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cnnWriteBotNav_transition(); </script> </div> </div> <script type="text/javascript"> $('.hiddenNav').hover(function() { $('.globalNav').show(); }, function(){ $('.globalNav').delay(3000).hide(); }); </script> <div id="banner"> <script language="JavaScript"> siAds.render('mma_boxing/top.728x90', 728, 90); </script> </div>  <div id="content"> <div class="left-column"> <h1 class="pagetitle">Posts Tagged ‘Rashad Evans’</h1> <div class="post-wrap"> <div class="post-top"></div> <div class="post" id="post-4392"> <h1><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049/http://mma-boxing.si.com/2013/02/02/at-ufc-156-rashad-evans-is-looking-for-a-win-and-for-whats-been-lost/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to At UFC 156, Rashad Evans is looking for a win … and for what’s been lost">At UFC 156, Rashad Evans is looking for a win … and for what’s been lost</a></h1> <div class="category"> <a href="/web/20130507191049/http://mma-boxing.si.com/category/mma/">MMA</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049/http://mma-boxing.si.com/2013/02/02/at-ufc-156-rashad-evans-is-looking-for-a-win-and-for-whats-been-lost/#comment"><span class="js-kit-comments-count" exclude-sources="Twitter" include-sources="Comments" uniq="/2013/02/02/at-ufc-156-rashad-evans-is-looking-for-a-win-and-for-whats-been-lost/"></span> Comments </a> </div> <div class="entry"> <div id="cnnSCFontButtons"> <div id="cnnSCFontLabel"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049im_/http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.element/img/4.0/story/textsize.gif"/></div> <div id="cnnSCFontMinusBtn" onclick="setActiveStyleSheet2('default'); return false;"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049im_/http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.element/img/4.0/story/textsize_minus_d.gif" alt="Decrease font" title="Decrease font" class="cnnDecreaseFont"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049im_/http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.element/img/4.0/story/textsize_minus_l.gif" alt="Decrease font" title="Decrease font" class="cnnIncreaseFont"></div> <div id="cnnSCFontPlusBtn" onclick="setActiveStyleSheet2('LargeFont'); return false;"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049im_/http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.element/img/4.0/story/textsize_plus_d.gif" alt="Enlarge font" title="Enlarge font" class="cnnIncreaseFont"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049im_/http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.element/img/4.0/story/textsize_plus_l.gif" alt="Enlarge font" title="Enlarge font" class="cnnDecreaseFont"></div> </div> <div id="attachment_4399" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 308px"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049/http://sicounterpunch.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/rashad-evans.jpg"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049im_/http://sicounterpunch.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/rashad-evans.jpg?w=298&h=390" alt="Rashad Evans" width="298" height="390" class="size-full wp-image-4399"/></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Former light-heavyweight champ Rashad Evans will fight Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in the co-main event of UFC 156. [Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images]</p></div> <p>LAS VEGAS — Rashad Evans will be looking for a defining win on Saturday night. He’ll also be looking for something not so tangible, something that’s been lost.</p> <p>“The competitor has been brought back to life, the one who truly just loves to compete,” Evans told reporters on Thursday, two days before his UFC 156 co-main event fight against Antônio Rogério Nogueira at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. “So many times when you’re competing, you kind of fall out of love with it. It becomes like a song and dance, and you kind of get like, ‘Ah, yeah, gotta do this, gotta do that.’ To really love to compete, to really love every aspect of it, is a passion that a lot of people don’t have. I’ve found myself, within the last 11 months or so, just falling in love with competing again.”</p> <p>That period coincides with a time during which the 33-year-old “Suga Rashad” has settled in with a new team of training partners, the Blackzilians in south Florida, after an acrimonious and very public departure from his longtime home, the Jackson-Winkeljohn gym in Albuquerque. And the change of camps is related, of course, to the former light heavyweight champion’s most recent fight, last April’s loss to the division’s reigning king, teammate-turned-mortal enemy Jon Jones. While this weekend’s fight could have major implications for his career — there’s talk that Rashad could be next in line to face middleweight champion Anderson Silva, and a rematch with Jones is also a possibility — the aspect that most stirs up Evans (17-2-1) is that he and Nogueira (20-5) will simply be competing against each other. Nothing more.</p> <p>“I felt like last time with Jones I got too distracted by everything else that was going on, the whole back story,” said Evans, referring to the teammates’ split over one man grabbing the belt that the other wanted as well, and their departure from a shared pledge to put team first and never fight each other. “It kind of took away from the fight for me. I thought it did the same thing for him as well. I don’t think he was at his best that day, either.</p> <p>“It took away what competing is about. It kind of scarred me in a way that made me mot want to compete anymore. I was like, ‘This is not about fighting.’ It’s just about a bunch of b.s. It’s not what I love about fighting. What I love about fighting is the actual fight, the feeling that I get when I walk into the cage and I see the mat and I see all the blood and all the sweat and everything else that everybody laid out. And when they say go, that feeling, that’s what I like about fighting.”</p> <p align="right"><b><i>-Jeff Wagenheim</i></b></p> <div id="jp-post-flair" class="sharedaddy sd-like-enabled sd-sharing-enabled"></div> <br/> </div> </div> <div class="post-bottom"> <li>Published On <span>Feb 02, 2013</span></li> <li id="right"><span><div><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049/http://mma-boxing.si.com/2013/02/02/at-ufc-156-rashad-evans-is-looking-for-a-win-and-for-whats-been-lost/#comments" title="Comment on At UFC 156, Rashad Evans is looking for a win … and for what’s been lost"><span data-lf-article-id="4392" data-lf-site-id="308691" class="livefyre-commentcount">Read 1 Comment</span></a></div></span></li> </div> </div> <div class="post-wrap"> <div class="post-top"></div> <div class="post" id="post-4363"> <h1><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049/http://mma-boxing.si.com/2013/01/31/experts-predictions-for-ufc-156/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Experts’ Predictions for UFC 156">Experts’ Predictions for UFC 156</a></h1> <div class="category"> <a href="/web/20130507191049/http://mma-boxing.si.com/category/mma/">MMA</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049/http://mma-boxing.si.com/2013/01/31/experts-predictions-for-ufc-156/#comment"><span class="js-kit-comments-count" exclude-sources="Twitter" include-sources="Comments" uniq="/2013/01/31/experts-predictions-for-ufc-156/"></span> Comments </a> </div> <div class="entry"> <div id="cnnSCFontButtons"> <div id="cnnSCFontLabel"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049im_/http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.element/img/4.0/story/textsize.gif"/></div> <div id="cnnSCFontMinusBtn" onclick="setActiveStyleSheet2('default'); return false;"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049im_/http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.element/img/4.0/story/textsize_minus_d.gif" alt="Decrease font" title="Decrease font" class="cnnDecreaseFont"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049im_/http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.element/img/4.0/story/textsize_minus_l.gif" alt="Decrease font" title="Decrease font" class="cnnIncreaseFont"></div> <div id="cnnSCFontPlusBtn" onclick="setActiveStyleSheet2('LargeFont'); return false;"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049im_/http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.element/img/4.0/story/textsize_plus_d.gif" alt="Enlarge font" title="Enlarge font" class="cnnIncreaseFont"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049im_/http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.element/img/4.0/story/textsize_plus_l.gif" alt="Enlarge font" title="Enlarge font" class="cnnDecreaseFont"></div> </div> <div id="attachment_4366" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 229px"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049/http://sicounterpunch.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/jose-aldo-t2.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-4366 " alt="Jose Aldo" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049im_/http://sicounterpunch.