At UFC 133, Rashad Evans added another win to his record by beating Tito Ortiz. Evans proved once again that he should be next in line for a title shot.
The last time Evans was in this position, he waited nearly a year to have a bout with the injured champ, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, only to suffer a knee injury of his own while training.
To make matters worse, the man who replaced Evans in the fight was none other than his former training partner and friend, Jon Jones. Jones went on to win the light heavyweight title from Rua, and the now bitter rivalry between Jones and Evans was born.
Both Evans and Jones believe their paths will cross in the future. But while Evans knows what Jones’ strengths and weaknesses are, perhaps Quinton “Rampage” Jackson is the man he should hope to face for the title.
Evans knows Jones better than possibly any other fighter in the UFC, but Jones is one of the most unpredictable and hardest fighters to plan against.
Jones is a big light heavyweight who has yet to be dominated in a match. Jones' mix of unorthodox striking, wrestling and submissions have made the young fighter one of the most dominant in MMA today.
Jackson, on the other hand, has become predictable over the years. Rampage’s bread and butter is going for a knockout.
The only downside to this is Rampage has not been able to knock anyone out since 2008. Although he has only loss once since then, Rampage is not the same fighter he once was.
Evans was able to use his quickness and excellent wrestling to pull out a decision victory over Rampage when they fought last May. A second fight could have the same results.
While Jackson may seem like the easy out, Evans would be up for the challenge of Jones. In fact, it’s safe to say he’s looking forward to it.
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