Tag: UFC 145

Rashad Evans Says Title Bout "Won’t Go Five Rounds" Against Jon Jones at UFC 145

It didn’t take long for the trash talk to resurface between Rashad Evans and Jon Jones, who are set to meet in the main event at UFC 145 on April 21st.The ongoing feud between Evans and Jones has intrigued fans ever since the announcement of their titl…

It didn’t take long for the trash talk to resurface between Rashad Evans and Jon Jones, who are set to meet in the main event at UFC 145 on April 21st.

The ongoing feud between Evans and Jones has intrigued fans ever since the announcement of their title bout, originally scheduled for UFC 133 last year.

The bitter rivals have spent a few years training side-by-side at Greg Jackson’s MMA and know each other better than anyone in the UFC. It has led Evans to approach the bout without caution and hesitation, since he’s familiar with Jones’ style. He thinks he can recapture the UFC light heavyweight title.

“I’ve got big advantages knowing what he’s going to do, just knowing the range, where I need to fight him at,” Evans told MMAWeekly.com. “I already know what I need to do.”

While Jones’ recent dominance throughout the 205-pound division has impressed many fans, it hasn’t phased the 32-year-old Evans. Like Jones, Evans also held the light heavyweight crown at one point, looking every bit as dominant, before relinquishing the belt to Lyoto Machida at UFC 98 in 2009.

Evans pointed to the previous champions who have fallen from grace, and he claims Jones’ reign will come to an end in similar fashion.

“There’s been so many people like him that’s always been ‘the one.’ That’s the secret, there is no ‘one,’” he said. “Anybody can lose, any given day, and he’s going to find that out.”

With just over two months to go before their anticipated title bout, both Evans and Jones will likely continue to take verbal jabs at one another. But when asked on his prediction of the fight, Evans made a bold statement.

“This fight won’t go five rounds,” he said. 

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UFC 145: Jon Jones Says Fight with Rashad Evans Will "Bring out the Best" in Him

After nearly a year of anticipating the long-awaited grudge match between Jon Jones and Rashad Evans, the wait is finally over.The former teammates will headline UFC 145 on April 21 in a bout that is driven by a personal rivalry more than competition.S…

After nearly a year of anticipating the long-awaited grudge match between Jon Jones and Rashad Evans, the wait is finally over.

The former teammates will headline UFC 145 on April 21 in a bout that is driven by a personal rivalry more than competition.

Since his ascension in the light heavyweight division last year, Jones has been touted as the “future of the sport,” while Evans has consistently remained one of the top fighters at 205 pounds. The two rivals have worked closely together since training at Greg Jackson’s MMA in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

However, Evans and Jones had a fallout, and it forced “Suga” to train elsewhere. Now he’s with Mike Van Arsdale at Imperial Athletics in Boca Raton, Florida.

Despite the change in scenery, Jones still hasn’t forgotten his past relationship with the former UFC light heavyweight champion and is confident it will motivate him to put on a strong performance. 

“I think that my opponent will be in my head this fight,” Jones said during UFC 145 pre-fight press conference. “And I want him in my head because I realize when people are in my head, it brings out the best in me, and that’s what I’m prepared to show.”

The 24-year-old Jones has built quite the impressive resume over the last year, earning wins over some of the division’s prominent fighters such as Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.

But the idea of facing Evans presents a much bigger task for Jones than ever before. It gives the UFC light heavyweight champion the opportunity to solidify his superiority among the rest of the division and exact revenge on an old friend.

And it’s a task he’s thoroughly capable of accepting.

“I’m going to be cliche and say I’m going to go out there with great intentions and train really hard and just have fun,” he said. “I realize when I have fun great things happen. Magical things happen.”

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Jones and Evans Go Back and Forth at UFC 145 Presser [VIDEO]

(Video courtesy of YouTube/UFC)

It only took UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones around 10 minutes yesterday to fire his first shot at number one contender and former teammate Rashad Evans at the pre-UFC 145 press conference in Atlanta.

Responding to a question about how he seemed confident that he would beat Evans after watching “Suga’s” performance against Phil Davis in the main event of last month’s UFC on Fox: Evans vs. Davis event, “Bones” said that he doesn’t feel that Rashad has really improved since he left Team Jackson to join The Blackzilians.


(Video courtesy of YouTube/UFC)

It only took UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones around 10 minutes yesterday to fire his first shot at number one contender and former teammate Rashad Evans at the pre-UFC 145 press conference in Atlanta.

Responding to a question about how he seemed confident that he would beat Evans after watching “Suga’s” performance against Phil Davis in the main event of last month’s UFC on Fox: Evans vs. Davis event, “Bones” said that he doesn’t feel that Rashad has really improved since he left Team Jackson to join The Blackzilians.

