The rivalry between UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and Rashad Evans wasn’t always this ugly. In fact, it was once a friendship.
Sure, they were never best of friends. However, they spent plenty of time together, with Jones learning under Evans’ wing as he began his historic rise up the UFC ladder.
Then this happened: Jones admitted in an interview with Ariel Helwani that, if Dana White forced him to face Rashad, he would likely do it rather than risk being fired. That was the moment that changed everything for both men. It changed Evans’ life in a drastic manner, forcing him to leave his home at Greg Jackson’s gym for the climate and comfort of South Florida, where he became the founder of the Blackzilian fight team.
It also tore apart a management company. Glenn Robinson and Malki Kawa had merged their respective client rosters and were operating as one company. Robinson managed Evans and Kawa managed Jones. The bitter split between both fighters ultimately forced Robinson and Kawa to end their business agreement and go their separate ways.
Jones and Evans were scheduled to face off in August 2011, but a hand injury to Jones forced him to pull out of the fight. A few weeks after pulling out of the fight, Jones discovered that his hand injury wasn’t as serious as originally believed and opted to take a fight instead of undergoing surgery.
Unfortunately, Evans was already booked into a fight with Phil Davis at that point. Jones instead faced Rampage Jackson at UFC 135 in September.
Here we are, over a year later, and Jones and Evans are finally going to face off in the cage. Check out this extended preview that highlights the ever-widening chasm between two of the best fighters in the sport.
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