At UFC 145 Rashad Evans and Jon Jones will finally have a chance to put the trash talk aside and do what both fans and fighters have wanted for a long time.They are going to step in the cage and face each other. Barring injury nothing should stop eithe…
At UFC 145 Rashad Evans and Jon Jones will finally have a chance to put the trash talk aside and do what both fans and fighters have wanted for a long time.
They are going to step in the cage and face each other. Barring injury nothing should stop either man from competing in what will be the biggest pay-per-view this year aside from the Silva-Sonnen rematch.
Rashad Evans and Jon Jones are known to have at one point been training partners who were once friends. Then Jones took a title shot that was originally Evans’ when the other man got injured and won the belt.
After that both men gained animosity towards each other, split camps and started attacking each other in the media. It has since built into a nice feud with people choosing different sides on who will win.
The truth is that Evans stands no chance against Jones and is doomed to fail. No matter what confidence he has, Jones is going to walk into the cage and take him out.
A current owner of four consecutive victories, Dan Henderson finds himself in title contention, but he isn’t in a hurry to get back into the Octagon just yet.After turning down a proposed bout with Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at UFC on FUEL 2, Henderson h…
A current owner of four consecutive victories, Dan Henderson finds himself in title contention, but he isn’t in a hurry to get back into the Octagon just yet.
After turning down a proposed bout with Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at UFC on FUEL 2, Henderson has decided to sit and wait for a shot at the light heavyweight title.
Henderson defended himself in an interview on Clinch Gear Radio, saying he felt it wasn’t a bout fans would be interested in. More importantly, Henderson said he was unsure as to who would receive the next shot between him and Rashad Evans. However, after Evans got past Phil Davis at UFC on FOX 2, it was clear that Henderson would remain on the sidelines.
But after making his decision, UFC President Dana White announced that the former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion would meet the winner of Jon Jones and Rashad Evans.
“Dan Henderson’s in a position right now where it looks like he wants to wait for Jon Jones,” White told MMAJunkie.com.
Having collected three straight wins in Strikeforce, Henderson returned to the UFC to face Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 139. Henderson would triumph over the Brazilian and earn the victory via unanimous decision in a competitive five-round bout.
With Jones and Evans expected to square off in April, it is likely that Henderson makes a summer or fall return.
Jon Jones’ aspirations of competing in the heavyweight division are not likely to occur in the immediate future.The 205-pound champion has recently expressed an interest in moving up a weight class following his next few title defenses, but UFC Preside…
Jon Jones’ aspirations of competing in the heavyweight division are not likely to occur in the immediate future.
The 205-pound champion has recently expressed an interest in moving up a weight class following his next few title defenses, but UFC President Dana White shot down the notion of a potential move during UFC 143 press conference.
“It’s going to happen eventually, but I don’t think it’ll be happening this year,” White told MMAJunkie.com.
Jones’ unprecedented run throughout the light heavyweight division has seen him defeat the likes of Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Lyoto Machida in the span of one year.
Jones’ next title defense will come against Rashad Evans, when the former teammates headline UFC 145 in April.
Having already dispatched three former champions so far, the possibility of seeing the 24-year-old transition to the heavyweight division is highly likely, as “Bones” has yet to enter his prime years as a fighter and continues to fill out his frame.
Until then, White said Jones still have plenty of challengers aiming for a title shot before he cleans out the light heavyweight division.
“There are still guys there to fight him,” he said. “He’s still young … so I’m not interested in him fighting at heavyweight this year.”
Rashad Evans might finally been rewarded with a title bout with Jon Jones following his victory over Phil Davis last weekend, but Jones doesn’t feel like Evans’ performance granted him a title shot.The UFC light heavyweight champion appeared on “The MM…
Rashad Evans might finally been rewarded with a title bout with Jon Jones following his victory over Phil Davis last weekend, but Jones doesn’t feel like Evans’ performance granted him a title shot.
The UFC light heavyweight champion appeared on “The MMA Hour” with Ariel Helwani earlier this week and discussed his thoughts on the main event, and he wasn’t impressed with Evans.
Jones said he saw glimpses of improvement in some areas, but most of all, the 24-year-old was critical of Evans’ overall performance.
“I think his top control looked a little tighter, I think his guard passes looked pretty decent,” Jones said.
“I definitely didn’t see any progressions. I feel like he’s coming down the other side of the hill. Even his body looked softer.”
Jones and Evans have shared a mutual disliking since “Bones” replaced the 32-year-old and captured the 205-pound crown last year. Jones’ victory immediately caused a rift between the two former teammates, forcing Evans to switch camps shortly after.
Since transitioning camps, Evans has earned two consecutive victories to his name, but Jones doesn’t believe it serve much purpose when the two light heavyweights are scheduled to meet at UFC 145 in April.
“I think that’s going to be the biggest difference in the fight, is my youth, my ambition, my drive, my creativity,” he said.
But despite their differences, Jones hopes to put an end to their feud following their future bout and maintain their relationship on good terms.
“I’d love to have a respectful relationship with him, because actually, deep down, I kind of just liked hanging with the guy,” he said. “After this fight, I just hope that the respect can be restored. Friendship is not necessary, but the respect should be restored.”
Early ratings for UFC on Fox 2 show about 4.3 million viewers. The event earned 1.2 million at the gate with over 17,000 fans in attendance. Johny Hendricks says he’s ready for the Interim Welterweight.
Early ratings for UFC on Fox 2 show about 4.3 million viewers. The event earned 1.2 million at the gate with over 17,000 fans in attendance.
Johny Hendrickssays he’s ready for the Interim Welterweight title-shot after Diaz vs. Condit because he knocked out the number 2 ranked Welterweight, Jon Fitch.
Dana Whitevisits the home of the woman whose phone number was released by hackers that mistakenly thought it was White’s number and offers his apology to her.
Injury forces George Sotiropoulos off UFC 144 card. Eiji Mitsuoka to replace him against Takanori Gomi.
Leonard Garcia also pulled off UFC 144 due to injury. His opponent, Tiequan Zhang awaiting to hear a replacement.
Jackson’s Submission Fighting camp’s Henry Martinez joins UFC to face Matt Riddle on one week’s notice at UFC 143.
Jon Jones opens as -600 favorite against Rashad Evans at UFC 145.
Filed under: UFC, NewsRashad Evans has only lost one match in his MMA career, but oddsmakers strongly believe that when he and Jon Jones face off in Atlanta on April 21, Jones will hand him his second defeat.
Rashad Evans has only lost one match in his MMA career, but oddsmakers strongly believe that when he and Jon Jones face off in Atlanta on April 21, Jones will hand him his second defeat.
According to the earliest line released on the fight, Jones (15-1) is a massive 6-to-1 favorite to successfully defend his belt for the third straight time.
Evans will only have 12 weeks to recover and prepare following his five-round unanimous decision win over Phil Davis at last Saturday’s UFC on FOX 2 event.
Evans (17-1-1) has been the No. 1 contender in waiting since beating Quinton Jackson back in May 2010, but a series of circumstances including injuries and timing have left him unable to cash that chip in until now.
The two were quite infamously training partners at Team Greg Jackson in New Mexico before a Jones interview in which he said he would fight Evans if ordered to by UFC president Dana White fractured the pairing.
Jones captured the belt last March with a TKO destruction of Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, and subsequently defended it with wins over Jackson and Lyoto Machida.
Evans admitted it was difficult to prepare for the Davis match with the title bout possibility hanging in the background. Now he finally gets it, but if odds are to be believed, he also faces a major uphill battle.
The fight takes place as the main event of UFC 145 at Philips Arena in Atlanta.