When Rashad Evans and Jon Jones battle for the Light Heavyweight UFC title Saturday night at UFC 145 in Atlanta, they will be ending what has been two years of build.
Jones comes in as the champion and Evans has been the man who has been after it over a year. It was a rash of unfortunate injuries that kept this bout from happening, but the time for excuses is over.
The duo were part of the same camp, but their business relationship ended with their friendship, all that is left is a fight for the UFC belt and respect. This is going to be an all-out war.
Jones told the Washington Post about his upcoming fight with Evans and what he expects afterwards:
He thinks he knows everything I bring to the table, but a lot has changed since he left the gym a year ago. I’m a much different fighter than the one he trained with. I hope he is ready to see and feel that difference. I did tell Rashad that I was going to finish him, and that I was hoping that he would be my first career highlight knockout. And he remembers that. I would like to be able to be at a UFC event and not feel awkward in the same room with Rashad. It would be cool to be able to be like, ‘Hey, good fight,’ and just keep it moving. We’re adults here, and it’s not like I don’t know Rashad, so we’ll be like men after the fight. We’ll be cool.
After talk from skeptics about Jones’ injuries being staged to avoid the inevitable fight with Evans, it’s time for Jones to silence the critics and make his former friend and training partner respect him.
Jones will have to bring a complete arsenal to take down Evans, especially with Rashad knowing many of Jones’ tactics inside and out. The key for Jones will be adding something to his repertoire that Evans knows nothing about and unleashing it at the proper moment.
Whether it’s a spinning back fist or a flying knee, Jones need an exclamation point on this win to ensure there is no doubt who is the better man.
There is little doubt that this will become a battle for the light heavyweight crown like we’ve never seen.
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