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/jose-aldo-t2.jpg?w=219&h=300" width="219" height="300"/></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Two of SI.com’s three experts believe Jose Aldo (above) will defeat Frankie Edgar on Saturday. (Andrew Richardson/Icon SMI)</p></div> <p><em>SI.com analysts Dave Doyle, Loretta Hunt and Jeff Wagenheim provide their predictions for UFC 156 on Saturday in Las Vegas.</em><em> </em></p> <h4>Jose Aldo vs. Frankie Edgar</h4> <p><strong>HUNT</strong>: This is one of those rare occasions where I’m glad a fighter was cajoled into something he didn’t want to do. After a stellar run at lightweight, the smaller Edgar makes his featherweight debut against the explosive Brazilian champ, who will finally have an opponent who can match his speed and skill. Trilogy potential here. <b>Aldo by decision.</b></p> <p><strong>DOYLE</strong>:<strong> </strong>This is the toughest pick I’ve had to make in seven years covering MMA. I’ve changed my mind 100 times and might change it 100 more before fight time. As of now, I think Aldo’s kicks will be enough to keep Edgar from getting his offense fully untracked. <strong>Aldo via decision. </strong></p> <p><strong>WAGENHEIM</strong>: Anyone have a coin I can borrow to flip? Too many variables here for the math to make any sense to me, so let me try to keep it simple: Aldo has won 14 straight fights, while Edgar has lost two in a row. So obviously the answer is… well, “The Answer” is Frankie. Why? Because he always has an adjustment, an answer, for anything thrown at him. So look for him to weather an early storm (been there, done that) and settle into a rhythm and a pace that gradually makes him the lead in this dance. <strong>Edgar by decision.</strong></p> <h4>Rashad Evans vs. Antonio Rogério Nogueira</h4> <p><strong>HUNT</strong>: Speed and nimbler footwork will give Evans the edge against the more plodding Nogueira. <b>Evans by TKO.</b></p> <p><strong>DOYLE</strong>: “Li’l Nog” has always been just a cut below the championship level, and he isn’t getting any younger. Evans is going to be motivated in his first fight since losing to Jon Jones. I smell 30-27 across the board. <strong>Evans via decision.</strong></p> <p><strong>WAGENHEIM</strong>: “Little Nog” is coming off a win, but beating Tito Ortiz does not mean what it used to. On the other hand, losing to Phil Davis and Ryan Bader speaks volumes. Nogueira is a solid light heavy, but Rashad is simply too quick, too slick, too good for him to contend with. Where a victory here will lead “Suga Rashad” is uncertain, but that’s a question for another day. <strong>Evans by KO.</strong></p> <h4>Alistair Overeem vs. Antonio Silva</h4> <p><b>HUNT</b>: This is a career re-builder for Overeem, whose reputation took the hit everyone anticipated when he was flagged for steroid use last summer. With a brutally bloody battering from Cain Velasquez still in the back of his mind, the 6-foot-4, 285-pound “Big Foot” won’t be overshadowed by Overeem’s stature, but he will be bullied on its feet and from his back. <b>Overeem by TKO.</b></p> <p><strong>DOYLE</strong>: I’m calling an upset here. Overeem has been out a year and his win streak is frankly a bit of a hype. Silva seems to perform best when he’s counted out. “Bigfoot” tags a rusty Overeem and scores the early finish. <strong>Silva via TKO.</strong></p> <p><strong>WAGENHEIM</strong>: Overeem might be rusty after being idle since December 2011, and “Bigfoot” might have what it takes to step up. Silva is coming off an upset of rising heavyweight Travis Browne, and the two losses that preceded it were to the iron of the division, Cain Velasquez and Daniel Cormier. But “The Reem” has too much riding on this. <strong>Overeem by KO.</strong></p> <h4>Jon Fitch vs. Demian Maia</h4> <p><b>HUNT</b>: BJJ black belt Maia’s work ethic is top-tier in and he constantly pushes himself out of his comfort zone to even out his skill set. This isn’t necessarily a bad matchup for him — Fitch is a wrestler and Maia is a shark on the canvas — but if Fitch pushes this one to the fence and lingers there, he can eat crucial time and ride out a decision. <b>Fitch by decision.</b></p> <p><strong>DOYLE</strong>: Fitch has never been known to take easy fights. This is no different. Maia’s undergone a career rebirth at welterweight, but ultimately, Fitch’s wrestling and submission defense will be too much for the jiu-jitsu specialist. <strong>Fitch by decision.</strong></p> <p><strong>WAGENHEIM</strong>: Wouldn’t it be a cool turnabout if the crowd were to boo as the fighters come out of their corners and trade punches, then let out one of those bloodthirsty cheers as soon as they take the contest to the mat? After all, it is in the grappling (usually a dirty word for cageside fans) where the magic will happen. <strong>Fitch by decision.</strong></p> <h4>Joseph Benavidez vs. Ian McCall</h4> <p><b>HUNT</b>: A rebound fight for Benavidez, the faster, more assertive, and most importantly, more marketable fighter of the pair coming off a split decision loss against champion Johnson. <b>Benavidez by submission.</b></p> <p><strong>DOYLE</strong>: McCall’s had a nice run at flyweight, but Benavidez is simply a notch above. I see a dominant win for Benavidez, the type that demands a shot at Demetrious Johnson’s title. <strong>Benavidez via submission.</strong></p> <p><strong>WAGENHEIM</strong>: I must admit I was surprised to see Demetrious Johnson beat Benavidez, who I thought was going to own the new UFC flyweight division. Now Joseph faces a guy “Mighty Mouse” had to fight twice on the way to the championship. All roads lead to rematch, no? <strong>Benavidez by decision.</strong></p> <div id="jp-post-flair" class="sharedaddy sd-like-enabled sd-sharing-enabled"></div> <br/> </div> </div> <div class="post-bottom"> <li>Published On <span>Jan 31, 2013</span></li> <li id="right"><span><div><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049/http://mma-boxing.si.com/2013/01/31/experts-predictions-for-ufc-156/#comments" title="Comment on Experts’ Predictions for UFC 156"><span data-lf-article-id="4363" data-lf-site-id="308691" class="livefyre-commentcount">Read 13 Comments</span></a></div></span></li> </div> </div> <div class="post-wrap"> <div class="post-top"></div> <div class="post" id="post-2032"> <h1><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049/http://mma-boxing.si.com/2012/04/20/intense-staredown-between-jon-jones-rashad-evans-at-ufc-145-weigh-ins/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Intense staredown between Jon Jones, Rashad Evans at UFC 145 weigh-ins">Intense staredown between Jon Jones, Rashad Evans at UFC 145 weigh-ins</a></h1> <div class="category"> <a href="/web/20130507191049/http://mma-boxing.si.com/category/mma/">MMA</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049/http://mma-boxing.si.com/2012/04/20/intense-staredown-between-jon-jones-rashad-evans-at-ufc-145-weigh-ins/#comment"><span class="js-kit-comments-count" exclude-sources="Twitter" include-sources="Comments" uniq="/2012/04/20/intense-staredown-between-jon-jones-rashad-evans-at-ufc-145-weigh-ins/"></span> Comments </a> </div> <div class="entry"> <div id="cnnSCFontButtons"> <div id="cnnSCFontLabel"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049im_/http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.element/img/4.0/story/textsize.gif"/></div> <div id="cnnSCFontMinusBtn" onclick="setActiveStyleSheet2('default'); return false;"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049im_/http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.element/img/4.0/story/textsize_minus_d.gif" alt="Decrease font" title="Decrease font" class="cnnDecreaseFont"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049im_/http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.element/img/4.0/story/textsize_minus_l.gif" alt="Decrease font" title="Decrease font" class="cnnIncreaseFont"></div> <div id="cnnSCFontPlusBtn" onclick="setActiveStyleSheet2('LargeFont'); return false;"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049im_/http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.element/img/4.0/story/textsize_plus_d.gif" alt="Enlarge font" title="Enlarge font" class="cnnIncreaseFont"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049im_/http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.element/img/4.0/story/textsize_plus_l.gif" alt="Enlarge font" title="Enlarge font" class="cnnDecreaseFont"></div> </div> <p>ATLANTA — The <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/bryan_armen_graham/04/20/rashad.evans/index.html" target="_blank">well documented animosity</a> between Jon Jones and Rashad Evans had <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049/http://mma-boxing.si.com/2012/04/18/jon-jones-rashad-evans-dont-seem-to-hate-each-other-as-much-as-advertised/" target="_blank">seemed to abate</a> during the week leading up to Saturday’s UFC light heavyweight title fight.</p> <p>Then came Friday’s weigh-ins at the Fox Theatre, where the two estranged friends and former training partners stepped on the scale — then came together for an intense staredown worthy of one of the biggest grudge matches in the promotion’s 19-year history.