Episode 1: Jon Jones vs Rashad Evans Primetime episode 1
Showing posts with label Rashad Evans. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rashad Evans. Show all posts
Sunday, 15 April 2012
Rashad Evans vs Jon Jones Primetime Episode 2
Episode 1: Jon Jones vs Rashad Evans Primetime episode 1
Thursday, 12 April 2012
Jones vs Evans debate on UFC Counterpunch
For more information on this highly anticipated fight, read my article on Jon Jones vs Rashad Evans UFC 145 fight preview
Jones vs Evans debate on Counterpunch
Goodman vs Le Fleur debate in Dodgeball
Monday, 9 April 2012
Jon Jones vs Rashad Evans Primetime Episode 1
The UFC has released the first episode of their behind the scenes documentary leading up to UFC 145 featuring UFC light heavyweight combatants Jon Jones and Rashad Evans. The documentary takes the viewer into the lives and training camps of both fighters as they train for the biggest fight of their lives.
UFC Primetime: Jon Jones vs Rashad Evans
Jon Jones vs Rashad Evans UFC 145 fight preview
At UFC 145, the MMA world will finally receive some closure
on one of the hottest topics of debate for some time – the feud between Jon “Bones”
Jones and “Suga” Rashad Evans.
The Feud between Jon Jones and Rashad Evans
Jon Jones became the reigning UFC light heavyweight champion
after he managed to leapfrog injured teammate Rashad Evans and earn himself a
title shot a year ago. This did not sit well with his Evans, the light
heavyweight number one contender. The two had apparently sworn never to fight
each other and now found themselves in a serious predicament. Evans however did
not like the way things were handled by both Jones and the Jacksons management
and left the team in search of a new home. Since then the banter between these
two fighters has not stopped.
Jon “Bones” Jones (15-1)
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| Jon Jones |
Jon "Bones" Jones has dominated everyone the UFC has put in front of
him and accumulated a stellar 9-1 record. This amazing record is however not
entirely accurate as Jones’ sole loss was a result of a disqualification in a
fight he was dominating. Even though he carries a loss, one would not be
incorrect is saying that Jon Jones has not been beaten in his professional MMA
career.
In March 2011, Jon Jones took his career to the next level
by defeating Mauricio “Shogun” Rua to become the UFC Light Heavyweight
champion. Jones then went on to defeat former champions Quinton Jackson and
Lyoto Machida in emphatic style.
With his impeccable record and impressive fight style, Jon
Jones is considered by many to be unbeatable in the Light Heavyweight division and
one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world. These are bold
statements, and while he is certainly dominant, I don’t believe Bones is
unbeatable. Lyoto Machida’s precision striking revealed some vulnerability in
the young champion in the first round of their UFC 140 fight.
Although Jon Jones has fought some of the best in the world,
he has yet to be truly tested. Fighters seem to respect his length too much,
and if you allow Jones to dictate the fight, you are in for a long (or short)
night.
Video: Jon Jones highlights video
“Suga” Rashad Evans (17-1-1)
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| Rashad Evans |
Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion "Suga" Rashad Evans has
amassed an impressive 12-1-1 record in the UFC. Evans earned himself the UFC
Light Heavyweight title at UFC 92 when he bested Forrest Griffin, but was
unable to defend his title.
Rashad Evans is currently on a four fight winning streak
since losing his UFC light heavyweight title to Lyoto Machida at UFC 98. This
streak includes wins over Thiago Silva, Quinton Jackson, Tito Ortiz and Phil
Davis, two of whom are former UFC light heavyweight champions.
Rashad Evans has looked impressive since changing camps and
his domination of Phil Davis at UFC on Fox earlier this year, a man who many
believe is as close to Jones as they come, will give him great confidence going
into this fight.
Rashad Evans believes he has the tools to defeat Jon Jones,
and I am inclined to agree. With amazing speed, powerful striking, some of the
best wrestling in the UFC and a possible psychological advantage, Evans will
look to take the fight to Jon Jones in a manner that no fighter before him has.
Jones vs Evans Fighter Comparison
Having trained together, both Jones and Evans will be familiar
with each other style, this however favours Rashad Evans immensely. The “Jon
Jones Mystique”, which often paralyses fighters and allows Jones to impose his
will, shall certainly not be present and may even be replaced by a psychological
barrier on Jones' part towards his more senior training partner.
