushin Okami next. Both fighters possess the skills to beat him.

      2. Georges St. Pierre (21-2): GSP is No. 2 on this list simply due to his lack of finishing fights. It would be hard to argue that any fighter has dominated his opponents on average more than St. Pierre, but he still hasn’t been able to win in the fashion that Silva has. St. Pierre has shown very well-rounded skills as he can out-strike, out-wrestle, and out-submit his opponents. His defense is very good as well as he rarely takes damage and is one of the best at staying off his back. For someone to beat the UFC welterweight champion, they will have to either land a clean punch or put him on his back. Both of those tasks will be difficult.

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      Anderson Silva, Cain Velasquez, Dominick Cruz, Fighters, Frankie Edgar, Georges St. Pierre, Jake Shields, Jon Fitch, Jon Jones, Jose Aldo, Rashad Evans, UFC

      With Jones vs. Evans set, will other MMA teammates face off?

      March 30, 2011 /

      nullAs impressive a win as Jon “Bones” Jones had at UFC 128 over Mauricio “Shogun” Rua to win the UFC Light Heavyweight title, the victory became somewhat overshadowed by the drama between Jones and former teammate Rashad Evans.

      Evans was originally scheduled to fight Rua for the title but a knee injury six weeks before the fight forced the UFC to find a replacement—Jones. As the fight drew closer the speculation as to whether Jones and Evans would even fight each other if Jones won the title started to pick up. Things were said by both parties and ultimately, the end result is that Evans is now leaving Team Jackson to pursue a title fight with Jones leaving plenty of people with a bad taste in their mouths. Team Jackson is run by renowned trainer, Greg Jackson.

      The fight will no doubt be a big draw for the UFC as there will certainly be plenty of mud slinging going on in the weeks leading up to the bout. This will be one of the first, in what I think the UFC hopes will be many, fights featuring guys who either have or currently train together.

      Here are a few other intriguing fights that could possibly shape up one day or another between training partners:

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      Anderson Silva, Fighters, Jon Jones, News, Rashad Evans, Strikeforce, UFC

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