Rashad Evans laughs during Thursday's UFC On Fox pre-event press conference. (Photo Credit: Esther Lin/MMAFighting.com)
I went into last August's UFC 133 a little disappointed. You see, I've been a fan of Rich Franklin for years and the opportunity to cover one of his fights in person was something I was really looking forward to. When he dropped off the card, I was bummed but quickly shifted focus to Tito Ortiz as the improbable story that was his career resurgence was a lot of fun.
But what I came away with was a new-found appreciation for his opponent that night in Rashad Evans. I was impressed with his presence, how people reacted when he entered the arena, how he took care of business against Ortiz and how he carried himself in general.
The 32-year-old isn't just a star, but he's a big star and should be recognized as such.
That's why I can't understand why people boo him relentlessly and how he attracts so much vitriol. This Saturday, Evans main events UFC On Fox 2 against Phil Davis and will be on display in front of potentially the largest audience that has ever seen him perform. Why should they and you appreciate him?
He doesn't fight slouches: His last eight opponents in a four-year stretch where he went 6-1-1: Ortiz, Michael Bisping, Chuck Liddell, Forrest Griffin, Lyoto Machida, Thiago Silva, Quinton Jackson and Ortiz again. When I look at some of the top fighters in the world, I'm intrigued by the level of competition they go in there against. Are they continually testing themselves against the best? When you look at this list and think about the point those opponents were at when Evans fought them, what other current top light heavyweight has had a stretch like this in their last few years?
He comes off like a star: Evans has the presence of an NFL quarterback, dressing in nice suits and carrying himself with an "I'm the man" swagger. Quite simply, he acts like a star and he should. In today's fight game, that is hugely important as the UFC needs more guys that people will pay to see. If MMA was bigger with mainstream media outlets like ESPN, Evans would be seen and covered in a different light and perhaps Saturday on Fox will be his big breakout to the masses.
He's got a big rivalry: One of the UFC's few big money matches is Evans vs. current light heavyweight kingpin Jon Jones and like an old-school pro wrestling storyline, the build to this inevitable clash has been tremendous. This a story made for Warrior 2: two teammates and friends split down the middle due to one winning a title and saying he'd fight the other, breaking a pact they had. Their camps split, the fighters split and it's all they can do to not bring each other up when they're fighting other people.
Bird had Magic, Williams had DiMaggio, Liddell had Ortiz and perhaps Evans vs. Jones can be a great rivalry for the next few years. Evans is just one injury-free win away from finally getting his shot at reclaiming the title he violently lost to Machida in May 2009. To do so, he would have to go through his former friend and now mortal enemy. That's a story that's impossible to ignore.
When Evans steps on the scale Friday, he'll likely get booed again because apparently that's the thing to do. Like it or not, he is one of the biggest stars in MMA and in front of a big network TV audience, a big win will finally get him the respect that he deserves and has earned.
3 recs | 89 comments
evans is legit
his records speaks for itself.
i think the brutal knockout against machida, coupled with machida’s declining stock afterwards, and his 29-28 “safe” wins against silva and rampage (in which he got rocked) damaged his image with some people.
but he has snuck into being a big star withotu people noticing. and his talent, specifically his ability to mix striking and wrestling, is outstanding.
Clifford J - January 27, 2012
Both Silva and Rampage bouts
were while he was still with Jackson’s. This is his second fight with the Blackzillians in his corner, so many fans are curious how he’s evolved…even since the Tito fight (who he happened to finish)
LRaunThaDamaja - January 27, 2012
Evans has always managed to back his talk up.
He’s faced some quality opponents in the UFC and beaten all bar one of them. He looked very sharp against Tito last time out; i’m looking forward to see what he looks like tomorrow night.
I used to dislike Rashad at first, but then he started to grow on me. The turning point for me was on TUF 10 – I thought he carried himself well on that show. And then I met him a few months back, and he’s a seriously nice guy. Has a lot of time for the fans. SO he deserves to be a big star, in my opinion.
@KatanaClothing - January 27, 2012
I'm pretty positive that two judges gave the Rampage fight 30-27 to Evans
Only one judge scored it 29-28
discoandherpes - January 27, 2012
Never really understood the Rashad hate
I rooted against him when he fought Forrest, Rampage and Machida, but just because I like those fighters more. Any other time I enjoy seeing him win. You gotta appreciate a top level fighter who doesn’t walk around in Affliction T-shirts and carries himself like a real big time athlete. That’s something I hope more fighters emulate as they get more and more exposure.
dgonz - January 27, 2012
This is so easy, I dont even know where to begin……..
