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In Rashad's Words
3 articles so far
http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/news?slug=ys-rashad_evans_jon_jones_ufc_145_blog_032212
Rashad Evans: Beating Jon Jones more important than winning the belt
By "Suga" Rashad Evans, special to Yahoo! Sports
Mar 22, 11:17 am EDT
Jon Jones (left) and Rashad Evans face off on April 21 in UFC 145.
(This is the 1st of a series of Yahoo! exclusive blogs from ?Suga? Rashad Evans as he prepares to fight bitter rival & UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones on April 21.)
I?ve been the No. 1 contender to the UFC light heavyweight championship since May 29, 2010, when I beat ?Rampage? Jackson to earn a shot at my old belt. I?ve been waiting to fight the current champion, Jon Jones, for a year, but injuries and timing issues with both of us have stopped it from happening until now.
In one month, on April 21 in Atlanta, I?m getting my title back but, to me, beating Jon Jones up and proving I am the better man and better fighter is even more important than waking up the next day as a two-time UFC champion.
Everyone knows the history between us. Because this fight has been coming for a year I?ve already talked about it forever. And I know I?m going to have to keep talking about it over the next month so all I?ll say now is that yes, it is very personal and, yes, this is the most important fight of my life for sure.
For someone who says he doesn?t talk a lot, Jon talks a hell of a lot. If there?s any validity to what he?s saying, if there?s any truth to him being the ?Muhammad Ali of MMA,? then he?s got to deal with me. It?s not a fight he is taking lightly, I?m sure. Jon always trains hard, and I know he will be training extra hard for this fight against me.
I heard a stat about Jon that he?s never been taken down in the UFC. But I?ve taken him down plenty, and I know he can?t fight off his back. I think my takedowns will be a key to this fight. I know Jon can take me down, too ? he?s done it ? but I?ve taken down every single fighter I?ve ever wanted to get down, and I took Jon down time and time again in the gym. I think style-wise I am all wrong for him.
I know Jon thinks he?s better than me. He thinks he?s better than everyone. What he don?t understand is that it only matters who is better on the night. I?ve been in the UFC since 2005, and other than one night, I?ve been the better man on the night every time.
At UFC 145, I think it will come down to who really wants it. We are both going to get beat on in this fight, we are both going to get banged up and hurt, but I want this more.
On April 21, at UFC 145, beating Jon Jones up means everything to me. I want to smash him up so bad. I want to be world champion again ? but for this fight, beating up on Jon Jones means absolutely everything.
I will beat his ass and then tell him that crying won?t get him his belt back.
________________________________________
http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/news?slug=yhoo-rashadevanstimeawayfromfigh
Rashad Evans: Time away from fighting was tough, but it was for the better
By "Suga" Rashad Evans, special to Yahoo! Sports
Mar 30, 2:28 pm EDT
(This is the second in a series of Yahoo! Sports exclusive blogs from ?Suga? Rashad Evans as he prepares to fight bitter rival and UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones on April 21.)
The world title fight against my old teammate Jon Jones on April 21 will be my third fight since I had to take pretty much a year off through injury. I think the time off did me good. When you fight so many times back to back ? and in the UFC it is always against tough guys ? it grinds on the body and wears you down.
I got into the UFC in 2005 by winning the heavyweight division of ?The Ultimate Fighter 2,? and I?ve had 15 training camps of at least six weeks since then. That is 90 weeks of training ? getting close to two whole years ? and my body was getting tired. The year off made me rest, and all the little injuries that you allow to accumulate over time all healed up. That?s why people say I looked so good against Tito Ortiz, even though I think it was more to do with the way I fight now, mentally.
But the time off wasn?t a good time for me, I can?t say it was. The frustration of being the No. 1 contender since May 2010 and seeing other fighters ? including the guy I beat (Rampage Jackson) ? getting opportunities when I earned my title shot was pretty bad. It was frustrating. Very frustrating.
I had a very hard time in my personal life too, going through a divorce, so I was having things not go my way professionally and personally at the same time. My injury wasn?t healing like I wanted it to, and it wasn?t a great time. But during that time I learned the true strength I have as a fighter and a person.