“I expected a lot in the fight. There was this whole Rashad 2.0 thing that was getting started and his first fight in a new camp. His body looked better and you saw some differences in his game. In [the Davis fight] I just didn’t see any progressions, whatsoever,” Jones explained, much to the delight of reporters looking for a juicy soundbite. “I’m honest. I’m really honest. It inspired me. It made me happy about what I saw. I said, ‘Wow, if that athlete shows up on April 21 it’s going to be an interesting night.’ It’s like your competitor reporter and he’s not doing his job well, it’s just like, ‘Oh, this is gonna be great.’ I’m excited.”

Evans took umbrage with Jones’ statement and claimed that the young champ might be hiding his true feelings about fighting his old training partner.

“I don’t know. I seen something different. I read body language a little bit. I studied psychology, and if you see Jon, the way he’ll swivel in that chair, he couldn’t keep still. He kept… It was like he was Stevie Wonder for a minute. He couldn’t keep still. He can say what he want to, but he already know what time it was. He knows it’s not going to be an easy fight,” Evans said. “He knows it’s going to be the hardest fight of his career. He knows that coming into this fight because he competed against me before. He already felt what I have, so he can say what he wants to about how I compete against somebody else, but he already know what time it is when we go together.”

With no love lost between these two, it should make for an interesting fight on April 21.

UFC 145: Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans Early Breakdown

Finally, Rashad Evans and Jon Jones have a date.Former teammates under the Greg Jackson banner, both Jones and Evans have become bitter rivals since a falling out early last year, when “Bones” deftly defeated then champion Mauricio “S…

Finally, Rashad Evans and Jon Jones have a date.

Former teammates under the Greg Jackson banner, both Jones and Evans have become bitter rivals since a falling out early last year, when “Bones” deftly defeated then champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in March, stepping in for the injured Evans.

Soon after the bout’s conclusion, Evans challenged Jones for his newly minted light heavyweight crown.

Since then, Evans has picked up two impressive victories over former champion Tito Ortiz and then budding contender Phil Davis, respectively. Asserting himself as the clear-cut No. 1 contender.

The 205-pound collision takes place this April, as the dynamic duo are set to headline UFC 145, which takes place at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.

Both men are very familiar with each other’s styles, though they remain drastically different fighters. Who will come out on top in this battle?

 

 Rashad Evans/ Dave Mandel for Sherdog.com

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Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans: 5 Reasons ‘Suga’ Can Upset ‘Bones’ in UFC Title Bout

Rashad Evans may be the underdog when he steps up to face Jon Jones at UFC 145, but he is by no means a lock to lose.While I personally think Jones will win (see UFC 145: 7 Reasons Jon Jones Will Crush Rashad Evans), Evans still has a chance. After all…

Rashad Evans may be the underdog when he steps up to face Jon Jones at UFC 145, but he is by no means a lock to lose.

While I personally think Jones will win (see UFC 145: 7 Reasons Jon Jones Will Crush Rashad Evans), Evans still has a chance. After all, if fans were sure of the outcome,  they wouldn’t even buy the pay-per-view.

It is easy to dismiss him, though. Jones has looked so dominant in every fight he has had up until now that it is hard to imagine him losing. Jones looks like a superhero in the ring, but every man looks invincible until he is beaten.

Rashad Evans could have Jones’ number and there are a few good reasons fans could see him walk out of the cage in Atlanta with the title slung over his shoulder and a grin on his face.

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UFC 145: Why We Will See the Best Jon Jones We Have Ever Seen

The busy bee of the UFC will return this April.Light heavyweight kingpin, Jon Jones, has made it clear to UFC President Dana White that he wants to be in constant rotation.In 2011, the dynamo made four trips to the Octagon, three of which were conteste…

The busy bee of the UFC will return this April.

Light heavyweight kingpin, Jon Jones, has made it clear to UFC President Dana White that he wants to be in constant rotation.

In 2011, the dynamo made four trips to the Octagon, three of which were contested in championship affairs against formidable opponents and former titleholders Mauricio Rua, Quinton Jackson and lastly Lyoto Machida.

Now, “Bones” Jones returns at UFC 145, where he meets arch rival Rashad Evans in the main event of the April 21 show, which takes place at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. 

Evans and Jones go way back, as the 24-year-old Phenom first began to hone his skills with the Greg Jackson crew in 2009. Both men served as training partners out of the Albuquerque gym, where Jon was regarded as a touted up-and-comer and Evans, a former world champion, remained among the best in his class and was mantled as the No. 1 contender to the title. 

After Evans incurred an injury in the lead-up to his battle against “Shogun” at UFC 128, Jones stepped up to the plate to square off with the Brazilian last March, after submitting then undefeated collegiate wrestler Ryan Bader just a few weeks prior.

Jones emphatically finished the Pride vet, stopping him with strikes in the third round.

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