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By: Jason Bent, MMATorch Columnist Rashad Evans is the undefeated, undisputed UFC Light Heavyweight Champion.
He is also the unwanted superstar, as I am unable to think of anyone else who could have achieved as much and still not have much of a fanbase at all. Here is the winner of 'The Ultimate Fighter 2,' who has beaten not only the winner of season one and season three, but also knocked out Chuck Liddell and yet he still can fly under the radar a bit. Stephan Bonnar vs. Forrest Griffin was the fight that is widely considered to be the most important in UFC history and Evans has beaten them both, but his name still does nothing to draw the fans in. This of course is due in large part to the fact that most of the fans happen to despise Rashad Evans.
Anytime that someone says that they dislike Rashad Evans it causes race to be brought up, as if it is due to his skin color that he is so vehemently loathed by so many. If you were to declare that you cannot stand Forrest Griffin, not too many would ask you if you hate him because he is white but instead they would assume that it has to do with something else. With Evans it immediately makes you a racist to simply say that you dislike him and find him to be obnoxious; which is patently ridiculous to say the least.
A lot of people think Matt Hughes is an ass. A good portion of these fans would even take it one step further and tell you that they actually "hate" Hughes. Does anyone ever ask them if they hate him because he is white or from Iowa?
However, if you say that you think Rashad Evans is an ass, and go as far as to say that you also "hate" him, it suddenly paints you as a racist and the angry villagers are prepared to picture you as a cross burning Klansman who celebrates Hitler's birthday. Not once does anyone consider that you dislike a fighter because you simply don't like his kind.
See how you immediately can take such a remark to mean race? What if by kind you are meaning obnoxious, arrogant, pompous asses who act in such a manner that causes you to despise them, even though their abilities inside of the Octagon are such that you should find them somewhat appealing?
There is a fine line between having fun and having fun at someone else's expense; and when Evans clowns it really does not come off as if everyone should be having fun but rather self indulgent mockery of others. One only has to look back to Rashad's fight against Tom Murphy on 'The Ultimate Fighter 2' to witness a prime example of mockery. That fight was simply one of the most atrocious ever, and yet Evans was dancing around like he was Dave Chappelle poking fun at the AND1 Mixtapes. In fact it was this very performance that caused Matt Hughes to hate him for his showboating antics.
When you can be enough of an asshole that Matt Hughes thinks you are out of line, it is time to take it down a notch. Worse than his antics during the fight were his remarks afterward in response to Hughes' comments towards him for his showboating. Rashad Evans stated "f**k him," and prattled on about his Uncle and something about shoving them up against a wall and sodomizing them for their troubles or something along those lines. He was basically doing his best Bernie Mac routine, and it made him appear worse than he did in the bout with Murphy.
Can you imagine if Ryan Bader did the moonwalk after his bout with Eliot Marshall on this previous edition of 'The Ultimate Fighter'? Or how about if Bader would have maybe done the "Worm" while he was doing his best impersonation of a blanket? The fight was atrocious and his performance was just enough to get the "W" and nothing more, which is exactly how piss poor Evans was against Murphy.
The good thing about Evans is that his performances are finally worthy of such antics. His knockout of Chuck Liddell was awesome, and his brutalization of Griffin was jawdroppingly succinct. For once it actually makes sense for Evans to posture a little bit because his performances were at least worthy of praise. For far too long he has been the NFL wide receiver who dances after catching a first down, but can never find his way to the endzone. Finally he is scoring touchdowns; and if he wants to dance after scoring one then it's his choice as he has earned the right to do so.
Rashad Evans has finally earned the right to be the arrogant ass that he has always been considered to be. GSP does a back flip, BJ Penn licks blood off of his gloves, Brock Lesnar mimics throwing a lasso and Chuck Liddell makes a face that looks like there was too much Xyience and too little fiber in his diet. All of these men can be called out for such antics, but their performances are such that what they do is acceptable to many, but too often it comes back to race. Saying you enjoyed Brock's performance after his fight with Heath Herring but are annoyed by Rashad Evans seems to imply that you are a card carrying racist, but I believe that this is not really the case. It has more to do with how a fighter performs and how you imagine he feels about the fans.