1. By and large, his fights are boring. Generally, the fights that were exciting had nothing to do with Rashad. He fights a safe, boring style that people dislike
2. Generally, hes a fraud in the cage. Tito had him dead to rights and let him off the hook. Forrest won every second of that fight, in dominant fashion, before getting caught. Zombie Chuck Liddell went dead even with Rashad before getting caught. He got utterly housed by Machida. Rampage and Thiago had Rashad out before letting him off the hook. I will go to my grave believing Bisping won that fight, which regardless was 15 minutes of my life I’ll never get back. Basically, this leads to my 3rd points…….
3. The UFC, the MMA press, and Rashad himself act like he is far farrrrr better then he is. If you look at Rashad’s in-cage resume and the actual results, its the definition of unimpressive. There is literally nothing all that exceptional about him. Rashad is the king of the 29-28, completely unimpressive dodged-a-bullet win, yet we get article after article about how awesome he is? Huh? Fans have eyes, they can see, and what we see in the cage does not match articles like this.
4. Finally, he seems like a phony douche. Everything everyone accuses Jon Jones of being, actually seems to apply to Rashad. The dancing over the completely KOed body of Chuck…..the showboating while on TUF……the dick grabbing while getting his ass handed to him by Forrest……the showboating WHILE IN THE PROCESS OF BEING KNOCKED OUT by Machida………the pouty hissy fits he said she said crap with Jonny Bones……..and yet, Rashad will swear what a humble, god fearing dude he is. Whatever Bro.
This guy is utterly unlikeable, yet we get to hear endlessly about why he isnt a big star. (shrugs) I dont understand what you dont understand.
Hutchy - January 27, 2012
I AM SO MAD
I HATE HIM, HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE
Genki Sudo's Choreographer - January 27, 2012
Hey Jon, how are you?
dgonz - January 27, 2012
God fearing?
I hate him now too.
sexysassytravismmafan - January 27, 2012
REMEMBER TUF 10
Seriously, any dislike I was capable of towards Rashad Evans was completely derailed by his demeanor on TUF 10. He was affable, genuinely tried to help his team become better, offered moral support unlike any other coach on TUF apart from maybe Tito (wrap your head around THAT for a second), even went to support Rampage’s losing team members when AWESOME PERSONABLE RAMPAGE just walked off with his entourage because Rashad’s guys were getting shit done in the cage. He never swaggered around like he owned the joint, he took most of the pranks (as I recall) with good grace and he did his damndest best to act like a coach and not a fighter going through the motions just to get to the end of the season.
So whatever. The Rashad haters can bleat all they like about boring fights (a point I largely disagree with over the last few years). They can make revisionist excuses for the fact that he WINS (Chuck Liddell wasn’t seen as “chinny” at that point, since his only KO at that point was to a hongry, hongry Rampage and who cares if FoGriff was “winning”, Rashad put his lights out in a very convincing fashion) and they can call him “a phony douche” when, despite eight weeks under the bright lights of reality TV he behaved like nothing but a fucking gentleman.
War Rashad.
PS. Not that it matters, but I’m the whitest dude ever.
ihateemo - January 27, 2012
Rashad was a great coach on that season. He seems like a guy who could easily be your homie.
Rampage on the other hand? Didn’t really give a shit.
discoandherpes - January 27, 2012
This is what I think of when I see Rashad, yet people cheer Rampage who was a terrible coach and Boo Rashad who seem to care about helping his team out.
Kefka - January 27, 2012
I've narrowed it down to two things
A) Bias due to his “boring” fighting style (see Hutchy’s comment) and B) racism. I’m not sure which contributes more to the hate, though.
Personally, I like him a lot. I’m a huge huge fan of how he uses his striking to augment his wrestling, and I think he seems like a very pleasant person.
crazybones - January 27, 2012
Not hard to figure out the hate.
1. He KO’d Chuck (PRE TUF fan fave), alledgedly causing him to poop his pants, ushering in Chuck’s Zombie Poopie Pants era.
2. He KO’d Griffin (POST TUF FAN Fave), ushering in Forrest’s “Sqwaking Seagul Defence” era.
3. As he enters the cage, Rashad often pantomimes… Well, he pantomimes being a monkey. Black people do not enjoy this. I have seen its effects first hand. Also, nipple tweaks.
4. Rashad is a classic showboater, and his hot dog, cocky attitude rubs people the wrong way.
That being said, I like Rashad aot, his evolution from Wrestleboxer into nearly the perfect Mixed Martial Artist has been something to behold over the years. The man who fought Tito is one of the baddest motherfuckers I have ever seen and should be able to dispatch Davis and Jones with that same cool ease.