I never felt sorry for myself, I never threw tantrum or was like, ?Why me? Why all at once?? I realized I had a lot going for me in life. I realized I?d had a lot of luck and opportunities, and a lot of guys out there have it far, far worse. Yeah, I didn?t have exactly what I wanted in life right there, right then, but as soon as I got fit I?d had every opportunity to get my belt.
I didn?t have what I wanted, I wasn?t at where I wanted to be at, but I had what I needed to get there. That allowed me to stay positive, and I also knew that I needed to change up my training and attitude toward preparation.
I completely changed the way I train with the Blackzillions here in Boca Raton, Fla., taking it to a new level. My former coach, Greg Jackson, is a great coach. I won?t say he isn?t. But I?d been doing this thing for years and to improve, I needed to do new things. I needed to improve and change to give myself the best chance of winning my belt back ? and beating Jones.
Yeah, Jon has gotten better since he was that skinny kid in the gym I used to spar. But he?s not changed as a fighter. He?s improved, but he?s still the same fighter and just as importantly, he?s the same kid who has had it all his own way and thinks he is the best thing since Muhammad Ali.
When it comes down to it, I?m already sick of talking and thinking about him. There?s a lot of emotions involved with this fight, which is motivation in training but also it is something that can drain your mental energy.
I?ve been through these fights before. Michael Bisping and I went at it and the (smack talk) got so back we nearly fought at the weigh-ins. And I went back and forth with Rampage for months, talking smack and making it personal ? so I know how to play this game. I don?t think Jon does. We did a TV show in Atlanta, and he was very uncomfortable in his own skin. He knows what I know about him. He knows.
On April 21, the whole world will know, too.
Who you got? Tell ?Suga? how you see the fight going on Twitter: @SugaRashadEvans
________________________________________
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/rashad-evans-whole-career-leading-194100307--mma.html
Rashad Evans: My whole career has been leading to UFC 145 with Jon Jones
By "Suga" Rashad Evans | Yahoo! Sports ? Thu, Apr 5, 2012 3:41 PM EDT
(This is the third in a series of Yahoo! Sports exclusive blogs from "Suga" Rashad Evans as he prepares to fight bitter rival and UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones on April 21.)
I went to Puerto Rico last week to promote my April 21 title fight against Jon Jones on pay-per-view.
The reception I got was the craziest I've ever had in my UFC career. It was the coolest thing I've done in this sport since I won "The Ultimate Fighter 2" in 2005. The fans were so insane; there were hundreds down there to see me, and then boxing legend Felix "Tito" Trinidad ? who is in Puerto Rico ? showed up and I got to meet him. I was a huge Tito fan when he was doing his thing in the 1990s and early 2000s. He was a great fighter who had skills, speed and a lot of power. It was really great to meet him and, even though I got in my workouts, my mind was off of UFC 145 for a few hours and it was one of the most insane experiences of my life.
I came back home feeling very energized and ready for the last couple of hard weeks of camp.
Funny, for this fight there's been a lot of questions about smack talk and there's going to be more come fight week ? believe me ? but meeting Trinidad and tennis star Victoria Azarenka a few weeks ago have been two of the coolest things I've done in the UFC.
Soon though, it'll be time to get serious. The April 21 fight symbolizes so much for me. It feels like everything I've been going through, everything in my whole career and in my life, has all been leading up to this moment and this fight.
Yeah, I want to beat Jon and prove a point that he's not this god we all need to pray to at night. He said on live TV that America could learn from him. I Googled it: There are 311,591,917 people living in America right now and Jon Jones thinks that 311,591,916 of them need to learn from him. He's a drop in a bucket like the rest of us. The guy praises himself going to sleep.
But the thing is, opponents have been buying into that, too.
Watching at ringside last September at UFC 135, I couldn't believe the way Quinton "Rampage" Jackson fought Jon. He gave him too much respect and way too much distance. You have to be "in" or "out" with Jon ? either out of range looking to come in with strikes and takedowns, or you got to be in his face throwing and pushing his ass against the fence. He's got too much reach on you to be in the mid-range ? that's his sweet spot ? and you can't get caught out there with him.
