Author: Kyle Symes

Rashad Evans: ‘Whether I Win, Lose or Draw I’m Gonna Put on a Good Show’

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 th…

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.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

The 25 Most Overrated Strikers in MMA Today

As the saying goes, “Everyone has a puncher’s chance.” It’s often a comment we make about a fighter who simply doesn’t match up well against his opponent.For the people on this list, it should be a comment made in each of their fights.The people on thi…

As the saying goes, “Everyone has a puncher’s chance.” It’s often a comment we make about a fighter who simply doesn’t match up well against his opponent.

For the people on this list, it should be a comment made in each of their fights.

The people on this list are credited with having “world class striking” in some cases and in others, “crazy knockout power.” But regardless of what hyperbole Joe Rogan wants to grant to these fighters, the truth is that these fighters are extremely overrated.

Some are overrated due to their lack of technical skills, while others simply don’t have the knockout power to warrant such accolades. Let’s get the controversy started!

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UFC on FX: Why Do We Think Melvin Guillard Is Wasting His Potential?

Following Melvin Guillard’s loss against Jim Miller at the UFC on FX event, I saw a lot of “Melvin Guillard is wasting his potential” discussions.I beg the question, why do we think he’s wasting it? Is it possible for people to think Guillard isn’t as …

Following Melvin Guillard‘s loss against Jim Miller at the UFC on FX event, I saw a lot of “Melvin Guillard is wasting his potential” discussions.

I beg the question, why do we think he’s wasting it? Is it possible for people to think Guillard isn’t as good as we think he is or want him to be?

I’ll start off by first examining Guillard’s record. Looking over it, you’ll see Guillard has only defeated three upper-level, talented lightweights.

His win against Gleison Tibau was by way of split decision (and also occurred in 2009), and his victory against Dennis Siver could be disputed by Siver’s move to 145 pounds. You could also say Siver wasn’t the same fighter in 2007, as he compiled a 1-3 record en route to being released by the UFC.

So, that just leaves his bout against Evan Dunham as his lone victory over a higher-level, talented fighter.

It seems as though Guillard has lost sight of what helped turn his career around—a move to Jackson’s MMA. Guillard has switched over to the Imperial Athletics camp, and while there are a handful of good fighters in that gym, it’s clear that Rashad Evans is their “top dog.”

The argument of staying at Jackson’s versus leaving is up for debate, but regardless of where Guillard trains, it’s clear that he isn’t going to break into the “title-contender” echelon of lightweights in the UFC.

He’s one of the most explosive fighters in the game and has unparalleled athleticism. He has the KO power in his hands and is always one second away from ending a fight.

But, it’s clear that all those traits aren’t enough to make Guillard a top-level fighter. Every time he gets close, there’s always someone there to knock him off the ladder.

Instead of focusing on why Guillard is wasting his talent, we should realize that this is the best Guillard will be.

Yes, he has the time to turn around his career, as he’s only 28 years old. But if he hasn’t reached his peak potential by his 42nd career bout, what makes us think he’s going to do it now?

It’s a shame to see Guillard not be able to transfer his physical tools into technique, but that just doesn’t seem like it’s possible for him right now.

Just as Jackson’s MMA resurrected Guillard’s career, perhaps he will find his second wind and own up to all the potential MMA fans have placed upon him.

Until then, stop thinking he should be fighting for a world title and enjoy the ride.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Phil Davis to Rashad Evans: ‘You Can’t Psych Me out of My Game’

Rashad Evans isn’t afraid to speak his mind in order to hype a fight. However, it seems his opponent this Saturday, Phil Davis, isn’t going to let Evans distract him.Speaking with Damon Martin of MMA Weekly, Davis explained that he wasn’t about to…

Rashad Evans isn’t afraid to speak his mind in order to hype a fight. However, it seems his opponent this Saturday, Phil Davis, isn’t going to let Evans distract him.

Speaking with Damon Martin of MMA Weekly, Davis explained that he wasn’t about to get dragged into a war of words with the light heavyweight contender.

“You can’t psych me out of my game, if that’s what he was trying to do,” said Davis. “I have a game plan, and nobody can talk me out of that.” (MMA Weekly)

Davis commented in the interview that his gameplan includes all facets of MMA.

“There’s nobody in the UFC that I can look at and say ‘you know what, I’m 100-percent just going to stand with you, I’m 100-percent just going to do jits with you, I’m 100-percent going to wrestle you.” (MMA Weekly)

It’s nice to see Davis, although in a high-profile matchup, maintain the willingness to work on everything. He could very easily focus on just his high-level wresting and use that to win the match.

“Mr. Wonderful” has different plans, it seems.

Evans did his best to rattle Davis’ cage with his Sandusky comment but Davis just shrugged it off and moved on. With his failed first attempt, it seems Evans has engaged in a verbal battle about what fighter will shoot first.

Although Davis is prepared for wherever the fight goes, he doesn’t believe he will be the first to give up on the striking and look to take things to the ground.

“No way. I’m going to beat you with everything, I’m going to beat you everywhere.”(MMA Weekly)

While Davis’ confidence is gleaming during the earlier parts of this interview, what worries me most is his comments about the possibility of fighting for a title if he wins.

“It’s kind of whatever happens. If I do get a title shot, cool. If I don’t, then I’ll have to win another fight or two.” (MMA Weekly)

I’d like to think Davis cares more about getting a title shot than he’s letting on, but I believe this to be a case of Davis realizing he has everything to gain while Evans has everything to lose.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC Undisupted 3 Demo Available Tuesday, January 24

The much-anticipated UFC Undisputed 3 will be available for fans to play on January 24th. No, the game as whole still has a little under a month left before the full release, but fans will be able to get a small preview of what’s to come.THQ let us kno…

The much-anticipated UFC Undisputed 3 will be available for fans to play on January 24th. No, the game as whole still has a little under a month left before the full release, but fans will be able to get a small preview of what’s to come.

THQ let us know earlier in the month that a demo was coming, but didn’t release a specific date until recently.

UFC Undisputed 3 has spent a lot of time in development and will likely not meet the expectations of MMA fans worldwide. However, after the failure of the second installment, there is only one way to go and that is up.

The new game promises a revamped combat system, a roster of over 150 fighters and introduces a Pride FC mode for all the Pride/Fedor fan boys.

I find it odd that the demo is coming so close to the release date, as we’ve seen with EA Sports MMA, a terrible demo will impact sales.

Hopefully, there won’t be any major bugs for THQ, as fans have been waiting quite a long time for a quality MMA game.

If you can’t wait until Tuesday, here’s a video that highlights the plethora of fighters.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC’s Top Current Fighters: Brazil

“The birthplace of MMA.”Those were the words uttered by Mike Goldberg during the UFC 142 broadcast. Although the sport of MMA isn’t a Brazilian creation, the most synonymous name with MMA is Gracie.Other than the plain old pound-for-pound rankings, you…

“The birthplace of MMA.”

Those were the words uttered by Mike Goldberg during the UFC 142 broadcast. Although the sport of MMA isn’t a Brazilian creation, the most synonymous name with MMA is Gracie.

Other than the plain old pound-for-pound rankings, you can’t find too many ranking systems out there. This system follows the same guidelines but groups the fighters based on their nationality.

I plan on doing multiple pieces on multiple nations and what better way to start off than with country with the richest history in MMA and the UFC.

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