Rashad Evans is no stranger to the spotlight. Since he first appeared in front of an UFC camera, Evans has always had people’s attention.
It’s a familiar place for the light heavyweight title contender and one that he finds himself in once again. But this time, Evans plans to put his past subpar main event performances behind him.
Being a main event, having to be the anchor of the show, pretty much gotta close the show…that’s always a tough position because you want to go out there and perform but at the same time you don’t wanna do nothin crazy to jeopardize the win.
But you’ve gotta give just enough excitement to where it’s entertaining but at the same time you wanna win. (Fighters.com)
One would think that Evans is changing his mind since he stands to gain a lot of fans should he win against Phil Davis and go on to face Jon Jones, but “Suga” isn’t promising an exciting fight for the fans.
I’m excited that the UFC’s got so much faith in me. Dana (White), Lorenzo (Feritta) and those guys…Joe Silva…they put me in the main event and that’s an honor in itself. That’s something where I want to go out there and fight hard just for those guys alone. Just so they know you that you put me at the end of the show to close out a show no matter how big it’s gonna be and I’m gonna put on a good show. (Fighters.com)
Perhaps Evans really means what he says about being an exciting fighter, but his comments about winning leave me to believe he will still do what it takes to win.
“Suga’s” performances against Thiago Silva and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson left a lot to be desired. After sitting on the sidelines, Evans responded to his critics by walking through Tito Ortiz in August.
Evans will need to prove that the Ortiz win wasn’t a result of facing an over-the-hill fighter who was coming off short rest. If Evans can manage to put away Davis in convincing fashion, the debate between Jones and Evans fans will only heat up.
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