I know Jones has tweeted and been doing interviews about me. That's what happens in big fights and especially this one. But I'm at the point where I'm not really bothered by anything he says. What he says makes no sense anyway. He thinks he's something so special people need to bow to him when they seem him on the street.
Does it motivate me? At this point, not really.
There's really not much more he can say to me to motivate me. I'm already motivated for this fight; I'm motivated beyond reason. Yeah, I want to be the first guy to really beat Jon, yeah, I want my title belt back and I want to show my former trainer what's what.
But this fight is not about proving a lot of people wrong about Jon Jones; it's about proving me right.
I'm one of the very best light heavyweights out there and it's time for me to cement my legacy. I've beat top guys for years and years ? before Jon was even in the UFC ? and in a sport where everyone loses big fights here and there, I've had one bad night in seven years. This is the perfect opportunity and perfect chance for me to show that I'm as good as my record says I am.
The illusion of or the mythical Jon Jones that the other guys fought, it doesn't exist for me. I know how weak he is mentally ? all the doubts he has about himself. I'm going to be the first one to stop this kid.
I saw an interview where he says he's not giving it to me. He don't have to. I'm taking it from him at UFC 145 on April 21.
Who you got? Tell "Suga" how you see the fight going on Twitter: @SugaRashadEvans
3 articles so far
http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/news?slug=ys-rashad_evans_jon_jones_ufc_145_blog_032212
Rashad Evans: Beating Jon Jones more important than winning the belt
By "Suga" Rashad Evans, special to Yahoo! Sports
Mar 22, 11:17 am EDT
Jon Jones (left) and Rashad Evans face off on April 21 in UFC 145.
(This is the 1st of a series of Yahoo! exclusive blogs from ?Suga? Rashad Evans as he prepares to fight bitter rival & UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones on April 21.)
I?ve been the No. 1 contender to the UFC light heavyweight championship since May 29, 2010, when I beat ?Rampage? Jackson to earn a shot at my old belt. I?ve been waiting to fight the current champion, Jon Jones, for a year, but injuries and timing issues with both of us have stopped it from happening until now.
In one month, on April 21 in Atlanta, I?m getting my title back but, to me, beating Jon Jones up and proving I am the better man and better fighter is even more important than waking up the next day as a two-time UFC champion.
Everyone knows the history between us. Because this fight has been coming for a year I?ve already talked about it forever. And I know I?m going to have to keep talking about it over the next month so all I?ll say now is that yes, it is very personal and, yes, this is the most important fight of my life for sure.
For someone who says he doesn?t talk a lot, Jon talks a hell of a lot. If there?s any validity to what he?s saying, if there?s any truth to him being the ?Muhammad Ali of MMA,? then he?s got to deal with me. It?s not a fight he is taking lightly, I?m sure. Jon always trains hard, and I know he will be training extra hard for this fight against me.
I heard a stat about Jon that he?s never been taken down in the UFC. But I?ve taken him down plenty, and I know he can?t fight off his back. I think my takedowns will be a key to this fight. I know Jon can take me down, too ? he?s done it ? but I?ve taken down every single fighter I?ve ever wanted to get down, and I took Jon down time and time again in the gym. I think style-wise I am all wrong for him.
I know Jon thinks he?s better than me. He thinks he?s better than everyone. What he don?t understand is that it only matters who is better on the night. I?ve been in the UFC since 2005, and other than one night, I?ve been the better man on the night every time.
At UFC 145, I think it will come down to who really wants it. We are both going to get beat on in this fight, we are both going to get banged up and hurt, but I want this more.
On April 21, at UFC 145, beating Jon Jones up means everything to me. I want to smash him up so bad. I want to be world champion again ? but for this fight, beating up on Jon Jones means absolutely everything.
I will beat his ass and then tell him that crying won?t get him his belt back.