I believe than Rashad Evans has the superior striking ability, but to be effective he will need to get inside Jon Jones’ immense reach, which is no mean
feat. The striking advantage will go to he who can control the distance the
best. If Jones can keep Evans on the outside, he can pick him off all night.
Evans will need to close the distance and put Jones under pressure. This will
be a very interesting facet of the fight.
Both fighters are renowned for their wrestling ability,
especially offensively. Neither man has been truly tested off his back though Jones
has shown some amazing submission skills. Jones will definitely be the bigger
man on the night and Evans the quicker. This is another interesting contest,
which I believe will be won by he who gets the top position. That being said, I
have visions of Jon Jones escaping or even attempting a submission from the
bottom should Evans take him down... the same cannot be said for Evans should
Jones put him on his back.
Conditioning shouldn’t be a factor in this fight. Both men
are professional athletes from professional teams and always come in great
shape.
Jon Jones vs Rashad Evans UFC 145 prediction
As with any fight, this fight could play out in a number of
different ways. After watching plenty of press conference footage and previous
fights, I am going against the grain on this one. I believe Rashad Evans will
come into the Octagon with a huge psychological advantage. Evans will be very
active from the word go, using his speed to close the distance and land shots.
This unusual pressure will confuse Jones and we will see a very different
fighter. The fight will go to ground in the first, but this will be
inconclusive. In the second round, Evans will continue to press the action and eventually
floor the Jones to regain his UFC Light Heavyweight title.
Jon Jones vs Rashad Evans community reaction
Jon Jones is the current UFC Light Heavyweight champion. Jon
Jones has not been beaten in his professional MMA career. Jon Jones has
dominated some big names. Yes, Jon Jones in the definite favourite in this
bout, but the MMA community has all but written Rashad Evans off. The bookmakers
even opened the betting odds with Jon Jones being a 6:1 favourite. Six to one, against a former champion who has
a 17-1-1 record, are they insane?
In my opinion, these two fighters are a lot more even than
that. They have trained in the same camp, they have fought and beaten many of
the same opponents. They both struggled against the same man – Machida. At six
to one I will take Rashad Evans to win this fight every time.
Other videos for Jones vs Evans
Sunday, 8 April 2012
Jon Jones Highlights Video
Here is a Jon Jones Highlight video to whet the appetite ahead of his UFC 145 bout against Rashad Evans.
Jon Jones Highlights Video
Rashad Evans UFC Highlights Video
Ahead of their UFC 145 Light heavyweight title fight, Rashad Evans and Jon Jones are rather unsurprisingly two are the most talked about fighters in the world at the moment.
In preparation for the big MMA event, here is a nice video compilation of Rashad Evans' fighting highlights. Watching this video one quickly remembers just how good Rashad Evans is.
Rashad Evans Highlights video
Saturday, 7 April 2012
Jon Jones vs Rashad Evans - a deeper look video
This is certainly going to be one of the biggest fights of the year, and I can't imagine there is an MMA fan out there who doesn't have an interest in the result. Will Jon Jones prove too much for Evans or does Rashad Evans have Jones's number?
Jon Jones vs Rashad Evans video
This video by MMAweekly.com takes a deeper look into the lead up to the bitterness between Evans and Jones, as well as some of their fights leading up to April 21.
Sunday, 29 January 2012
UFC on Fox 2 in Restrospect
UFC on Fox 2 was a huge event for the UFC. Diminishing the importance of the fact that it was only the promotions second live event on Fox television, was that fact that two of the major divisions hung in the balance. Both the Middleweight division and the Light Heavyweight division had potential blockbuster title fights lined up - highly anticipated grudge matches that could pack arenas many times over, but before these could be made, the title challengers needed to negotiate some serious threats. En route to a title fight with ex teammate Jon Jones, Suga Rashad Evans was faced with undefeated Light Heavyweight prospect Phil Davis. While Chael Sonnen would have to negotiate Britain's Ultimate Fighter Season 3 winner Michael Bisping in order to get a second crack at pound for pound great and Middleweight champion Anderson Silva.
