UFC
UFC 145's Rashad Evans says lengthy time off wasn't a good thing for him
Apr 3, 2012 - 12:20:16 PM UFC 145's Rashad Evans says lengthy time off wasn't a good thing for him

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

When Rashad Evans defeated rival Quinton "Rampage" Jackson in May of 2010, it was supposed to be a catapulting victory for him. The two fighters set a pay-per-view record for a non-title fight, and the win set him up for a shot against Mauricio "Shogun" Rua for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship, Evans' first bout for the title since losing it the year before.

However, Shogun was battling knee injuries into his title victory over Lyoto Machida earlier that month, and it would keep him out of action until March of 2011. Evans decided it was in his best interest to then wait for that fight instead of keeping himself busy.

Well, that decision backfired, as he ended up suffering an injury of his own in January of last year, opening the door for his then-teammate Jon Jones to swoop in and capture the title himself. Evans wouldn't fight again until August.

Now, as he finally gears up to take on Jones this month at UFC 145, he says that time out of the cage was far from a good thing for him.

"The time off wasn't a good time for me, I can't say it was," Evans wrote in a blog this weekend for Yahoo! Sports. "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."

That wasn't all he was dealing with, though, as Evans revealed even more personal issues that he was battling during this stretch.

"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," he said. "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."

Evans has said before that he feels he knows how Jones will fight this fight, regardless of the improvements he's made since Evans left the camp. He reiterated that point, but also added that his experience in these types of personal feuds outside of the cage gives him an edge Jones won't be able to handle.

"Yeah, Jon has gotten better since he was that skinny kid in the gym I used to spar," Evans conceded. "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."

Penick's Analysis: The emotional aspect of this could be a really undersold factor in how the fight plays out. Jones hasn't had any real personal problems with opponents, and the only semblance of trash talking came in his fight with "Rampage" Jackson. Here he's got Evans very much attacking his character on a very frequent basis, and how he handles himself in the cage could be very interesting. If he reacts poorly to the buildup, he might over-exert himself early, allowing Evans to take the advantage. Or, maybe he'll be able to channel that into an early onslaught to take Evans out. Or, maybe he'll let it slide off his back, and step into the cage with no added emotions to cloud what he wants to do. Evans doesn't think Jones will be able to do that, and he thinks he's got a big edge on that front on April 21. We're getting ever closer to the fight finally happening, and we'll find out if Evans truly does no something about Jones the rest of us don't.

[Rashad Evans art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]