________________________________________
http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/news?slug=yhoo-rashadevanstimeawayfromfigh
Rashad Evans: Time away from fighting was tough, but it was for the better
By "Suga" Rashad Evans, special to Yahoo! Sports
Mar 30, 2:28 pm EDT
(This is the second in a series of Yahoo! Sports exclusive blogs from ?Suga? Rashad Evans as he prepares to fight bitter rival and UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones on April 21.)
The world title fight against my old teammate Jon Jones on April 21 will be my third fight since I had to take pretty much a year off through injury. I think the time off did me good. When you fight so many times back to back ? and in the UFC it is always against tough guys ? it grinds on the body and wears you down.
I got into the UFC in 2005 by winning the heavyweight division of ?The Ultimate Fighter 2,? and I?ve had 15 training camps of at least six weeks since then. That is 90 weeks of training ? getting close to two whole years ? and my body was getting tired. The year off made me rest, and all the little injuries that you allow to accumulate over time all healed up. That?s why people say I looked so good against Tito Ortiz, even though I think it was more to do with the way I fight now, mentally.
But the time off wasn?t a good time for me, I can?t say it was. The frustration of being the No. 1 contender since May 2010 and seeing other fighters ? including the guy I beat (Rampage Jackson) ? getting opportunities when I earned my title shot was pretty bad. It was frustrating. Very frustrating.
I had a very hard time in my personal life too, going through a divorce, so I was having things not go my way professionally and personally at the same time. My injury wasn?t healing like I wanted it to, and it wasn?t a great time. But during that time I learned the true strength I have as a fighter and a person.
I never felt sorry for myself, I never threw tantrum or was like, ?Why me? Why all at once?? I realized I had a lot going for me in life. I realized I?d had a lot of luck and opportunities, and a lot of guys out there have it far, far worse. Yeah, I didn?t have exactly what I wanted in life right there, right then, but as soon as I got fit I?d had every opportunity to get my belt.
I didn?t have what I wanted, I wasn?t at where I wanted to be at, but I had what I needed to get there. That allowed me to stay positive, and I also knew that I needed to change up my training and attitude toward preparation.
I completely changed the way I train with the Blackzillions here in Boca Raton, Fla., taking it to a new level. My former coach, Greg Jackson, is a great coach. I won?t say he isn?t. But I?d been doing this thing for years and to improve, I needed to do new things. I needed to improve and change to give myself the best chance of winning my belt back ? and beating Jones.
Yeah, Jon has gotten better since he was that skinny kid in the gym I used to spar. But he?s not changed as a fighter. He?s improved, but he?s still the same fighter and just as importantly, he?s the same kid who has had it all his own way and thinks he is the best thing since Muhammad Ali.
When it comes down to it, I?m already sick of talking and thinking about him. There?s a lot of emotions involved with this fight, which is motivation in training but also it is something that can drain your mental energy.
I?ve been through these fights before. Michael Bisping and I went at it and the (smack talk) got so back we nearly fought at the weigh-ins. And I went back and forth with Rampage for months, talking smack and making it personal ? so I know how to play this game. I don?t think Jon does. We did a TV show in Atlanta, and he was very uncomfortable in his own skin. He knows what I know about him. He knows.
On April 21, the whole world will know, too.
Who you got? Tell ?Suga? how you see the fight going on Twitter: @SugaRashadEvans
________________________________________
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/rashad-evans-whole-career-leading-194100307--mma.html
Rashad Evans: My whole career has been leading to UFC 145 with Jon Jones
By "Suga" Rashad Evans | Yahoo! Sports ? Thu, Apr 5, 2012 3:41 PM EDT
(This is the third in a series of Yahoo! Sports exclusive blogs from "Suga" Rashad Evans as he prepares to fight bitter rival and UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones on April 21.)
I went to Puerto Rico last week to promote my April 21 title fight against Jon Jones on pay-per-view.
The reception I got was the craziest I've ever had in my UFC career. It was the coolest thing I've done in this sport since I won "The Ultimate Fighter 2" in 2005. The fans were so insane; there were hundreds down there to see me, and then boxing legend Felix "Tito" Trinidad ? who is in Puerto Rico ? showed up and I got to meet him. I was a huge Tito fan when he was doing his thing in the 1990s and early 2000s. He was a great fighter who had skills, speed and a lot of power. It was really great to meet him and, even though I got in my workouts, my mind was off of UFC 145 for a few hours and it was one of the most insane experiences of my life.
