Author: Mike Hodges

Rashad Evans Refuses to Sign Autograph for a Fan

It isn’t easy being Rashad Evans.The former UFC light heavyweight champion, who is set to challenge Jon Jones at UFC 145, made a public appearance over the weekend and was signing autographs for fans in attendance. However, one fan happened to off…

It isn’t easy being Rashad Evans.

The former UFC light heavyweight champion, who is set to challenge Jon Jones at UFC 145, made a public appearance over the weekend and was signing autographs for fans in attendance. 

However, one fan happened to offend Evans after asking him to sign a picture of his knockout loss to Lyoto Machida at UFC 98. 

“Suga” immediately turned down the young fan’s request as he crumpled the picture and threw it away. Despite being visibly upset with the gesture, Evans handled the incident professionally and still took a photos with others in line.

Evans is renowned as one of the sport’s most notorious trash-talkers, but he is also regarded as one of the most respectful fighters outside of the UFC. Evans showed a lot of class in handling the situation and came across as a likeable person, regardless of his persona inside the Octagon.

However Evans is perceived by fans or media, no fighter or professional athlete should be subjected to this form of treatment. Part of a fighter’s job is to do media appearances, while maintaining a professional and responsible image to fans, and Evans did not deserve to be disrespected in any way.

The UFC should look at this incident and hope to include more security or staff at these public events, or perhaps enforce stricter guidelines, to prohibit inappropriate behavior from fans.

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Jon Jones Says Rashad Evans’ Trash-Talk Will Cost Him at UFC 145

Jon Jones faces perhaps the most difficult task of his career as he prepares to fight his former training partner Rashad Evans.The bitter rivals share a past that saw them train alongside each other at Greg Jackson’s gym in New Mexico. They have since …

Jon Jones faces perhaps the most difficult task of his career as he prepares to fight his former training partner Rashad Evans.

The bitter rivals share a past that saw them train alongside each other at Greg Jackson’s gym in New Mexico. They have since gone their separate ways.

Their experience at the New Mexico-based gym might have been beneficial for both fighters, but Jones told LondonFreePress.com that it won’t give Evans a clear advantage over him on April 21st.

“Rashad talks about the time he held me down in practice and how he was getting me to break mentally,” Jones said. “He’s talking about a fighter that in training in 2010 he used to beat. In 2011, I wasn’t the same fighter and I was starting to beat him. And with that same work ethic in 2012, you’re going to see I’m not that same kid he held down in practice.”

Prior to their upcoming title bout at UFC 145, Jones was still a prospect in the light heavyweight division and he was still an inexperienced fighter under the tutelage of coach Greg Jackson and fellow fighters like Evans and UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre. 

However, an injury to Evans allowed the 24-year-old to step in and challenge for the UFC light heavyweight title last year. Jones would deliver one of the defining performances of his career as he dominated then-champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua to be crowned the new UFC light heavyweight champion.

Evans has attempted to get under the champion’s skin, but Jones said he isn’t phased by the trash-talk and believes it will only make Evans look foolish.

“I love that he talks so much crap because the more crap he talks, the sillier he’s going to look when he loses that fight,” he said. 

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UFC 146: Frank Mir Says He Is Worried Over Cain Velasquez’s Wrestling Skills

Frank Mir is never shy on giving his opinion.So when he was asked about his upcoming opponent, Cain Velasquez, and how his skills fare to that of the former UFC heavyweight champion, Mir admitted that Velasquez’s wrestling is his biggest strength.And M…

Frank Mir is never shy on giving his opinion.

So when he was asked about his upcoming opponent, Cain Velasquez, and how his skills fare to that of the former UFC heavyweight champion, Mir admitted that Velasquez’s wrestling is his biggest strength.

And Mir said he has no intention of grappling with the former Arizona State wrestling standout.

“(Velasquez’s wrestling) concerns me greatly,”Mir told Fightline.com following a UFC press conference to promote UFC 146. “Typically, the guy that’s the better wrestler can decide where the fight goes, whether it’s standing, whether it’s on the ground. I just hope to make it to where both of those are nonviable choices.”

Mir has certainly improved by leaps and bounds as a striker in the last few years, throwing technical combinations with fluidity and poise, knocking out some of the heavyweight division’s most accomplished fighters like Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Mirko Cro Cop.

That being said, Mir’s skills are demonstrated best when he is on the mat, as he is widely considered to be one of the greatest submission specialists in the history of the sport.

It is no secret where he will hope to keep the fight, while at the same time he must be wary of Velasquez’s excellent top control and relentless ground-and-pound.

It’s an aspect of his opponent’s which he intends to neutralize, but he knows it will always be an area of his that is exceptional at best, in comparison to some of the UFC’s premier wrestlers. 

“I think wrestling is one of the hardest things, stylistically, I have a hard time with,” he said. “It’s always gonna be an issue and it’s something for me to constantly improve on and work on in the gym.”

