UFC 133 has come and gone and Rashad Evans proved once again that he is the top contender in the light heavyweight division.
Despite coming off an injury and being out for over a year, Evans looked better than ever and showed no signs of ring rust.
Although we don’t know for sure who he will face yet, we do know Evans is in line to meet the winner of Jon Jones vs. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.
Evans has a long history with both men.
After months of trash talk, broken doors and canceled fights, Evans finally met Rampage at UFC 114 last year. Evans used his speed and wrestling to control Rampage and dodge most of his power punches.
Evans’ relationship with Jones went from Jones looking at Evans as a mentor to the two men having a falling out when Jones won the championship.
Before Jones faced Mauricio “Shogun” Rua for the title, he and Evans claimed they would never fight each other.
Evans even told ESPN that he would consider moving up to heavyweight or down to middleweight if Jones beat Rua.
While Evans won Season 2 of The Ultimate Fighter as a heavyweight, he is very undersized for the division. Even at light heavyweight, Evans is smaller than some of the top fighters.
Size has yet to be a factor, though, as Evans has been able to use his speed, wrestling and striking to get a 16-1-1 record.
If Evans does lose against the winner of Jones vs. Rampage, middleweight could be an option for him.
The middleweight division would give Evans new challenges. Imagine Evans taking on guys like Chael Sonnen, Brian Stann, Vitor Belfort or Anderson Silva.
Evans could be even quicker at middleweight, and thanks to his wrestling ability, he could do a ton of damage.
Evans’ light heavyweight run is far from over, but a move down could be an option that works out great for him.
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