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By: Tony Becerra, MMATorch Contributor
UFC 161 Rashad Evans vs. Dan Henderson (6/15/13)
Former Light Heavyweight Champion Rashad Evans (17-3) takes on Former Pride and Strikeforce Champion Dan Henderson (29-9) this weekend in a fight that will answer many questions for both the fans and the fighters. With a victory this Saturday, one of these competitors will be on the short list to fight Jon Jones.
Many questions will be answered, including Evans' mental state in the game and his motivation to continue fighting. Coming off of two consecutive losses and a poor performance over Antonio Nogueira, many question his motivation. Rashad has come out and said he realized his last fight was a bad outing and now looks to bounce back defeating a legend in the sport. Additionally for Evans, criticism has surrounded his camp in Florida, The Blackzillians, and the absence of a head coach impacting the fighters' camps and performances in their respective fights. As far as Evans is concerned, he couldn't care less about what people say or think.
"Honestly, I just want to go out there and fight and love fighting. When you fight from that place, it brings me back to when I first started fighting. I would go and fight in these tournaments and get paid $500 to fight three guys, and I didn't care. It was all because I liked to fight and it was fun. When you start to make it all about a title and all that stuff, it gets to the point where you feel like if you're not fighting for a belt or a chance to fight for the belt, it's not really worth it."
All these questions and more about Evans will be answered this Saturday night.
As for Dan Henderson, at 42 years young, he is the oldest active fighter on the UFC roster and is one victory away from fighting for UFC Gold one more time. Questions regarding his age and his ability to perform in the cage against younger competitors come up every time he is preparing for a fight. The fact is that he has never been knocked out and that his last stoppage defeat was via submission at the hands of arguably the best fighter of our age, Anderson Silva. Henderson's Greco-Roman wrestling background, tough chin, and his thunderous overhand right has been enough to amass victories in seven of his last nine fights. As the old adage goes, you are as young as you feel, and for Dan Henderson, the adage couldn't apply more.
Both fighters are in a must win fight to stay relevant in the Light Heavyweight Title picture and both bring supreme skill that will hopefully elevate each others game.
Prediction: Rashad Evans via split decision
UFC 162 Anderson Silva vs. Chris Weidman (7/6/13)
Anderson Silva (33-4) defends his belt against challenger Chris Weidman (9-0) next month in Las Vegas. Anderson enter this bout attempting to extend his streak to 11 consecutive title defense and 17 consecutive victories inside the Octagon, a feat that may not be broken for a very long time. Questions again surfaced around Silva's motivation to fight Weidman after he missed a pre-fight press conference, something that he has never done before. His unwillingness to want to fight with certain opponents that he deems “underserving" is not new. However, a mix up in communication was the excuse that was used for that first absence and since then everything has gone as planned.
Silva is a future UFC Hall of Famer who arguably has nothing left to prove. He faces a tough challenge in Chris Weidman, who is a young, hungry fighter with enough confidence and skill to cause trouble to anyone who would underestimate him. No one is unbeatable, and every time two men enter the Octagon anything can happen.
Chris Weidman has had an impressive run in the UFC since his debut in March of 2011, with notable victories over Demian Maia and Mark Munoz. Rumors surrounding a Silva injury had Weidman in a crisis earlier this month as he stated he had "freaking out" about it. Since then, Silva's camp has denied rumors of an injury and for the sake of the fighters and fans I hope the injury report is false.
Still Chris Weidman will not be convinced until that the fight is happening until he is staring at Anderson Silva from across the cage, saying "But there's something inside me that's a little bit like, 'I just really want this fight to happen.' I just want to be in that cage with him. I just want to get to July 6. I want to get to the weigh-ins. I want to look at him. I want to see him physically there and I'll be a happy man."
Weidman is constantly improving and in July will be jumping up in competition, faces a man that has seen 10 others attempt to dethrone him and fail. Win or lose Weidman will learn a lot about himself as a fighter and a person on July 6.
Prediction: Anderson Silva via Submission
[Rashad Evans art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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