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Dana White: Junior Dos Santos Emulates Same Style as Chuck Liddell

Junior dos Santos is credited for possessing arguably the best boxing in mixed martial arts, but seldom do we see other aspects of his arsenal utilized during a fight.That’s not to say he isn’t a premier fighter, as his list of victories over some of t…

Junior dos Santos is credited for possessing arguably the best boxing in mixed martial arts, but seldom do we see other aspects of his arsenal utilized during a fight.

That’s not to say he isn’t a premier fighter, as his list of victories over some of the sport’s top contenders and respected veterans is quite an accomplishment.

But after battling through his fair share of competition thus far, the UFC heavyweight champion will look to meet another formidable opponent in Alistair Overeem at UFC 146. 

The match-up is very appealing, and it has UFC President Dana White intrigued at the thought of seeing how the Brazilian fares against a fighter of Overeem’s caliber.

It has led the UFC boss to draw comparisons to another knockout artist, former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell.

“For me, the question is how is Dos Santos going to deal with the kicks and the knees and the elbows?,” White told MMAWeekly.com. 

“He’s fought a pretty one-dimensional fight, he’s fought very Chuck Liddell-like in that he’s great at defending the takedown, he drops bombs, he throws heavy punches, but he’s never dealt with anybody who’s going to throw kicks and knees and work in the clinch the way that Alistair Overeem does.”

The Dutchman is certainly a credible fighter, winning multiple championships and accolades prior to entering the UFC; and he is a strong, technical kickboxer, tipping the scales at 6’5″ and weighing 255 pounds.

However, dos Santos has seemingly made every one of his opponents wilt at the technique and power of his strikes, and has looked every bit as dominant as his counter-part. Whoever is to walk away from their main event will have reached the pinnacle of the sport and the right to be called UFC heavyweight champion.

UFC 146 is scheduled for May 26th, live from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

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Cain Velasquez: ‘Even the Best Guys Lose’

It’s been four months since fans last saw Cain Velasquez inside the Octagon.The former UFC heavyweight champion was last seen against Junior dos Santos at UFC on FOX 1 last November, where he suffered the first loss of his career and was forced to surr…

It’s been four months since fans last saw Cain Velasquez inside the Octagon.

The former UFC heavyweight champion was last seen against Junior dos Santos at UFC on FOX 1 last November, where he suffered the first loss of his career and was forced to surrender the UFC heavyweight title.

It was a surreal moment for Velasquez, who isn’t likely to forget the fateful night anytime soon. But he felt more disappointed in his performance than the loss itself. 

“I especially wanted to go out there and give the fans a great fight,”  Velasquez told Yahoo! Sports following a UFC press conference earlier this week. “For it to go the way it did, that definitely sucked.”

Although it was a devastating loss for the Mexican-American, Velasquez took it in stride and understood that victory and defeat come along with the territory of being in the sport. 

Despite all the hype declaring him as an unbeatable champion and the media proclaiming him as the next dominant force in the UFC heavyweight division, Velasquez wasn’t buying into the attention.

“I’m a realist. I knew I wasn’t going to go through my career undefeated,” he said. “People lose. Even the best guys lose. I knew as soon as it was over, I had to pick myself back up and keep going forward.”

And Velasquez will move forward and head towards a bout with fellow former UFC champion Frank Mir at UFC 146. 

It is expected that the winner will meet the winner of the card’s main event between Junior dos Santos and Alistair Overeem to challenge for the heavyweight crown. 

For Velasquez, the past is irrelevant now as he looks to redeem himself for what happened against the Brazilian and begin his quest for another chance at a UFC championship.

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Alistair Overeem: My Striking is Superior to Junior dos Santos’ Boxing

Renowned for his world-class striking ability, Alistair Overeem has the chance to test his skills against heavy-handed Brazilian and current UFC heavyweight champion, Junior dos Santos, in the main event at UFC 146.Overeem earned the opportunity to cha…

Renowned for his world-class striking ability, Alistair Overeem has the chance to test his skills against heavy-handed Brazilian and current UFC heavyweight champion, Junior dos Santos, in the main event at UFC 146.

Overeem earned the opportunity to challenge for the UFC heavyweight title after walking through Brock Lesnar at UFC 141 in his UFC debut. 

The Dutchman anticipates a competitive bout once the two heavyweights meet face-to-face in the Octagon, and believes his superior striking will overcome dos Santos’ boxing on May 26th.

“I think he’s a tremendous athlete, I think his boxing is incredible,” Overeem told Heavy.com. “I truly believe that I am the one to beat him. I truly believe I have superior striking, so I can’t wait to get it on.”

Overeem has held multiple world titles in several organizations all over the world, including K-1 and Strikeforce. And “The Demolition Man” hopes to add another championship to his mantle and become the new UFC heavyweight champion.

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