Brock Lesnar respects the fans, and so do Liddell, GSP, Penn, and even a guy like Tito Ortiz. See, it isn't so much that Evans disrespects his opponents that causes such a feeling of hatred towards him, but rather the perception that Evans cares less about the fans than he does the man he is facing inside the Octagon. Mocking your opponent may be unsportsmanlike, but this isn't an angle I take as I don't mind guys embracing the entertainment aspect of things from time to time. When Ortiz did his "grave digger" it was symbolic of his burying his opponent and was not directed towards anyone else. When Evans does what he does it generally feels like he does so without a care in the world for anyone, and it really seems as if he looks down upon the fans. Perhaps he feels jilted due to being hated for so long by so many, but it would behoove him to endear himself just a little bit to the fans by appearing more gracious every now and then and showing a human side for once.
Rashad Evans dealt with a lot after knocking out Chuck Liddell. He was flooded with hate mail and yes, much of it was racist. He had just come off of the biggest victory in his career in the most magnificent fashion, and here he was having to read messages that served to lessen his enjoyment of what should have been so magical. I hurt for him for this, and have pity for the fans who are so lowly and pathetic that they must stoop to such a level with a great sadness that they even exist. So, yes, some of the hatred towards Evans is racist in nature, but the actions of a few should not paint everyone as a racist if they happen to dislike the man. It is wrong to think anything of anyone due to the color of their skin, but actually far worse to assume that this is someone else's reason for not liking someone.
Rashad Evans clearly gives a damn, as he would not have achieved so much in this sport without such passion, but it would be nice if he maybe extended the olive branch a little bit towards the crowd. I firmly understand that he may feel he owes no one anything, but I am not suggesting he kiss anyone's ass but rather that he give thanks to those who do support him. The better he treats those who support him, the more support he will garner from those who disliked him before.
I understand that he may feel that he doesn't need the support of those who have never supported him in the past, but in many ways he really does. He is a superb athlete who has become one of the best fighters in the game, and he could be poised to reign atop the division for some time. It would be best for him to become a fighter that fans wish to see, and not just the guy they hope to see lose in his next bout. This could cause him to sleep a little better at night, and allow him to possibly become a fighter who is welcome back after a defeat, and not be the man everyone wishes would just lose.
No one has to like anyone, but all parties need to have some sort of respect for the other. Evans needs to respect the fans who buy the tickets and purchase the PPV's, as this provides him with the income which allows him to fight for a living. At the same time the fans need to respect Evans and give him credit for being one of the world's very best fighters at the moment. Even if you despise him it cannot be denied that this guy is simply that damned good, and the champion for a reason.
You can think Rashad Evans is an asshole, and he can think you are an asshole fan, but you must at least view Evans as a talented asshole in as much as he should view you as a paying customer who is an asshole. It is a common respect for each other that will allow us all to get along, and if Evans would show some just once it is certain he would get at least the same in return. More reasons to like Evans would provide us with less reasons to despise him, and serve to make it crystal clear who does so based solely on the color of his skin.
I'd like to not have to explain my reasons for disliking Rashad Evans, as I would much rather find myself with reasons to like him.
I have never given a damn about the color of skin, but I am starting to give a damn about this man as a fighter. His attitude is such that he isn't worth my time, but when he fights it is fast becoming a must to be sure and not miss a single moment. Slowly I am finding myself a fan of his fighting, but I just wish there was something about him that made me actually happy when he wins. Because right now I may want to watch him fight, but I just can't say I want him to win ,and that has nothing to with color whatsoever.
Besides, Rashad Evans isn't black anyway. He's gold.
Championship gold.
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