Shotokanman - January 27, 2012
Woah there, speedracer.
Tito is no Davis or Jones. He may be tough and gritty, but his reach and speed or smaller. While I agree that the Rashad that showed up against Tito could very well put a beating on Davis if he gets through the reach issue, never in a million years does that translate into the easy defeat of Jones. Jones who has a staggeringly larger reach, more strength, better wrestling, proficient submission game, and daring but successful striking game compared to Tito.
Cocytus - January 27, 2012
Considering that Boetsch, Nogueira, and even Stann were all able to connect quite easily with Davis when they got a chance to throw, I am confident that Rashad’s high level footwork, and intelligent approach to using distance, will allow him to land on Davis consistently.
However, Davis’ wrestling may actually be on another level, and be too much for Rashad.
What do you think?
Drunken cutman - January 27, 2012
I think Davis’s road to victory is by keeping the striking on the outside and grounding the fight the moment Evans inevitably finds his way to the inside. Heres the thing, Davis does get tagged, too much, like you mentioned. His striking is also a bit on the slow side, leaving him exposed to counters. Rashad, with his speed and technique advantage can certainly exploit that. In the striking dept., David needs to take the Luke Rockhold strategy and keep Evans on the outside with lots of fast, multi-varied kicks. Let those kicks fly and rely on his own superior wrestling to keep the fight standing. When Evan’s does find his way inside, which he will with his speed, Davis needs to use his much better wrestling to ground the fight, control evans, and then submit him.
Cocytus - January 27, 2012
That’s psychoblack level hyperbole my friend.
Machiel Van - January 27, 2012
Has he been seen since the Guillard loss?
Heenan - January 27, 2012
Maybe I am a bit ignorant
But wouldn’t this be the type of event to get psychoblack hyped up?
I mean he loves the athletic and explosive fighters
Andy Anderson - January 27, 2012
Really??? I had never put his movements and monkey in the same thought. You talking about when he first enters the cage? The same entrance that Bones jacked for a couple fights
LRaunThaDamaja - January 27, 2012
I share your consternation
Drunken cutman - January 27, 2012
2:00
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbwedV707F4
sexysassytravismmafan - January 27, 2012
I've seen Anderson Silva do that, and Jones too
Moreover, I don’t really see how such actions could cause offence, but I am not black, so may be insensitive towards some issue.
Am I missing something?
Drunken cutman - January 27, 2012
sexysassytravismmafan - January 27, 2012
I got that the first time, but now I am asking you why.
Drunken cutman - January 27, 2012
I’m not black, but I can imagine why they would. “Asshole, we’ve been fighting that stereotype for a long time, and here you are acting like the very thing to which we do not want to be compared.”
sexysassytravismmafan - January 27, 2012
Only Keith Jardine has pantomimed a monkey.
Machiel Van - January 27, 2012
Maybe it’s a lion or something that Rashad is trying to mimic. Who really knows.
sexysassytravismmafan - January 27, 2012
Either way, I find it annoying. Just walk up the damn stairs like a normal person, please.
sexysassytravismmafan - January 27, 2012
Well I am Black
and I never thought. C’mon Shad chill with the “monkey walk” as I previously stated. Monkey anything never entered my mind.
LRaunThaDamaja - January 27, 2012
Do you see another creature or just a guy who wants even more attention than he’s already getting?
sexysassytravismmafan - January 27, 2012
.....yea just the attention or "swag" as some say
And that’s fine.. I also enjoy Chael’s antics
LRaunThaDamaja - January 27, 2012
They both annoy me. Bisping as well. I’m easily annoyed though.
sexysassytravismmafan - January 27, 2012
you are no fun
Andy Anderson - January 27, 2012
Agreed.
sexysassytravismmafan - January 29, 2012
Wow
Rampage howls like a wolf and we love it, Akiyama shows up in an evening gown and no one says he’s attention seeking, Tom lawlor comes out to Olivia Newton John with stretch bands and an 80s getup, etc. etc. Rashad crawls on the ground for maybe 2 seconds and AHHH, WHAT IS HE DOING?!?! I HATE HIM.
If people haven’t noticed, Jon Jones does the same thing as has Anderson Silva on occasion.
Genki Sudo's Choreographer - January 27, 2012
Same
I always just thought it was how he got in the cage.