</p> <p><span class="embed-youtube" style="text-align:center; display: block;"><iframe class="youtube-player" type="text/html" width="640" height="390" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049if_/http://www.youtube.com/embed/mGqDtJBo9ns?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent" frameborder="0"></iframe></span><br/> With the 4,678-seat erstwhile movie palace nearly filled to capacity, Evans (204 pounds) and Jones (205) both came in under the division limit. Both fighters drew mixed reactions from a crowd that seemed evenly divided in their support.</p> <p>“It’s been a bit different because of the media and everything, but at the same time, I enjoyed the process,” Evans told UFC commentator Joe Rogan. “It is a lot of emotion involved, but at the same time, I’m looking forward to stepping in the cage and fighting Jones.”</p> <p>“It’s a gigantic fight. I’m excited to be here, baby,” Jones said, amid an uncommon chorus of boos. “I’m ready to tear some heart out.”</p> <p>Every fighter made weight Friday except for John Makdessi, who came in three pounds over the lightweight limit of 155 pounds and will forfeit 20 percent of his purse to opponent Anthony Njokuani.</p> <p>Yesterday, Evans had observed how a fight actually starts at the weigh-ins. ”It’s really the last time you see your guy before you see him in the cage,” he said. “You get to see his energy, feel his energy.”</p> <p>If the hostility exuding from both fighters Friday is any indication, their light heavyweight title showdown Saturday at Philips Arena should be a cracker.</p> <p>(Watch the entire weigh-ins <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAxThUOanO8" target="_blank">here</a>.)</p> <p style="text-align:right;"><strong><em>– Bryan Armen Graham</em></strong></p> <div id="jp-post-flair" class="sharedaddy sd-like-enabled sd-sharing-enabled"></div> <br/> </div> </div> <div class="post-bottom"> <li>Published On <span>Apr 20, 2012</span></li> <li id="right"><span><div><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049/http://mma-boxing.si.com/2012/04/20/intense-staredown-between-jon-jones-rashad-evans-at-ufc-145-weigh-ins/#respond" title="Comment on Intense staredown between Jon Jones, Rashad Evans at UFC 145 weigh-ins"><span data-lf-article-id="2032" data-lf-site-id="308691" class="livefyre-commentcount">Add A Comment</span></a></div></span></li> </div> </div> <div class="post-wrap"> <div class="post-top"></div> <div class="post" id="post-2000"> <h1><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049/http://mma-boxing.si.com/2012/04/20/stephen-thompson-looks-to-build-on-scintillating-debut-at-ufc-145/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Stephen Thompson looks to build on scintillating debut at UFC 145">Stephen Thompson looks to build on scintillating debut at UFC 145</a></h1> <div class="category"> <a href="/web/20130507191049/http://mma-boxing.si.com/category/mma/">MMA</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049/http://mma-boxing.si.com/2012/04/20/stephen-thompson-looks-to-build-on-scintillating-debut-at-ufc-145/#comment"><span class="js-kit-comments-count" exclude-sources="Twitter" include-sources="Comments" uniq="/2012/04/20/stephen-thompson-looks-to-build-on-scintillating-debut-at-ufc-145/"></span> Comments </a> </div> <div class="entry"> <div id="cnnSCFontButtons"> <div id="cnnSCFontLabel"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049im_/http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.element/img/4.0/story/textsize.gif"/></div> <div id="cnnSCFontMinusBtn" onclick="setActiveStyleSheet2('default'); return false;"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049im_/http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.element/img/4.0/story/textsize_minus_d.gif" alt="Decrease font" title="Decrease font" class="cnnDecreaseFont"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049im_/http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.element/img/4.0/story/textsize_minus_l.gif" alt="Decrease font" title="Decrease font" class="cnnIncreaseFont"></div> <div id="cnnSCFontPlusBtn" onclick="setActiveStyleSheet2('LargeFont'); return false;"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049im_/http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.element/img/4.0/story/textsize_plus_d.gif" alt="Enlarge font" title="Enlarge font" class="cnnIncreaseFont"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049im_/http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.element/img/4.0/story/textsize_plus_l.gif" alt="Enlarge font" title="Enlarge font" class="cnnDecreaseFont"></div> </div> <div id="attachment_2007" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 310px"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049/http://sicounterpunch.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/stephen-thompson.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-2007 " title="stephen-thompson" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049im_/http://sicounterpunch.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/stephen-thompson.jpg?w=300&h=419" alt="" width="300" height="419"/></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Stephen Thompson won six world kickboxing titles and amassed a mark of 63-0 as an amateur and pro before joining the UFC. (Kevin C. Cox/Zuffa LLC)</p></div> <p>ATLANTA — Of the six preliminary fights airing on FX before Saturday’s UFC 145 pay-per-view telecast, none is more intriguing than Stephen Thompson’s meeting with veteran Matt Brown.</p> <p>A six-time world champion kickboxer, Thompson became an overnight sensation in February with a <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049/http://smotri.com/video/view/?id=v1997538f9d3&confirm=4noeAGbhkE82MTVm">spectacular first-round knockout</a> of Dan Stittgen in his UFC debut, a four-minute stoppage that earned the Simpsonville, S.C., native a $65,000 bonus for the Knockout of the Night.</p> <p>“There is a little pressure [to follow up] a four-minute knockout in your first UFC fight,” Thompson, 28, said at Thursday’s open workouts at Georgia State University. “But you’re fighting better guys now. Matt Brown has been in the fight game for a very long time. He’s got a lot of experience. So I’m not expecting to go out and knock this guy out. If it happens, it happens.”</p> <p>The 32-year-old Brown felt <em>his</em> knockout of Chris Cope on the same card as Thompson’s debut was more deserving the bonus, making no secret of it. Ultimately, he asked to face Thompson — a request Dana White, no enemy to drama, was happy to grant.</p> <p>The media in Thompson’s native South Carolina have done their part to hype the fight. When Thompson appeared on a local radio station — “93.3 The Planet,” he recalled with a smile — Brown called into the station while his opponent was being interviewed on the air. (Brown confessed Thursday the radio station had orchestrated the dust-up by scheduling the call.)</p> <p>Thompson trained with Rashad Evans for a week in Florida while preparing for Saturday’s sophomore outing. The two first met when Thompson was flown to Albuquerque to help Evans prepare for his May 2009 fight with Lyoto Machida. They’ve kept up a good relationship and Thompson has been training with him ever since.</p> <p>And though Evans is a 5-to-1 underdog against Jon Jones in Saturday’s main event, Thompson is bullish on the former champion’s upset chances.</p> <p>“The guy’s a monster man, he’s a beast,” Thompson said. “He’s so ready. Mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually, he’s there. So I’m excited to see that one.”</p> <p style="text-align:right;"><strong><em>– Bryan Armen Graham</em></strong></p> <div id="jp-post-flair" class="sharedaddy sd-like-enabled sd-sharing-enabled"></div> <br/> </div> </div> <div class="post-bottom"> <li>Published On <span>Apr 20, 2012</span></li> <li id="right"><span><div><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049/http://mma-boxing.si.com/2012/04/20/stephen-thompson-looks-to-build-on-scintillating-debut-at-ufc-145/#respond" title="Comment on Stephen Thompson looks to build on scintillating debut at UFC 145"><span data-lf-article-id="2000" data-lf-site-id="308691" class="livefyre-commentcount">Add A Comment</span></a></div></span></li> </div> </div> <div class="post-wrap"> <div class="post-top"></div> <div class="post" id="post-1990"> <h1><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049/http://mma-boxing.si.com/2012/04/19/georges-st-pierre-discusses-ufc-145-injury-recovery-move-to-middleweight/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Georges St-Pierre discusses UFC 145, injury recovery, move to middleweight">Georges St-Pierre discusses UFC 145, injury recovery, move to middleweight</a></h1> <div class="category"> <a href="/web/20130507191049/http://mma-boxing.si.com/category/mma/">MMA</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049/http://mma-boxing.si.com/2012/04/19/georges-st-pierre-discusses-ufc-145-injury-recovery-move-to-middleweight/#comment"><span class="js-kit-comments-count" exclude-sources="Twitter" include-sources="Comments" uniq="/2012/04/19/georges-st-pierre-discusses-ufc-145-injury-recovery-move-to-middleweight/"></span> Comments </a> </div> <div class="entry"> <div id="cnnSCFontButtons"> <div