Tag: Rashad Evans

MMA Top 10 Light Heavyweights: Any Stopping Jon Jones?

Filed under: UFC, Strikeforce, Rankings, Light HeavyweightsThe Jon Jones Era, as you’ve surely heard, has begun: Jones is the new UFC light heavyweight champion, and everyone who follows MMA agrees that he’s going to be the champion for a long, long ti…

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The Jon Jones Era, as you’ve surely heard, has begun: Jones is the new UFC light heavyweight champion, and everyone who follows MMA agrees that he’s going to be the champion for a long, long time.

However, the light heavyweight division is so talented that it’s been nearly impossible for anyone to hold the belt for long: Chuck Liddell lost it to Rampage Jackson, who lost it to Forrest Griffin, who lost it to Rashad Evans, who lost it to Lyoto Machida, who lost it to Shogun Rua, who lost it to Jones. We’ve had seven different champions in the last four years, so why is everyone so sure that Jones is going to hold onto the belt for so long?

The biggest reason, I think, is Jones’ age. With the exception of Evans losing to Machida, every champion I mentioned above lost the belt to someone younger than him. But there aren’t any contenders on the horizon younger than the 23-year-old Jones. Not only is Jones already the best, but he’s going to keep getting better as the rest of the Top 10 light heavyweights in mixed martial arts get older.

So as I list the Top 10 light heavyweights below, I’ll talk about how I’d like their chances against Jones — even though I expect Jones to reign over all of them for a long time.

Greg Jackson Staying Out of It, but Disagrees With Jones-Evans Fight

Filed under: UFC, FanHouse ExclusiveThe way MMA trainer Greg Jackson sees it, it’s sadly ironic that his phone should be ringing off the hook a few days after adding a new UFC champion to his stable of fighters, and yet so few people are interested in …

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The way MMA trainer Greg Jackson sees it, it’s sadly ironic that his phone should be ringing off the hook a few days after adding a new UFC champion to his stable of fighters, and yet so few people are interested in talking about the fight.

Yes, Jon Jones dominated “Shogun” Rua to become light heavyweight champ, and yes, it would be nice if Jackson got a day or two to savor his fighter’s victory. But that’s not how it works this time. Not after Rashad Evans, a former UFC champion from the Jackson team, agreed to fight Jones just before declaring himself “done” with Jackson’s team altogether.

After inter-squad drama like that, all anyone wants to know is what exactly happened between Jackson and Evans to bring them to this point. The trouble is, Jackson isn’t entirely sure.

Keith Jardine Points to Jon Jones for Rift at Jackson’s

The process of mining anyone who’s been a training partner of Jon Jones and Rashad Evans for their opinion on the former teammates budding feud, has begun full swing. It’s a ‘hot button issue’ right now, and of course, we’re totally on board (until extremely odd Youtube videos surface from either dude, or they begin […]

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The process of mining anyone who’s been a training partner of Jon Jones and Rashad Evans for their opinion on the former teammates budding feud, has begun full swing. It’s a ‘hot button issue’ right now, and of course, we’re totally on board (until extremely odd Youtube videos surface from either dude, or they begin using a catchword like ‘winning’, which quickly saturates every medium known to man).

One of the pivotal players in the Jackson Team’s success has been Keith Jardine, who long before Jones became a member, was working his way up the UFC rankings alongside Evans. In fact, Jardine and Evans were two of the first notable competitors to annoy Dana White by saying they wouldn’t fight each other. Well, in an interview with ESPN, Jardine was quick to compliment Rashad for what he did for the Jackson Team, and pointed to that now ‘infamous’ interview Jones had with Ariel Helwani, for the sh-tstorm that is now unfolding.

“It all started from that interview that Jon did, talking about the possibility of fighting with Rashad [with Ariel Helwani on Versus],” Jardine said. “That’s just something that doesn’t need to be said. Of course they could have been made to fight, and they both knew it. But for Jon to go out and say that made Rashad look like a punk, and that’s kind of what happened to start it all. It was already sensitive, so it blew up after that.”

Jardine qualified that comment by saying “Jon’s just a kid,” and that the new champ probably “regretted” what he had said to Helwani afterwards. Perhaps…perhaps not (cue sinister music). Plenty more to come on this no doubt.

Jon Jones Opens as Huge Favorite Over Rashad Evans, Fans Bet Him Up Further

Filed under: UFC, NewsAwe over Jon Jones’ UFC light-heavyweight championship win continues to dominate the post-UFC 128 headlines.

Fresh off his third-round TKO over Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Jones already knows who he’s fighting next: former teammate Ra…

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Awe over Jon Jones‘ UFC light-heavyweight championship win continues to dominate the post-UFC 128 headlines.

Fresh off his third-round TKO over Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Jones already knows who he’s fighting next: former teammate Rashad Evans.

According to oddsmakers and fans, Evans — a former champion himself — is an underdog. A very big underdog.

Rashad Evans Blasts Jon Jones, Feels Disrespected

After Jon Jones finished rag dolling “Shogun” Rua Saturday night, his former training partner Rashad Evans came into the Octagon to confirm they would be fighting next. It was a wee bit awkward, yes, but nothing too heated went down. In fact, if you were hoping for some ‘why you doing this to us man?’ type […]

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After Jon Jones finished rag dolling “Shogun” Rua Saturday night, his former training partner Rashad Evans came into the Octagon to confirm they would be fighting next. It was a wee bit awkward, yes, but nothing too heated went down. In fact, if you were hoping for some ‘why you doing this to us man?’ type drama, the whole bit kind of fell flat. Well, the next time Mr. Jones and Mr. Evans meet, things might not be so ‘civil.’

Bloody Elbow has posted an interview today with Evans,  where the former champ didn’t exactly hold anything back, while discussing his now former coach Greg Jackson and of course Jones. In addition to voicing his displeasure with his long time mentor Jackson, for letting things get to this point, here is just some of what Evans had to say about his next opponent.

I feel disrespected by Jon because when I think about when we trained or when we were chilling, was the s**t even real? Or was he just trying to be a master manipulator and try to manipulate the situation so he could get what he wanted out of it? I don’t know and that is a question that I have in my mind but when I get down to it…that doesn’t even matter because we are going to get in there and we are going to fight. People want to say “oh my God Jon is this and that” but Jon Jones is Jon Jones to me. He’s another fighter I have to face.

Yup, sh-t’s getting real son. The whole interview, references to Judas and all, is definitely worth a read.

Falling Action: Best and Worst of UFC 128

Filed under: UFCIt would be overdramatic and not completely accurate to claim that a star was born in the main event of UFC 128. Jon Jones was already a star, which is why the UFC did a pre-fight special on him after giving the champion, Mauricio ‘Shog…

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It would be overdramatic and not completely accurate to claim that a star was born in the main event of UFC 128. Jon Jones was already a star, which is why the UFC did a pre-fight special on him after giving the champion, Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua, no such fully-focused push.

But while Jones showed up at the Prudential Center in Newark already a celebrity, it was his domination of Rua that made him an instant colossus in this sport. With that will come a lot of fame, money, and attention — all things that can derail any 23-year-old if he’s not ready for them. Whether this will be one more rule that simply doesn’t apply to Jones as it does to mere mortals, time will tell. For now, he gets to relax and enjoy being champ. He just shouldn’t enjoy it too much, since this title has had a way of slipping through the fingers of his predecessors.

Now on the biggest winners, losers, and everything in between after UFC 128.