Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans wasn’t boring. Despite what some aggravated keyboard warriors might say, it lived up to the hype.
Jon Jones was billed as an unstoppable killing machine—a sort of Alexander the Great, except instead of conquering the known world, Jones has conquered the Octagon and the UFC light heavyweight division.
He racked up impressive victories over Pride legends like Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson as well as a brutal submission win over former champ Lyoto Machida.
But Jones’ accomplishments were only part of the hype.
The other half of it was Rashad Evans—Jones’ former training partner, figurative big brother, and fighter with the best chance to beat Jones.
Rashad was marketed on the fact that he had a chip on his shoulder from being “betrayed” by Jones as well as the fact that he had some sort of magic, secret way to beat his former friend since he used to train with him.
So did the ultimate grudge match live up to what was promised?
Yes.
Fans who expected a bar-room brawl level of excitement were let down, but avid enthusiasts of pure mixed martial arts competition were not.
We got to see Jon Jones in excellent form. His strikes were unorthodox as ever and he nearly knocked Evans out with powerful, ruthless elbows in the second round.
However, we also got to see Jones tested more than he has ever been. Evans, through his athletic abilities and time with Jones, was able to land some excellent shots and Jones and survive attacks that would’ve finished a lesser fighter.
Even though one fighter didn’t submit or knockout the other, it was still an intriguing, entertaining fight.
The fight was initially a back-and-forth affair, with Evans doing quite well, but then Jones showed his true fighting spirit and athleticism by pulling ahead of Evans for the remainder of the fight.
Just because it wasn’t on the level of Dan Henderson vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua doesn’t mean it was a bad main event. Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans was fine, and if you don’t think so, either learn to appreciate the finer points of MMA or find something better to complain about.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com