id="cnnSCFontLabel"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049im_/http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.element/img/4.0/story/textsize.gif"/></div> <div id="cnnSCFontMinusBtn" onclick="setActiveStyleSheet2('default'); return false;"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049im_/http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.element/img/4.0/story/textsize_minus_d.gif" alt="Decrease font" title="Decrease font" class="cnnDecreaseFont"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049im_/http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.element/img/4.0/story/textsize_minus_l.gif" alt="Decrease font" title="Decrease font" class="cnnIncreaseFont"></div> <div id="cnnSCFontPlusBtn" onclick="setActiveStyleSheet2('LargeFont'); return false;"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049im_/http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.element/img/4.0/story/textsize_plus_d.gif" alt="Enlarge font" title="Enlarge font" class="cnnIncreaseFont"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049im_/http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.element/img/4.0/story/textsize_plus_l.gif" alt="Enlarge font" title="Enlarge font" class="cnnDecreaseFont"></div> </div> <div id="attachment_1997" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 310px"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049/http://sicounterpunch.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/georges-st-pierre.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-1997 " title="georges-st-pierre" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049im_/http://sicounterpunch.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/georges-st-pierre.jpg?w=300&h=225" alt="" width="300" height="225"/></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Georges St-Pierre made an unscheduled visit to the UFC 145 open workouts Thursday at Georgia State University in Atlanta. (Kevin C. Cox/Zuffa LLC)</p></div> <p>ATLANTA — Georges St-Pierre is the UFC welterweight champion and widely regarded as the biggest draw in mixed martial arts, having attracted more than 750,000 pay-per-view buys to six different events over the past four years.</p> <p>But he’s also a fan. And no one is looking forward to Saturday’s light heavyweight title showdown between Jon Jones and Rashad Evans more.</p> <p>“As a fan of the sport, it’s definitely a fight I want to see,” St-Pierre said Thursday at the Georgia State University Sports Arena, where several fighters on Saturday’s card held open workouts for media and fans. “Both of these guys are incredibly talented. I believe that a mistake from one of these two guys will be fatal.”</p> <p>St-Pierre, who turns 31 next month, hasn’t fought since making his seventh consecutive defense of the UFC’s 170-pound title with a points victory over Jake Shields in April 2011. He pulled out of an October defense against Carlos Condit due to a knee injury suffered in training. Two months later, it was revealed St-Pierre would be sidelined 10 months after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.</p> <p>“I’m in good shape now, but I’m not in fighting shape,” said St-Pierre, who explained the graft in his knee needs more time to fuse before he moves on from light exercise. “In two months it’s going to 100 percent. I don’t want to mess it up. If I try to jump or go too fast, I will have to do it all over again.”</p> <p>St-Pierre spoke highly of rising welterweight prospect Rory MacDonald, who fights Che Mills in Saturday’s co-feature bout. The 22-year-old MacDonald, who trains alongside St-Pierre at Tristar Gym in Montreal, says he wants to be a world champion within two years — in the division St-Pierre currently rules.</p> <p>“I’m not interested in fighting him,” St-Pierre said, repeating himself multiple times. “There are a lot of welterweights. I don’t think we have to do it now. In two years, who knows? Maybe I will go to middleweight. Who knows what’s going to happen?”</p> <p>Ever the diplomat, St-Pierre abstained from predicting Saturday’s winner — but he said it won’t take long to see who’s in the driver’s seat.</p> <p>“After the first round, we will have a good idea of who will impose his dominance,” he said. “After the first round, we will see who will be the winner, who will be able to impose his game on the other guy.”</p> <p style="text-align:right;"><strong><em>– Bryan Armen Graham</em></strong></p> <div id="jp-post-flair" class="sharedaddy sd-like-enabled sd-sharing-enabled"></div> <br/> </div> </div> <div class="post-bottom"> <li>Published On <span>Apr 19, 2012</span></li> <li id="right"><span><div><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049/http://mma-boxing.si.com/2012/04/19/georges-st-pierre-discusses-ufc-145-injury-recovery-move-to-middleweight/#respond" title="Comment on Georges St-Pierre discusses UFC 145, injury recovery, move to middleweight"><span data-lf-article-id="1990" data-lf-site-id="308691" class="livefyre-commentcount">Add A Comment</span></a></div></span></li> </div> </div> <div class="post-wrap"> <div class="post-top"></div> <div class="post" id="post-1978"> <h1><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049/http://mma-boxing.si.com/2012/04/18/jon-jones-rashad-evans-dont-seem-to-hate-each-other-as-much-as-advertised/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Jon Jones, Rashad Evans don’t seem to hate each other as much as advertised">Jon Jones, Rashad Evans don’t seem to hate each other as much as advertised</a></h1> <div class="category"> <a href="/web/20130507191049/http://mma-boxing.si.com/category/mma/">MMA</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049/http://mma-boxing.si.com/2012/04/18/jon-jones-rashad-evans-dont-seem-to-hate-each-other-as-much-as-advertised/#comment"><span class="js-kit-comments-count" exclude-sources="Twitter" include-sources="Comments" uniq="/2012/04/18/jon-jones-rashad-evans-dont-seem-to-hate-each-other-as-much-as-advertised/"></span> Comments </a> </div> <div class="entry"> <div id="cnnSCFontButtons"> <div id="cnnSCFontLabel"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049im_/http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.element/img/4.0/story/textsize.gif"/></div> <div id="cnnSCFontMinusBtn" onclick="setActiveStyleSheet2('default'); return false;"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049im_/http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.element/img/4.0/story/textsize_minus_d.gif" alt="Decrease font" title="Decrease font" class="cnnDecreaseFont"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049im_/http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.element/img/4.0/story/textsize_minus_l.gif" alt="Decrease font" title="Decrease font" class="cnnIncreaseFont"></div> <div id="cnnSCFontPlusBtn" onclick="setActiveStyleSheet2('LargeFont'); return false;"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049im_/http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.element/img/4.0/story/textsize_plus_d.gif" alt="Enlarge font" title="Enlarge font" class="cnnIncreaseFont"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049im_/http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.element/img/4.0/story/textsize_plus_l.gif" alt="Enlarge font" title="Enlarge font" class="cnnDecreaseFont"></div> </div> <div id="attachment_1980" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 310px"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049/http://sicounterpunch.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/jones-evans.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-1980 " title="jones-evans" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049im_/http://sicounterpunch.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/jones-evans.jpg?w=300&h=416" alt="" width="300" height="416"/></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Jon Jones (left) and Rashad Evans (right) addressed the media Wednesday at a press event promoting their UFC title fight. (Kevin C. Cox/Zuffa LLC)</p></div> <p>ATLANTA — For two fighters that are supposedly friends turned enemies, Jon Jones and Rashad Evans didn’t show much animosity when sharing a stage Wednesday.</p> <p>Maybe they were just being civil. Or maybe the stifled smiles and occasional bursts of laughter hinted at something else — maybe the two don’t really hate each other after all.</p> <p>For all intents and purposes, they have to this week. The former training partners’ bitter breakup and ongoing feud is the lifeblood of UFC 145 and one of the most anticipated championship bouts in years. But for all of the hype surrounding the pair’s dislike for one another, Jones and Evans didn’t exude much hatred when faced with the task of an intimate face-to-face meeting at the UFC 145 pre-fight press conference.</p> <p>At first, the question-and-answer session carried a solemn tone, with the fighters avoiding eye contact and putting on stoic faces while the other spoke. But by the end, much like a five-round title fight, their defenses had weakened and the two were letting smiles and jokes slip.