In preparation for UFC 156, Rashad Evans has been profiled by filmmaker Ryan Loco. The short film, titled “Imperfect” features an up-close look at the sparring sessions of the former light heavyweight champion as he readies himself for a battle with PRIDE superstar Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.
While you might mistake this video as an extended Jaco commercial (their logo appears more than 100 times throughout the Blackzilian gym and on Evans’ training apparel), the video shows “Suga” focusing on two areas: close quarter boxing and takedowns.
Something notable from this video is that Evans looked to finish most of his combinations with leg or body kicks. This is a strategy that is smart to employ against a non-wrestler like Nogueira, however, the Ultimate Fighter winner may have tipped his hand by allowing this video to surface one week before the fight.
This will be the first fight back for Rashad since a failed attempt to dethrone Jon Jones at UFC 145. Despite toying with the idea of a move to middleweight, the polarizing star ultimately decided to stick to his 205-pound home.
Nogueira competes for the first time since December 2011 after the injury plague of 2012 kept him out of a scheduled bout with Alexander Gustafsson.
Evans vs. Nogueira serves as the co-main event of UFC 156, which takes place on Saturday, Feb. 2. The headlining fight is a UFC featherweight championship bout between Jose Aldo and former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar.
Stay tuned to Bleacher Report MMA for all things UFC 156, including previews, live coverage and post-fight analysis.
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