HaterSlayer - January 27, 2012
mhh
I always thought he (not to mention Jones if I remember correctly) did that crawling moves to kinda get used to the cage, elevation etc. Maybe some kind of ritual.
killphil - January 27, 2012
3:25
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGKEDyVxkwQ
sexysassytravismmafan - January 27, 2012
Watched both vids of the entrance
but not seeing examples of Black folks pissed about it……
LRaunThaDamaja - January 27, 2012
I like Rashad.
malo - January 27, 2012 via mobile
I am a Rashad Evans fan
He is a good fighter.
menckenstein - January 27, 2012
Do a search on the word vitriol and mma
and it’ll come up with a thousand results in the last month. For god sakes journalists learn a new word.
Adamantium007 - January 27, 2012
You seem very vitriolic about this
menckenstein - January 27, 2012
Good golly you’re right! How about… acrimoniousness?
Pyrgz Krum - January 27, 2012
I would even say it’s acerbic.
thirdparty - January 27, 2012
Egregious is another big hit with MMA writers, and is often used when referring to things that are merely bad, but consistent word repetition is a feature of all insular writing communities, and I don’t think that it’s useful to criticise such small aspects of someone’s work.
Drunken cutman - January 27, 2012
egregious is just an internet word
everyone loves it on here
Cunny - January 27, 2012
I will second, third, or whatever the confusion of the hate.
Sure he showboats a bit but never to a point where he comes off as an ass. I have always liked him. I love how he celebrated after the Ortiz win. I feel like this is how more athletes should celebrate when hitting a home run, sacking a quarterback, finishing a fight, etc. He was cool and calm and acted like he just finished his job.
I also always enjoyed him on MMA Live.
Hart Thorson - January 27, 2012
He kneed Tito in the chest
C’mon man, not cool
That’s Tito! Legend of the sport and a pretty good Yugoslavian benevolent dictator to boot.
Pyrgz Krum - January 27, 2012
Rashad Evans is a great fighter
It strikes me that he will be looked at more kindly in retrospect, after fan animosity has faded a little.
Drunken cutman - January 27, 2012
Well he is practicing some new training techniques with the blackzillians
Did he really have to be shirtless…. probably not.
All jokes aside I like Rashad. I think hes a fun fighter to watch. I’m very excited to see if he tries to out-wrestle Davis just to prove he can do it.
Josh Ttocs - January 27, 2012
He had to be shirtless so he didn’t get the cooling lotion on it.
Machiel Van - January 27, 2012
Absolutely agree
I am generally confused about the level of hate people are able to muster towards fighters. In Rashad’s case, he’s been one of my favourite fighters for a while and mostly I always think he comes across as likable.
jim-ma - January 27, 2012
I think he's a good dude, but I always end up cheering against him
I’m honestly not sure why, I just haven’t really enjoyed his fighting style except for the beatings he gave Chuck and Forrest (which apparently provided others with the reason not to be Rashad fans?? — I consider those some of his best work)
LBo - January 27, 2012
Those werent beatings. He didnt land a punch in anger on either dude before those overhand rights.
Hutchy - January 27, 2012
Case in point.
He wins Knockout of the Year with his win over Chuck Liddell and some people can’t even give him credit on the win.
Enmascarado - January 27, 2012
Rashad is cool. Everyone likes to hate.
HighNoon - January 27, 2012
Why do people always play up Evans and Jones friendship?
According to many fighters from Jackson’s, they never were buddies.
I guess this is what normally happens in MMA journalism.
Two fighters pose and take a picture.
They’re smiling.
Conclusion, they’re best buds, road dogs, BFFs, etc.
VeeisAnimated - January 27, 2012
It could be
Based on interviews and comments from Jones and Evans themselves.
Damn those MMA journalists for using the fighters themselves as sources for information!
Worldisart - January 27, 2012
Training partners, yeah.
BFFs . . . not so much.
Evans and Jardine, that’s a friendship.
VeeisAnimated - January 27, 2012
Been a Rashadfan ever since he coached against Rampage on TUF
Rampage came off like a self-centered 9 year old jerk. Rashad seemed like an adult who actually cared about other fighters.
Django Z - January 27, 2012
And quickly everyone forgot that.....
for shame.
LRaunThaDamaja - January 27, 2012
He's got some impressive finishes, even tho he gets called a LnP'er all the time,.
The Salmon kick is ridiculous. The Jason Lambert Gnp Tko was bananas. He nearly decapitated Chuck. He made Forrest tap to strikes (iirc), and that knee on Tito was vicious.
I think his finishing rate is comparable to almost every other elite LHW fighter in UFC.
Loot - January 27, 2012
Rashad seems like quite the strange case.