</p> <p>There’s no denying that there are <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/ben_fowlkes/04/04/jones-evans-jackson/index.html" target="_blank">some hard feelings between Jones and Evans</a>. The fighters have had to rehash the story of their feud countless times the past few weeks (and a few more on Wednesday). But after talking about it so much, the two agreed that the raw feelings that were once there have subsided a little bit.</p> <p>Jones called the persistent discussion “therapeutic” and said that Saturday’s main event “will be like the last counseling session.”</p> <p>Evans echoed his former partner’s sentiment, hinting that their relationship might not be in the tatters that it’s made out to be.</p> <p>“We’ve talked about this to death,” he said. “When you talk about something over and over, you lose a little bit of the emotion behind it … we’ve been going back and forth, saying this, saying that. It’s been a long process. We both are just tired.”</p> <p>The two even went as far as to acknowledge the possibility of rekindling their friendship after UFC 145. After all, the octagon has seen many fighters put aside their differences to hug it out after a bloody battle.</p> <p>“Who knows what God wants for us in the future,” Jones said. “I was watching an Ali documentary, <em>When We Were Kings</em>, and it was so cool to see the guys who fought each other and hated each other were able to talk about the fight and laugh and say, ‘Oh, you got me with that one!’ and ‘You hit me hard with that one.’ So who knows what God wants for us.”</p> <p>At one point, Evans was asked how much Jones has learned from him outside the octagon in conducting himself as a man. Evans downplayed the question initially, but couldn’t resist a friendly jab at the end of his answer — much like the ribbing you’d expect from two former partners.</p> <p>“I can’t really answer that question — but I do know he wore a suit just like mine,” said Evans with a know-it-all smile.</p> <p>With the ice broken and Evans laughing, Jones also let his guard down, possibly conveying his true feelings for his former teammate.</p> <p>“To clear that up,” said Jones, “I think Rashad’s swagger is through the roof. Look at the guy, that’s why I didn’t put a coat jacket on (today), I’m not going to try and compete with Rashad in dressing. He’s a wonderful dresser. He just is.”</p> <p>The light-hearted affair continued when Jones, 24, compared the 32-year-old Evans to his manager, who is similar in age, but little else.</p> <p>“I’m very insulted,” Evans said in mock seriousness. “You cannot physically compare me to to Malki Kawa. Don’t ever do nothing like that again. That’s just disrespectful right there.”</p> <p>“My bad,” laughed Jones. “I was out of line.”</p> <p>Needless to say, the press conference wasn’t exactly hostile. But that doesn’t mean either fighter will give any less on Saturday. There’s nothing fake about their desire to win. In this rare case, bragging rights might actually mean more to Jones and Evans than the championship belt itself. But just because the two desperately want to beat the other doesn’t mean they hate each other, as we might have been led to believe.</p> <p>“Let’s be honest here, it’s a fight,” Evans said. “When people fight, they don’t like each other. It makes it easier for people to root for somebody. You can never divorce the entertainment side of it and you’ve got to understand this is a sport and this is entertainment.</p> <p>“People are not buying this because they want to see two guys who like each other and only have nice things to say about each other. They want to see two guys who don’t like each other.”</p> <p>Which is why Jones and Evans will enter the octagon as enemies Saturday. There’s no other way to bill the event.</p> <p>While the tale of the Jones-Evans split has been told endlessly, the truth has always been a little too murky for anyone to decipher. Jones blames Evans, Evans blames Jones, and we’re left wondering what’s really true.</p> <p>What we do know is that the pair had a falling out, leading to a feud — temporary or not — that will be resolved this weekend.</p> <p>“Somewhere in the middle lies the truth,” Evans said, “And the truth doesn’t really matter.”</p> <p style="text-align:right;"><em><strong>– Matt Dollinger</strong></em></p> <div id="jp-post-flair" class="sharedaddy sd-like-enabled sd-sharing-enabled"></div> <br/> </div> </div> <div class="post-bottom"> <li>Published On <span>Apr 18, 2012</span></li> <li id="right"><span><div><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049/http://mma-boxing.si.com/2012/04/18/jon-jones-rashad-evans-dont-seem-to-hate-each-other-as-much-as-advertised/#comments" title="Comment on Jon Jones, Rashad Evans don’t seem to hate each other as much as advertised"><span data-lf-article-id="1978" data-lf-site-id="308691" class="livefyre-commentcount">Read 2 Comments</span></a></div></span></li> </div> </div> <div class="post-wrap"> <div class="post-top"></div> <div class="post" id="post-1956"> <h1><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049/http://mma-boxing.si.com/2012/04/17/getting-to-know-jon-jones/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Getting to know … Jon Jones">Getting to know … Jon Jones</a></h1> <div class="category"> <a href="/web/20130507191049/http://mma-boxing.si.com/category/mma/">MMA</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049/http://mma-boxing.si.com/2012/04/17/getting-to-know-jon-jones/#comment"><span class="js-kit-comments-count" exclude-sources="Twitter" include-sources="Comments" uniq="/2012/04/17/getting-to-know-jon-jones/"></span> Comments </a> </div> <div class="entry"> <div id="cnnSCFontButtons"> <div id="cnnSCFontLabel"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049im_/http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.element/img/4.0/story/textsize.gif"/></div> <div id="cnnSCFontMinusBtn" onclick="setActiveStyleSheet2('default'); return false;"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049im_/http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.element/img/4.0/story/textsize_minus_d.gif" alt="Decrease font" title="Decrease font" class="cnnDecreaseFont"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049im_/http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.element/img/4.0/story/textsize_minus_l.gif" alt="Decrease font" title="Decrease font" class="cnnIncreaseFont"></div> <div id="cnnSCFontPlusBtn" onclick="setActiveStyleSheet2('LargeFont'); return false;"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049im_/http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.element/img/4.0/story/textsize_plus_d.gif" alt="Enlarge font" title="Enlarge font" class="cnnIncreaseFont"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049im_/http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.element/img/4.0/story/textsize_plus_l.gif" alt="Enlarge font" title="Enlarge font" class="cnnDecreaseFont"></div> </div> <div id="attachment_1963" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 308px"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049/http://sicounterpunch.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/jon-jones.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-1963 " title="jon-jones" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049im_/http://sicounterpunch.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/jon-jones.jpg?w=298&h=379" alt="" width="298" height="379"/></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Jon Jones went from prospect to contender to champion to the pound-for-pound short list within a 12-month span. (Hector Acevedo/ZUMAPRESS.com)</p></div> <p><em>This time last year, Jon Jones was a 23-year-old prospect with fewer than four years training in mixed martial arts. Over the past 12 months, the Rochester, N.Y., native captured the UFC light heavyweight title — becoming the youngest champion in the organization’s history — while soaring up most outlets’ pound-for-pound ratings. (He’s No. 2 on <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/jeff_wagenheim/04/02/mma-rankings-april/index.html" target="_blank">SI.com’s list</a>.) SI.com caught up with Jones, who makes his third defense of the 205-pound title Saturday <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/jeff_wagenheim/04/16/ufc-145-viewers-guide/index.html" target="_blank">against Rashad Evans at UFC 145</a> in Atlanta.</em></p> <p><strong>Who is your all-time favorite fighter in boxing or MMA?</strong></p> <p>Anderson Silva and Muhammad Ali. Both of them.</p> <p><strong>When was your first fight?</strong></p> <p>I was around nine years old. I lived in Rochester, N.Y., and I was at my elementary school outside hanging out. I think we were drawing on the ground with chalk. And this kid, he said something about my mom. And at the time when you’re a kid — especially in the neighborhood where I grew up — when someone says something about your mama, it’s <em>on</em>. I said, “Come over and say that to my face!” The kid came across the street, said it to my face, and then he lifted me up in the air, slammed me on the ground, hit my head on the concrete and I just kind of blacked out from there. I don’t think I won that one.</p> <p><strong>Did you have fear in that moment?