Rashad Evans and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson are seemingly set to reignite their storied rivalry — this time under the bright lights of the squared circle.
The two former UFC light heavyweight champions first collided at UFC 114 in May 2010 following their fiery stint as opposition coaches on Season 10 of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF). That night, “Suga” emerged victorious, earning a dominant unanimous decision.
Whispers of a boxing showdown between Evans and Jackson began swirling months ago, with ONE Championship even showing interest in bringing the fight to life. Although those plans never materialized, the tides have shifted. Now, 15 years after their first clash, the former rivals are closer than ever to stepping into the ring for a long-awaited rematch.
During a recent interview with MMA Fighting, “Suga” revealed that he has already kicked off his training camp for the prospective bout, tentatively slated for February 2025, likely in Florida. The New Yorker also expressed his enthusiasm about rekindling his rivalry with “Rampage.”
“Boxing is something I’m a huge fan of and there’s nothing better than getting another chance to fight Rampage,” Evans said. “Rampage is in pretty good shape right now. He was getting ready for Shannon ‘The Cannon’ [Briggs] so he’s in pretty good shape. I want to get a chance to do it again with it.”
Evans emphasized that while the bad blood between him and Jackson is a thing of the past, their upcoming boxing showdown promises to be fiercely competitive — albeit with a friendly edge.
“With this fight, it’s fun because there’s not that anger-animosity, but at the same time, it’s still competitive. It’s still competitive like if he sees me looking a certain kind of way [he’ll say] ‘Hey, I see you getting ready, you’re looking pretty good’ and I’ll see him hitting the mitts or something like that and I’m like okay, he’s getting ready. It’s still the friendly competition and as the fight gets closer, all the sh*t talking’s going to come back. So it’s going to be fun.”
Evans has made only one return to competition since leaving the UFC in June 2018, claiming a commanding unanimous decision victory over Gabriel Checco at an Eagle FC event in January 2022.
Meanwhile, “Rampage” has remained inactive since December 2019, when he endured a tough loss to Fedor Emelianenko at Bellator 237.