Tag: Jon Jones

Jon Jones: ‘I Absolutely Hate When People Mention Rashad Evans’

Filed under: UFCA few months ago Jon Jones and Rashad Evans would have both sworn up and down that they’d never fight each other, and that they wanted only the best for one another even as the two teammates both chased UFC light heavyweight gold.

But …

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A few months ago Jon Jones and Rashad Evans would have both sworn up and down that they’d never fight each other, and that they wanted only the best for one another even as the two teammates both chased UFC light heavyweight gold.

But with Jones’ title shot at UFC 128 against champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua just around the corner, those days are now but a distant memory.

While Jones described Evans as a friend on Wednesday’s UFC media call, he also insisted that won’t be thinking at all about his teammate at the Jackson squad when he takes on Rua in Newark, New Jersey next Saturday night. Even if he got the title shot only after an injury knocked Evans out of the main event, Jones was in no mood to discuss the fighter he’s described in previous interviews as a mentor and a big brother.

Jon Jones and Rashad Evans Thawing on Possibility of Fighting Each Other

Filed under: UFC, NewsWith the growing number of MMA super camps, it seems to be just a matter of time before major teammate vs. teammate matchups become more common. Until now, many fighters have resisted the prospect of facing a friend who shares the…

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With the growing number of MMA super camps, it seems to be just a matter of time before major teammate vs. teammate matchups become more common. Until now, many fighters have resisted the prospect of facing a friend who shares the same camp. Among them was former UFC light-heavyweight champion Rashad Evans, who previously said he’d never fight Keith Jardine, and more recently, added Jon Jones to the do-not-fight list.

With Jones one win away from holding the UFC light heavyweight championship — he’ll try to wrest the belt from champ Mauricio “Shogun” Rua on March 19 — that’s a pretty big statement from Evans, but it appears it’s not exactly written in stone.

Over the last few days, Evans and Jones — both members of Team Greg Jackson — have given interviews indicating that they might be more open to the possibility than they originally stated.

Despite Recent Injury, Rashad Evans Doesn’t Regret Waiting for Title Shot

Filed under: UFC, FanHouse ExclusiveIt would be easy for Rashad Evans to sit around and second-guess himself these days. It would be easy to dwell on the what-ifs, or to wallow in the bitterness of recent events.

He waited the better part of a year fo…

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It would be easy for Rashad Evans to sit around and second-guess himself these days. It would be easy to dwell on the what-ifs, or to wallow in the bitterness of recent events.

He waited the better part of a year for his title shot, forsaking other opportunities to fight and risking the ire of UFC president Dana White. With the fight less than two months away, a freak accident in training injured his knee and forced him out of the UFC 128 main event. Now the UFC has shuffled Jon Jones – Evans’ own teammate – into the title fight in his place, leaving Evans’ future as uncertain as ever.

“It’s hard,” said Evans. “Of course it’s hard. I can’t lie and say it’s not hard or that I don’t think sometimes, I wish it was me. I’d be lying if I said that. But I believe that everything happens for a reason.”

Healing from Broken Foot, Forrest Griffin Prepares for Title Climb

Filed under: UFC, FanHouse Exclusive, NewsStill self-deprecating despite a resume that boasts a UFC championship reign and New York Times bestseller status, Forrest Griffin readily admits that his recent win over Rich Franklin was no thing of beauty.

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Still self-deprecating despite a resume that boasts a UFC championship reign and New York Times bestseller status, Forrest Griffin readily admits that his recent win over Rich Franklin was no thing of beauty.

Griffin outpointed Franklin during the UFC 126 co-main event, using his size advantage to put Franklin on his back and work him over from the top position. For a guy who first gained his fame as a heart-on-his-sleeve brawler, it showed his continued maturity as a fighter, if not his willingness to risk losing for being a crowd-pleaser.

“It’s a win, and at that point I was thinking, ‘I’ll take anything I can get,'” Griffin told MMA Fighting in an exclusive interview.

The physical nature of MMA is such that despite a conservative game plan, Griffin did not emerge unscathed. The popular light-heavyweight broke his right foot during the bout, the second time he’s broken it in the last two years. He previously injured it in training for his Nov. 2009 bout with Tito Ortiz, but fought anyway and won.

MMA Top 10 Light Heavyweights: Jon Jones Moves to No. 2

Filed under: UFC, Strikeforce, Light HeavyweightsThe last time I ranked the Top 10 light heavyweights in mixed martial arts, I wrestled with the question of who’s the No. 2 fighter in the weight class: Lyoto Machida, Rampage Jackson or Rashad Evans?

N…

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Jon JonesThe last time I ranked the Top 10 light heavyweights in mixed martial arts, I wrestled with the question of who’s the No. 2 fighter in the weight class: Lyoto Machida, Rampage Jackson or Rashad Evans?

Now I have the answer: None of the above.

Jon Jones put on his fourth consecutive spectacular performance in beating Ryan Bader at UFC 126, and I can no longer put Jones below anyone other than champion Shogun Rua. With just about any other fighter of Jones’ age and experience I’d say the UFC is rushing him into a title shot in this situation, but with Jones I can’t argue: He has proven that he deserves to be considered the second-best light heavyweight in the sport.

So I’ve got Shogun and Jones, who will meet in the main event at UFC 128, at 1-2 in our light heavyweight rankings. Find out where the rest of the division stacks up below.

Ryan Jimmo’s ‘Big Deal Blog’ Number Seven: UFC 126 Thoughts and the Importance of Mental Training to Becoming a Champion

("Left leg, Brock Lesnar’s Canadian hospital.")
Undefeated in the past four years, at 13-1 Ryan Jimmo is one of Canada’s most promising MMA prospects.
The Big Deal is in the thick of training camp for a championship bout with fellow Canadian …


("Left leg, Brock Lesnar’s Canadian hospital.")

Undefeated in the past four years, at 13-1 Ryan Jimmo is one of Canada’s most promising MMA prospects.

The Big Deal is in the thick of training camp for a championship bout with fellow Canadian Dwayne Lewis at MFC 28 — a fight Sherdog.com has deservingly named one of this month’s 10 Tussles Worth Watching — on February 25 in Edmonton Alberta and has offered to write about his preparations for the biggest fight of his career via a weekly training blog published every week leading up to the fight here at CagePotato.com.

Check out Ryan’s latest entry after the jump.

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