</strong></p> <p>I don’t remember being afraid, I just remember feeling out of control. It was a terrible feeling, and it’s a feeling I’ll probably never feel again — and don’t <em>want</em> to feel again.</p> <p><strong>When did you realize MMA was something you could make a living with?</strong></p> <p>After my second pro fight [against Carlos Eduardo in 2008]. I got paid $1,200. At the time, that was life-changing for me.</p> <p><strong>Who is the toughest opponent you’ve ever fought?</strong></p> <p>It depends on what mood I’m in. It varies. A lot of times it’s Stephan Bonner.</p> <p><strong>What was your favorite subject in school?</strong></p> <p>Lunch.</p> <p><strong>What’s on your iPod?</strong></p> <p>Actually I don’t have an iPod right now. I don’t listen to music while training.</p> <p><strong>What is your favorite movie?</strong></p> <p><em>300.</em></p> <p><strong>What’s one misconception about MMA fighters?</strong></p> <p>That we are aggressive and violent and not civil. In reality it’s the complete opposite. We’re men of great integrity. I think we’re some of the most disciplined athletes there are.</p> <p><strong>What would you be doing if you weren’t fighting?</strong></p> <p>I’d be law enforcement in upstate New York.</p> <p><strong>What is your biggest guilty pleasure?</strong></p> <p>Eating unhealthy. I love greasy fast food. It’s not good for me, but I love it.</p> <p><strong>Favorite meal when you’re out of training?</strong></p> <p>Probably a Wendy’s triple stack hamburger with cheese.</p> <p><strong>What would you change in MMA?</strong></p> <p>Nothing. I love the sport as it is.</p> <p><strong>When is the last time you cried?</strong></p> <p>Recently. Doing the <em>Primetime</em> show for this fight. They asked me about my sister [who died of brain cancer when Jones was 12], and it brought tears to my eyes to think about how beautiful she was and how much I missed her.</p> <p><strong>What’s the biggest thing that’s changed for you since becoming champion?</strong></p> <p>More Twitter followers.</p> <p><strong>Name three people you’d like to have dinner with (living or dead).</strong></p> <p>I would invite Muhammad Ali, Bruce Lee and Michael Jackson.</p> <p><strong>What advice would you give to young fighters coming up?</strong></p> <p>Remain extremely passionate and have patience — but mainly to be extremely passionate. A lot of people want to be successful, but a lot of people don’t really want to put in that work and really be obsessive over success and obsessive over what they need to do to better themselves. We all know exactly what we need to do. You know where you [stink]. Work on it.</p> <p><strong>Favorite place to vacation?</strong></p> <p>Brazil. Rio de Janeiro.</p> <p><strong>What is your dream venue for a fight?</strong></p> <p>Madison Square Garden.</p> <p><strong>What sports do you watch outside of MMA?</strong></p> <p>Football.</p> <p><strong>Tell us something no one knows about you?</strong></p> <p>[<em>Thinks for nearly a minute.</em>] I’m not saying.</p> <p><strong>When’s it’s all over, how do you want to be remembered?</strong></p> <p>I want to be remembered as a great champion. I want to be remembered as someone who inspired the people around me to better themselves. I want to make people reach for their goals and to look at themselves in the highest regard possible. I want people to be cocky in a good way. I want people to be extremely confident, because you only have yourself.</p> <p><strong>What’s your prediction for Saturday night?</strong></p> <p>Mark my words, I’ll finish the fight before the third round.</p> <p style="text-align:right;"><em><strong>– As told to Bryan Armen Graham</strong></em></p> <div id="jp-post-flair" class="sharedaddy sd-like-enabled sd-sharing-enabled"></div> <br/> </div> </div> <div class="post-bottom"> <li>Published On <span>Apr 17, 2012</span></li> <li id="right"><span><div><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049/http://mma-boxing.si.com/2012/04/17/getting-to-know-jon-jones/#respond" title="Comment on Getting to know … Jon Jones"><span data-lf-article-id="1956" data-lf-site-id="308691" class="livefyre-commentcount">Add A Comment</span></a></div></span></li> </div> </div> <div class="post-wrap"> <div class="post-top"></div> <div class="post" id="post-1611"> <h1><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049/http://mma-boxing.si.com/2012/01/27/experts-predictions-for-ufc-on-fox-2/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Experts’ predictions for UFC on Fox 2">Experts’ predictions for UFC on Fox 2</a></h1> <div class="category"> <a href="/web/20130507191049/http://mma-boxing.si.com/category/mma/">MMA</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049/http://mma-boxing.si.com/2012/01/27/experts-predictions-for-ufc-on-fox-2/#comment"><span class="js-kit-comments-count" exclude-sources="Twitter" include-sources="Comments" uniq="/2012/01/27/experts-predictions-for-ufc-on-fox-2/"></span> Comments </a> </div> <div class="entry"> <div id="cnnSCFontButtons"> <div id="cnnSCFontLabel"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049im_/http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.element/img/4.0/story/textsize.gif"/></div> <div id="cnnSCFontMinusBtn" onclick="setActiveStyleSheet2('default'); return false;"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049im_/http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.element/img/4.0/story/textsize_minus_d.gif" alt="Decrease font" title="Decrease font" class="cnnDecreaseFont"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049im_/http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.element/img/4.0/story/textsize_minus_l.gif" alt="Decrease font" title="Decrease font" class="cnnIncreaseFont"></div> <div id="cnnSCFontPlusBtn" onclick="setActiveStyleSheet2('LargeFont'); return false;"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049im_/http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.element/img/4.0/story/textsize_plus_d.gif" alt="Enlarge font" title="Enlarge font" class="cnnIncreaseFont"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049im_/http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.element/img/4.0/story/textsize_plus_l.gif" alt="Enlarge font" title="Enlarge font" class="cnnDecreaseFont"></div> </div> <div id="attachment_1613" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 310px"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049/http://sicounterpunch.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/rashad-evans.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-1613" title="rashad-evans" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049im_/http://sicounterpunch.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/rashad-evans.jpg?w=300&h=262" alt="" width="300" height="262"/></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Rashad Evans (above) is favored to defeat the fast-rising Phil Davis in the main event of Saturday's UFC on Fox 2 in Chicago. (Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC)</p></div> <p><em>SI.com analysts Ben Fowlkes, Loretta Hunt, Jeff Wagenheim and Jon Wertheim provide their predictions for UFC on Fox 2 on Saturday in Chicago.</em></p> <h4>Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis</h4> <p><strong>FOWLKES:</strong> If it were a straight-up wrestling match, I’d take Davis. But Evans knows the tricks of this trade a little better, and he’s more comfortable in the big fights. In a match-up this close, that experience could make all the difference. <strong>Evans by decision.</strong></p> <p><strong>HUNT:</strong> The athletic Davis has the right body type (lanky reach, thick lower half for explosive shots) to negate champion Jon Jones’ assets in another year or two. But it’s that year or two of missing gym time that will give Evans the edge Saturday. <strong>Evans by TKO.</strong></p> <p><strong>WAGENHEIM:</strong> If Davis can take this fight to the mat, his wrestling pedigree (2008 NCAA champ, 2006 runner-up, four-time All-American) will trump the usually superior grappling of Evans. But I have my doubts that, with barely three years in the MMA game, he’s developed the cage savvy to come to grips with Rashad, whose footwork and fast hands should send “Mr. Wonderful” to the canvas not on his own terms. <strong>Evans by TKO.</strong></p> <p><strong>WERTHEIM:</strong> This is a big step up for Davis and the conventional wisdom is that he a placeholder so Evans and Jon Jones can finally settle their score. But Evans hasn’t impressed lately; and if Davis can take this to the ground, he has a real shot. I’ll go upset here. <strong>Davis by decision.</strong></p> <h4>Michael Bisping vs. Chael Sonnen</h4> <p><strong>FOWLKES:</strong> Bisping is a better fighter than he gets credit for, but Sonnen is strong in the exact places where the Brit is weak. Get ready for a carnival of takedowns, America.<strong> Sonnen by decision.</strong></p> <p><strong>HUNT:</strong> Though Bisping looked polished and well prepared in his last fight against a gassing “Mayhem” Miller, wrestlers are a bad matchup for the U.K. striker. The story of this fight will be takedowns, takedowns, takedowns. <strong>Sonnen by decision.