Fortunately for the UFC and MMA fans around the world, the major fights from last nights UFC on Fox 2 event went as predicted (UFC on Fox 2 predictions), but that is not to say there weren't surprises. While both Rashad Evans and Chael Sonnen got the job done in front of a packed United Center in Chicago Illinois, their opponents Phil Davis and Michael Bisping put up a lot more resistance than was initially expected. This leaves many questions surrounding the challengers as they head towards, what appear to be guaranteed title shots against dominant champions in their respective divisions.
Rashad Evans vs Phil Davis
Rashad Evans managed to outclass Phil Davis while standing and on the ground. The former Light Heavyweight champion had Davis in precarious positions more than once in their 5 round fight at UFC on Fox 2. Despite being so dominant, Suga Rashad Evans was unable to finish Mr Wonderful, who put up an admirable yet non threatening performance in the biggest fight of his young career. Evans would go on to win a shutout unanimous decision. While Evans was never in any trouble in this fight, and seemed to almost breeze through it, he did not do much to convince me that he is ready or able to take on current Light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, who is a much more aggressive and dangerous fighter than Davis. Still, I am glad that the fight will happen and we should be able to put all theory to bed in April 2012.
Chael Sonnen vs Michael Bisping
Chael Sonnen started with a bang, taking Bisping to the canvas seconds into their UFC on Fox 2 bout. Michael Bisping however, had different plans and immediately popped back up and took control of the fight. Bisping was able to dictate the fight for most of the first two rounds, and showed impressive clinch work and defence from his back. Still, Sonnen largely pressed the action and was able to take The Count down a few times in the opening rounds, without inflicting much damage. The third round however was all Sonnen, who was able to take Bisping down early and gain some advantageous positions. Although somewhat controversial, Sonnen won a unanimous decision on the judges scorecards. I personally think he won the fight, though I do think a the first two rounds could easily have gone either way. Although Sonnen's victory was not altogether convincing, a lot can be contributed to a very tough opponent in the commonly underestimated Michael Bisping. Sonnen also stated after the fight that Bisping was a better fighter than Silva. This however is irrelevant, as it is Sonnen himself who will once more do battle with Anderson "The Spider" Silva, likely in Brazil in June this year.
Fortunately for the UFC and MMA fans around the world, the major fights from last nights UFC on Fox 2 event went as predicted (UFC on Fox 2 predictions), but that is not to say there weren't surprises. While both Rashad Evans and Chael Sonnen got the job done in front of a packed United Center in Chicago Illinois, their opponents Phil Davis and Michael Bisping put up a lot more resistance than was initially expected. This leaves many questions surrounding the challengers as they head towards, what appear to be guaranteed title shots against dominant champions in their respective divisions.
Rashad Evans vs Phil Davis
Rashad Evans managed to outclass Phil Davis while standing and on the ground. The former Light Heavyweight champion had Davis in precarious positions more than once in their 5 round fight at UFC on Fox 2. Despite being so dominant, Suga Rashad Evans was unable to finish Mr Wonderful, who put up an admirable yet non threatening performance in the biggest fight of his young career. Evans would go on to win a shutout unanimous decision. While Evans was never in any trouble in this fight, and seemed to almost breeze through it, he did not do much to convince me that he is ready or able to take on current Light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, who is a much more aggressive and dangerous fighter than Davis. Still, I am glad that the fight will happen and we should be able to put all theory to bed in April 2012.
Chael Sonnen vs Michael Bisping
Chael Sonnen started with a bang, taking Bisping to the canvas seconds into their UFC on Fox 2 bout. Michael Bisping however, had different plans and immediately popped back up and took control of the fight. Bisping was able to dictate the fight for most of the first two rounds, and showed impressive clinch work and defence from his back. Still, Sonnen largely pressed the action and was able to take The Count down a few times in the opening rounds, without inflicting much damage. The third round however was all Sonnen, who was able to take Bisping down early and gain some advantageous positions. Although somewhat controversial, Sonnen won a unanimous decision on the judges scorecards. I personally think he won the fight, though I do think a the first two rounds could easily have gone either way. Although Sonnen's victory was not altogether convincing, a lot can be contributed to a very tough opponent in the commonly underestimated Michael Bisping. Sonnen also stated after the fight that Bisping was a better fighter than Silva. This however is irrelevant, as it is Sonnen himself who will once more do battle with Anderson "The Spider" Silva, likely in Brazil in June this year.