On one side, he is as genuine as they come when expressing how and why he feels what he feels. On the other, he is the dumbass that called Jon Jones a ‘white boy’ over a cellphone conversation.
Unabomberman - January 27, 2012
Honesty and stupidity often go hand in hand.
Cocytus - January 27, 2012
Except Rashad is not a stupid person, by any means. But he can be a dumbass jackass.
Unabomberman - January 27, 2012
I'm not a rashad hater, and I don't think he is a stupid person per se
but he has a lot of stupid moments.
Cocytus - January 27, 2012
Rashad is a legitimate "heel"
There is nothing really wrong with that. At least people recognize him and know who he is. He has also been a part of a couple million buy cards(or close to it) so people will pay to watch him get beat up. People hate the pro wrestling connection, but many fight fans do need someone to root against. In boxing that person is Margarito and he rode that to 600K buys with Miguel Cotto.
HaterSlayer - January 27, 2012
Yeah, but why?
Why do people dislike him that bad?
Unabomberman - January 27, 2012
Simple
KO’d Chuck and KO’d Forrest. It is a similar reason why many hardcore fans dislike Jon Jones.
HaterSlayer - January 27, 2012
I don't believe Rashad is that much of as star.
Rashad draws well when he is fighting guys like Chuck or Rampage, guys who already have a strong fanbase, but he doesn’t draw that well on his own.
UFC 108 – 300K buys
UFC 133 – 310K buys
Both of these were the only cards he’s headlined that weren’t stacked with other draws to prop him up. Rashad needs to have a high profile feud with someone to draw interests to his fights, but by himself he is appears to be only an average draw.
amendamatrix - January 27, 2012
He's not a GSP type guy that people will pay to see regardless
But if you put him against someone that people expect him to beat then people will watch to see him lose.
HaterSlayer - January 27, 2012
Gif Incoming
Avatar aside, I like Evans, I just don’t see him getting through Jones.
MrTechnique420 - January 27, 2012
That is still one of the sickest, and entertaining walk-off victories in MMA.
VeeisAnimated - January 27, 2012
Team Bozo
That is why everyone hates him. It is the Trailblazer swagger.
Andy Anderson - January 27, 2012
Oh he sucks
a couple of lackluster wins over Silva and Rampage…. and then he beats Tito. Wow… that’s impressive.. I wanna see Bones smash his face.
billium - January 27, 2012
U MAD BRO
SandboxKing - January 27, 2012
Yea he is
LRaunThaDamaja - January 27, 2012
Whether Bones smashes his face or not
The man fights for a living, is a former champion, faced a murder’s row of fighters, and is willing and able to lock himself into a cage with one of the most dangerous unarmed men on this planet and face him one on one in combat. You’d shit your pants fighting your next door neighbor.
Genki Sudo's Choreographer - January 27, 2012
Rashad is the man
Been sayin it for years
warren305 - January 27, 2012 via mobile
The only reason I cheer against him all the time is that he consistently fights fighters that I like more. Tito: Cheering for a comeback. Rampage, Thiago, Lyoto, Forrest, Chuck: All fighters I like more than Shad. And this fight is no different, I love Mr. Wonderful, so Rashad loses again in his bid for my love.
T.C. Engel - January 27, 2012
I don't care for the way he acts humble and talks trash at the same time
You can be like GSP or you can be like Nick Diaz but you can’t be both at the same time.
Good fighter though, I don’t see how anyone can argue that.
simpsycho - January 27, 2012
I’ve grudgingly become a Rashad fan, especially since the Jones beef. He’s gotten dicked around a lot, he deserves the shot at this point.
However, if I never have to hear his wife shrieking “GET HIM RASHAD” at the top of her lungs from cageside again it will be too soon.
jammin.. - January 27, 2012
I don't think Rashad's trying to look like a monkey
My wrestling coach uses low movements like that whenever he’s about to spar MMA, as a wrestling shoot requires you to drop lower than an MMA shoot, and the movement rashads doing is similar to a wrestling shoot, but higher off of the ground, so maybe its just a way to get into the zone when he enters the cage?
or else steven seagall taught him it.
Aaron Desmoulin - January 27, 2012
Thank you
The monkey thing was one of the dumbest things I ever read on this site.
LRaunThaDamaja - January 27, 2012
He's "cocky".
Read: Black.
KO’d Great White Hopes Chuck and Forrest.
That’s about it folks, nothing to see here. Have doubts and think better of your fellow man? Read the discussion and fan reaction immediately following the Lidell fight.
Rtothe2 - January 27, 2012
Unfortunately there is a certain segment of the audience that is racist
discoandherpes - January 27, 2012
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