</strong></p> <p><strong>WAGENHEIM:</strong> Did you see the whupping Sonnen put on Brian Stann? And that guy’s a Marine with thunder in his fists, someone you might be wary of closing the distance against. Chael isn’t going to hesitate for a millisecond before moving in for the kill against the pitter-patter punching of Bisping. The Brit says he can win this fight from his back, but if he has the ground game to expose Chael’s jiu-jitsu vulnerability, we’ve yet to see it. <strong>Sonnen by TKO.</strong></p> <p><strong>WERTHEIM:</strong> Bisping will do his best to get in Sonnen’s head (<em>PED! PED!</em>) but if he’s Sonnen equal in the talking department, there’s nothing else he does better. Like most Brits, Bisping’s not adept at defending the takedown. Sonnen’s superior wrestling will win out. <strong>Sonnen by decision.</strong></p> <p> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049/http://mma-boxing.si.com/2012/01/27/experts-predictions-for-ufc-on-fox-2/#more-1611" class="more-link">Read More…</a></p> <div id="jp-post-flair" class="sharedaddy sd-like-enabled sd-sharing-enabled"></div> <br/> </div> </div> <div class="post-bottom"> <li>Published On <span>Jan 27, 2012</span></li> <li id="right"><span><div><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049/http://mma-boxing.si.com/2012/01/27/experts-predictions-for-ufc-on-fox-2/#comments" title="Comment on Experts’ predictions for UFC on Fox 2"><span data-lf-article-id="1611" data-lf-site-id="308691" class="livefyre-commentcount">Read 1 Comment</span></a></div></span></li> </div> </div> <div class="post-wrap"> <div class="post-top"></div> <div class="post" id="post-1395"> <h1><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049/http://mma-boxing.si.com/2011/12/08/dana-white-responds-to-rashad-evans-miguel-torres-media-miscues/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Dana White responds to Rashad Evans, Miguel Torres insensitive comments">Dana White responds to Rashad Evans, Miguel Torres insensitive comments</a></h1> <div class="category"> <a href="/web/20130507191049/http://mma-boxing.si.com/category/mma/">MMA</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049/http://mma-boxing.si.com/2011/12/08/dana-white-responds-to-rashad-evans-miguel-torres-media-miscues/#comment"><span class="js-kit-comments-count" exclude-sources="Twitter" include-sources="Comments" uniq="/2011/12/08/dana-white-responds-to-rashad-evans-miguel-torres-media-miscues/"></span> Comments </a> </div> <div class="entry"> <div id="cnnSCFontButtons"> <div id="cnnSCFontLabel"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049im_/http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.element/img/4.0/story/textsize.gif"/></div> <div id="cnnSCFontMinusBtn" onclick="setActiveStyleSheet2('default'); return false;"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049im_/http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.element/img/4.0/story/textsize_minus_d.gif" alt="Decrease font" title="Decrease font" class="cnnDecreaseFont"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049im_/http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.element/img/4.0/story/textsize_minus_l.gif" alt="Decrease font" title="Decrease font" class="cnnIncreaseFont"></div> <div id="cnnSCFontPlusBtn" onclick="setActiveStyleSheet2('LargeFont'); return false;"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049im_/http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.element/img/4.0/story/textsize_plus_d.gif" alt="Enlarge font" title="Enlarge font" class="cnnIncreaseFont"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049im_/http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.element/img/4.0/story/textsize_plus_l.gif" alt="Enlarge font" title="Enlarge font" class="cnnDecreaseFont"></div> </div> <div id="attachment_1402" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 310px"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049/http://sicounterpunch.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/dana-white.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-1402 " title="dana-white" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049im_/http://sicounterpunch.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/dana-white.jpg?w=300&h=168" alt="" width="300" height="168"/></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Rashad Evans (left) made an insensitive comment about the Penn State scandal Wednesday at a press conference to promote UFC on Fox 2. (Youtube.com)</p></div> <p>UFC bantamweight Miguel Torres has been dropped by the organization on the heels of his tweet this week about a “rape van,” SI.com has learned. Meanwhile, UFC president Dana White says the details regarding insensitive remarks made by a remorseful Rashad Evans were such that Evans won’t suffer a similar fate.</p> <p>In a Q&A with SI.com Thursday afternoon, White shared this thoughts about the miscues after they had <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049/http://mma-boxing.si.com/2011/12/08/rashad-evans-makes-joke-about-penn-state-scandal-at-ufc-on-fox-presser/" target="_blank">gone viral over the previous 24 hours</a>. Torres had come under fire for posting a tweet that read: “If a rape van was called a surprise van more women wouldn’t mind going for rides in them. Everyone like surprises.” Evans, meanwhile, during a public press conference promoting his Jan. 28 fight on Fox, said to his opponent, former Penn State wrestler Phil Davis, “I guarantee you’ll be the first one to take a [wrestling] shot. Guarantee. Because I’m going to put my hands on you worse than that dude did them other kids at Penn State.”</p> <p><strong>SI.com: Let’s talk about Rashad.</strong></p> <p><strong>Dana White:</strong> First of all, if you saw the press conference, it was the worst microphone system in the history of this company. The microphones at this place either didn’t work or they’d go in and out in between every word you said. So Rashad said that [the Penn State joke] yesterday. I didn’t even hear what he said. And it didn’t even get back to me until I landed in Toronto, which was four hours later.</p> <p>Here’s the other thing you’ve got to understand. With my fighters, there’s no excuses like, “Hey, listen, he’s a dumb guy. Came from the mean streets of somewhere. He’s just not all that bright.” These are educated guys, most of them went to college, they have families, children, etc. These are smart, rational people I’m dealing with.</p> <p>So when I call Rashad about this thing, he’s like, “You know what Dana,” and gives me the context of it. Him and Davis started getting into this heated back-and-forth about what they’re going to do to each other the night of the fight. Davis went to Penn State. Davis wrestled for Penn State. Rashad wrestled for Michigan. [Rashad] said, “It just came out.” Zing him and zing his school at the same time. Very, very poor choice of words. I mean, it was the stupidest thing he could have said and he absolutely agrees.</p> <p>So we talked on the phone, he gave me his explanation, he said, “I’ll do whatever it takes, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend anybody. In the heat of the moment, that’s what I said to him because he’s from Penn State.”</p> <p><strong>SI.com: So you didn’t hear it during the press conference? No one said anything to you right after you walked off?</strong></p> <p><strong>White:</strong> No! Nobody said anything at the press conference. Nobody said anything on Twitter that had watched it. It wasn’t until ESPN wrote a story that anybody said anything to me.</p> <p><strong>SI.com: So you didn’t take any recourse with Rashad? There was no fine?</strong></p> <p><strong>White:</strong> I talked to Rashad. Rashad walked me through what he did. He went to Penn State. [He said] I wanted to slam him and Penn State. I’m not like traditional sports [executives]: “All right Rashad, pay us 30 grand.” That stuff is all formalities to make it look good. <em>Yeah, he was fined, he was this, he was that.</em> Rashad is sorry for what he said. He truly is. He said it in the heat of the moment. He definitely took the wrong choice of words. He knows it and I know he knows it.</p> <p><strong>SI.com: And what about Miguel Torres’ tweet from yesterday?</strong></p> <p><strong>White:</strong><strong> </strong>This morning I’m on [Michael] Landsberg’s show, up here in Canada, and he hits me with the quote of what he tweeted. Now there’s no explanation for that. There’s absolutely nothing I could say to make any sense of that. And the fact that he even thinks that’s funny or that’s a joke, it disturbs me. It bothers me. Again, you’re dealing with a guy that’s a smart guy, that owns his own business, that’s been one of the top fighters in the world forever. And I cut him today. He’s no longer with the UFC.</p> <p><strong>SI.com: Was that announced today?</strong></p> <p><strong>White:</strong> It’s being announced right now to you. You’re the only one that knows. Miguel Torres has been cut from the UFC and his career with us now is over.</p> <p><strong>SI.com: Was this the first time something’s happened with Torres? Or was it a second offense?