Rashad Evans‘ rise to the 205-pound division has been long, but a well-deserved one.
From competing on The Ultimate Fighter to defeating some of the sport’s legendary fighters in Chuck Liddell and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Evans had many great moments in his career.
And on April 21st, he’ll have another great moment as he gets the opportunity to challenge Jon Jones for the UFC light heavyweight title.
Evans and Jones’ history is well-documented, but for “Suga,” it goes much deeper than their title bout. Evans is hoping to beat Jones and settle their rivalry for good.
“I’m just looking forward to fighting him to be honest. A lot of the back and forth and a lot of the drama is so old,” Evans told Fiveouncesofpain.com. “I’m tired of hearing people say Jon is going to do this to you and he said this about you. It seems everyone has their own opinion.”
“For me, I am just looking forward to getting it on,” he said.
Throughout the past year, the animosity has built between the former teammates. Evans has been vocal on his relationship with Jones, as he said he felt betrayed by the 24-year-old and his coach Greg Jackson, leading to his exit from the Albuquerque, N.M.,-based camp.
The relocation to Imperial Athletics has been beneficial for Evans, who trains with such world-class fighters as Melvin Guillard and Alistair Overeem. Evans is reunited with former training partner Keith Jardine.
It has allowed Evans to place himself in a more peaceful environment.
“Down here it’s more organized and there are a lot more talented guys,” he said.
In less than a month, Evans will attempt to recapture the 205-pound crown from an old rival and become a two-time UFC champion. The severed ties between him and Jones has given Evans the motivation to put forth the effort and prepare for arguably the biggest fight of his career.
And if Evans is successful, there will be no greater satisfaction than to hand Jones his first legitimate loss, and stand atop the light heavyweight division.
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