Saturday, 28 January 2012
UFC on Fox 2 - Fight Predictions
UFC on Fox 2 is happening tonight, with a stacked main card including two fights which could very well shape the future of both the UFC Middleweight and Light Heavyweight divisions. The winners of which will certainly be first in line for title fights against two of the sports most dominant champions. This has been more than hinted at by UFC president Dana White.
Rashad Evans vs Phil Davis
Former UFC Light Heavyweight champion Rashad Evans has been vying for a title shot with nemisis Jon Jones for some time now. Phil Davis, it appears, is the final hurdle. While Davis has an amazing wrestling pedigree, Mr Wonderful has not impressed me with his standup. I believe Rashad Evans will be too quick, too clinical in his standup game and will school the young up and comer, who will try struggle to get Evans to the mat. Rashad will be able to dictate the terms of the fight and will eventually finish the young wrestler in the second round.
Chael Sonnen vs Michael Bisping
This is a very interesting matchup between two fine Middleweights. Bisping definitely carries an advantage standing, while Sonnen has shown that he can wrestle with the best. It is a tough one to call, but I must go with my instinct which tells me that Sonnen will be able to get Bisping to the ground and into his world, where he will put some standard Sonnen ground and pound on him and eventually finish the British superstar and earn another crack at Middleweight Kingpin Anderson Silva
Rashad Evans vs Phil Davis
Former UFC Light Heavyweight champion Rashad Evans has been vying for a title shot with nemisis Jon Jones for some time now. Phil Davis, it appears, is the final hurdle. While Davis has an amazing wrestling pedigree, Mr Wonderful has not impressed me with his standup. I believe Rashad Evans will be too quick, too clinical in his standup game and will school the young up and comer, who will try struggle to get Evans to the mat. Rashad will be able to dictate the terms of the fight and will eventually finish the young wrestler in the second round.
Chael Sonnen vs Michael Bisping
This is a very interesting matchup between two fine Middleweights. Bisping definitely carries an advantage standing, while Sonnen has shown that he can wrestle with the best. It is a tough one to call, but I must go with my instinct which tells me that Sonnen will be able to get Bisping to the ground and into his world, where he will put some standard Sonnen ground and pound on him and eventually finish the British superstar and earn another crack at Middleweight Kingpin Anderson Silva
Saturday, 7 January 2012
UFC 133 Rashad Evans vs Tito Ortiz 2 in retrospect
Rashad Evans’ systematic destruction of Tito Ortiz, in their
headlining fight at UFC 133 in Philadelphia, was beautiful to watch. The former
light heavyweight champion opened cautiously, taking his time to find his
rhythm after an absence of fourteen months from the octagon, but was quickly
pressured by Ortiz looking for an early take down. Evans managed to weather the
storm and then unleashed a barrage of punches on Ortiz which had the Huntington
Beach Bad Boy covering up for dear life. There was no stopping Evans from here
on out as he took Ortiz to the matt in both rounds one and two and unleashed
some calculated ground and pound, eventually stopping him in the second with a
well placed knee to the solar plexus followed by a flurry of punches.
While this victory has got the critics talking about Evans
in a positive light, I feel it is only fair to keep the context of the fight in
perspective. Ortiz, a legend of the sport, has a list of accomplishments behind
his name which often mislead the inexperienced spectator. Yes, he is a former
light heavyweight champion, and yes, he has the record for the most title defences,
but one must remember that he is not that fighter anymore and that prior to his
win last month against Ryan Bader at UFC 132 Ortiz had not won a fight in
almost five years. Couple this with the fact that he took the fight on less
than three weeks notice and the picture becomes a lot clearer. While a victor
is never a foregone conclusion in MMA, Rashad Evans’ absolutely had to dominate
Tito Ortiz, there was no other probable outcome. Evans (16-1-1) did exactly
what was expected of him, nothing more.
This fight, whilst a great warm up fight for Evans after his
long layoff, did nothing to further enhance my opinion of the fighter ahead of
his possible title shot with friend-turned-foe Jon “Bones” Jones. If anything,
the question it raised for me, on seeing the size difference between Ortiz and
Evans, was whether it is physically possible for Evans to enter the octagon
with a man so much bigger than himself. It has a David versus Goliath feel,
except in this rendition we know that both fighters have both the skills and
the attitude to win, both fighters have held the coveted LHW strap, and both
fighters have talked enough smack which they desperately need to back up.
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