</strong></p> <p><strong>White:</strong> No, this was the first time. And then he said he hadn’t heard what happened to Forrest [Griffin, who drew fire for tweeting "Rape is the new missionary" last month]. Really? Where do you live? What business are you in? How do you not hear about these things? You should have paid more attention. It’s to the point now where, there’s going be times when things happen and mistakes are made. I cannot defend Miguel Torres. I cannot defend what he said. What he said makes no sense other than when he says, “It was a joke.” Well, I don’t think that’s a funny joke. I think it’s disturbing.</p> <p><strong>SI.com: So many of the major sports leagues have been curtailing their athletes’ involvement on Twitter, but the UFC has been praised for being so progressive and forward-thinking with social media. Are we now seeing the perils of that?</strong></p> <p><strong>White:</strong> No. I’m a firm believer in … just because these guys are professional athletes or whatever, everybody’s going to have an opinion on something, and not everybody’s going to get along. I’ve had my words with fans on Twitter too. When people come on Twitter and say dumb s— to you, expect to get some dumb s— back. But for a guy to go out and talk about a “rape van” being a “surprise van,” there’s no defense for that.</p> <p>And I’m a realist. I treat people and I deal with my fighters and I deal with the fans like a real person. I don’t come out and read canned statements written by our lawyers. I deal with the guys on a case-by-case basis and how they handle themselves. We’re all entitled to make mistakes. I’m not one of these guys where if you make a mistake, I’m gonna try to tear your life down and burn it to the ground.</p> <p>We just had one of our fighters, Chris Leben, test positive for [Oxycodone and Oxymorphone], and he’s been suspended for a year by the UFC. Now with the suspension it’s not like, “Hey, Chris, you’re suspended, we don’t want to hear from you in a year, good luck with your career and everything else, and if it doesn’t work out, oh well, there’s a million other fighters waiting to line up.” I care about this guy, as a person, as a human being, before he’s a fighter. And I want to make sure Chris Leben is OK. If he needs any type of therapy or rehab or whatever it might be to make sure his personal life is on track, that means more to me than anything else. There’s going to be guys that are going to make mistakes. Some guys are going to make mistakes bad enough that they’re going to burn themselves to the ground. It’s all in how a guy handles himself after he makes a mistake. That’s what I care about.</p> <p><strong>SI.com: You’ve said the first two years of the new Fox deal will be the most important 24 months in the UFC’s history. Part of the appeal of the sport is how raw and unfiltered a lot of the guys are. Is there a balance need to find between the two forces?</strong></p> <p><strong>White:</strong> I want this sport to stay exactly the same. We’re the most fan-accessible sport out there. When you show up at an event, you talk to fighters and you meet fighters. A lot of times, [the fans and the media] live in a fantasy land, like these guys aren’t real human beings. But the one thing I can consistently say about my guys is they’re fan-accessible. It’s the way that it is. And it’s never going to be perfect, but we treat our fans better than any other sports league does. We’re going to have times when guys are gonna say some stupid stuff, but I handle them on a case-by-case basis.</p> <p style="text-align:right;"><em><strong>– As told to Bryan Armen Graham</strong></em></p> <div id="jp-post-flair" class="sharedaddy sd-like-enabled sd-sharing-enabled"></div> <br/> </div> </div> <div class="post-bottom"> <li>Published On <span>Dec 08, 2011</span></li> <li id="right"><span><div><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049/http://mma-boxing.si.com/2011/12/08/dana-white-responds-to-rashad-evans-miguel-torres-media-miscues/#comments" title="Comment on Dana White responds to Rashad Evans, Miguel Torres insensitive comments"><span data-lf-article-id="1395" data-lf-site-id="308691" class="livefyre-commentcount">Read 105 Comments</span></a></div></span></li> </div> </div> <div class="post-wrap"> <div class="post-top"></div> <div class="post" id="post-1376"> <h1><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049/http://mma-boxing.si.com/2011/12/08/rashad-evans-makes-joke-about-penn-state-scandal-at-ufc-on-fox-presser/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Rashad Evans makes joke about Penn State scandal at UFC on Fox presser">Rashad Evans makes joke about Penn State scandal at UFC on Fox presser</a></h1> <div class="category"> <a href="/web/20130507191049/http://mma-boxing.si.com/category/mma/">MMA</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049/http://mma-boxing.si.com/2011/12/08/rashad-evans-makes-joke-about-penn-state-scandal-at-ufc-on-fox-presser/#comment"><span class="js-kit-comments-count" exclude-sources="Twitter" include-sources="Comments" uniq="/2011/12/08/rashad-evans-makes-joke-about-penn-state-scandal-at-ufc-on-fox-presser/"></span> Comments </a> </div> <div class="entry"> <div id="cnnSCFontButtons"> <div id="cnnSCFontLabel"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049im_/http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.element/img/4.0/story/textsize.gif"/></div> <div id="cnnSCFontMinusBtn" onclick="setActiveStyleSheet2('default'); return false;"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049im_/http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.element/img/4.0/story/textsize_minus_d.gif" alt="Decrease font" title="Decrease font" class="cnnDecreaseFont"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049im_/http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.element/img/4.0/story/textsize_minus_l.gif" alt="Decrease font" title="Decrease font" class="cnnIncreaseFont"></div> <div id="cnnSCFontPlusBtn" onclick="setActiveStyleSheet2('LargeFont'); return false;"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049im_/http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.element/img/4.0/story/textsize_plus_d.gif" alt="Enlarge font" title="Enlarge font" class="cnnIncreaseFont"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049im_/http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.element/img/4.0/story/textsize_plus_l.gif" alt="Enlarge font" title="Enlarge font" class="cnnDecreaseFont"></div> </div> <p>In a misguided attempt at self-promotion, UFC light heavyweight contender Rashad Evans compared his hands to the ones put on the alleged victims of the Penn State child sex abuse scandal during an open-to-the-public press conference held Wednesday in Chicago.</p> <p>Evans faces Phil Davis in a contender’s bout airing live on Jan. 28 on Fox — the promotion’s sophomore event on broadcast television since signing into a seven-year, rumored $700 million deal with Fox Sports Media Group in August.</p> <p>The former UFC champion made the comment just hours after former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky had been arrested and jailed again on new child sex abuse charges after two more alleged victims came forward to authorities.</p> <p>“I guarantee you’ll be the first one to take a [wrestling] shot,” Evans told Davis. “Guarantee. Because I’m going to put my hands on you worse than that dude did them other kids at Penn State.”</p> <p>Davis, a Penn State wrestling alumnus, lowered his head as the remark drew a mixture of cheers and jeers from attending fans.</p> <span class="embed-youtube" style="text-align:center; display: block;"><iframe class="youtube-player" type="text/html" width="640" height="390" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049if_/http://www.youtube.com/embed/84xtd-MeUPQ?version=3&rel=0&fs=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&start=4098&wmode=transparent" frameborder="0"></iframe></span> <p>The press conference was streamed live on the Internet, where tens of thousands of fans have tuned in to watch events like this in the past.</p> <p> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049/http://mma-boxing.si.com/2011/12/08/rashad-evans-makes-joke-about-penn-state-scandal-at-ufc-on-fox-presser/#more-1376" class="more-link">Read More…</a></p> <div id="jp-post-flair" class="sharedaddy sd-like-enabled sd-sharing-enabled"></div> <br/> </div> </div> <div class="post-bottom"> <li>Published On <span>Dec 08, 2011</span></li> <li id="right"><span><div><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049/http://mma-boxing.si.com/2011/12/08/rashad-evans-makes-joke-about-penn-state-scandal-at-ufc-on-fox-presser/#comments" title="Comment on Rashad Evans makes joke about Penn State scandal at UFC on Fox presser"><span data-lf-article-id="1376" data-lf-site-id="308691" class="livefyre-commentcount">Read 11 Comments</span></a></div></span></li> </div> </div> <div class="navigation"> <div class="alignleft"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130507191049/http://mma-boxing.si.com/tag/rashad-evans/page/2/">« Older Entries</a></div> <div class="alignright"></div> </div> </div> <div class="sidebar test"> <div id="ad300x250" class="rightbox"> <script language="JavaScript"> siAds.render('mma_boxing/rgt.300x250', 300, 250); </script> </div> <div class="rightbox"><div class="list"> 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