I came back home feeling very energized and ready for the last couple of hard weeks of camp.
Funny, for this fight there's been a lot of questions about smack talk and there's going to be more come fight week ? believe me ? but meeting Trinidad and tennis star Victoria Azarenka a few weeks ago have been two of the coolest things I've done in the UFC.
Soon though, it'll be time to get serious. The April 21 fight symbolizes so much for me. It feels like everything I've been going through, everything in my whole career and in my life, has all been leading up to this moment and this fight.
Yeah, I want to beat Jon and prove a point that he's not this god we all need to pray to at night. He said on live TV that America could learn from him. I Googled it: There are 311,591,917 people living in America right now and Jon Jones thinks that 311,591,916 of them need to learn from him. He's a drop in a bucket like the rest of us. The guy praises himself going to sleep.
But the thing is, opponents have been buying into that, too.
Watching at ringside last September at UFC 135, I couldn't believe the way Quinton "Rampage" Jackson fought Jon. He gave him too much respect and way too much distance. You have to be "in" or "out" with Jon ? either out of range looking to come in with strikes and takedowns, or you got to be in his face throwing and pushing his ass against the fence. He's got too much reach on you to be in the mid-range ? that's his sweet spot ? and you can't get caught out there with him.
I know Jones has tweeted and been doing interviews about me. That's what happens in big fights and especially this one. But I'm at the point where I'm not really bothered by anything he says. What he says makes no sense anyway. He thinks he's something so special people need to bow to him when they seem him on the street.
Does it motivate me? At this point, not really.
There's really not much more he can say to me to motivate me. I'm already motivated for this fight; I'm motivated beyond reason. Yeah, I want to be the first guy to really beat Jon, yeah, I want my title belt back and I want to show my former trainer what's what.
But this fight is not about proving a lot of people wrong about Jon Jones; it's about proving me right.
I'm one of the very best light heavyweights out there and it's time for me to cement my legacy. I've beat top guys for years and years ? before Jon was even in the UFC ? and in a sport where everyone loses big fights here and there, I've had one bad night in seven years. This is the perfect opportunity and perfect chance for me to show that I'm as good as my record says I am.
The illusion of or the mythical Jon Jones that the other guys fought, it doesn't exist for me. I know how weak he is mentally ? all the doubts he has about himself. I'm going to be the first one to stop this kid.
I saw an interview where he says he's not giving it to me. He don't have to. I'm taking it from him at UFC 145 on April 21.
Who you got? Tell "Suga" how you see the fight going on Twitter: @SugaRashadEvans
Kick big news. Watch the punch Brock lands at the 203 mark and watch what happens to Cenas face :0074
Okay Kick last one. Listen what Brock says from the 140 mark to the 3 minute mark. Do u think any of it is true pertaining to the UFC?
kick
you think koko b. ware should go to bellator instead?
:142smilie
or strikeforce
:00hour
if there's no mma news, we have to make up mma news :shrug:
you think koko b. ware should go to bellator instead?
:142smilie
or strikeforce
:00hour
if there's no mma news, we have to make up mma news :shrug:
i just watched his speech at the hall of fame ceremonies. It was so boring even the bird was trying to pull the paper away from him :mj07:
damn koko forgot to keep it short and sweet
MORE NEWS
kick's boy is out:
http://mmajunkie.com/news/28096/john-alessio-returning-to-octagon-replaces-matt-wiman-at-ufc-145.mma
MORE NEWS
kick's boy is out:
http://mmajunkie.com/news/28096/john-alessio-returning-to-octagon-replaces-matt-wiman-at-ufc-145.mma
L.A. firefighter arrested for fighting MMA bouts while on workman?s comp
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-c...359179.html;_ylt=AqIXSsh4TbHC_MvU5sy15889Eo14
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-c...359179.html;_ylt=AqIXSsh4TbHC_MvU5sy15889Eo14
