UFC
Rashad Evans hoping to return in September or October, wants to "jump right back into it"
May 1, 2015 - 1:10:13 PM Rashad Evans hoping to return in September or October, wants to "jump right back into it"

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Rashad Evans has updated his timetable for return, saying in an interview with MMAFighting.com that he's looking to get back in the cage around September or October, and is hoping to get right back into the top end of the division.

"I don't want to start slow," the former UFC Champ said. "I just want to jump right back into it. I see no point in starting off slow, because this is the UFC. Anybody they put in front of me, they're gonna try to knock my head off."

Evans hasn't fought since November of 2013, but he sees plenty of opportunities ahead of him when he returns, and thinks he can still compete for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship.

"There's been a couple guys looking good," Evans said. "I'll fight anybody. I'll fight [Alexander Gustafsson]. I'll fight Glover [Teixeira]. [Ovince Saint Preux] has been doing his thing. I'll fight him. I'll fight Rampage [Jackson]. S***. I don't care. I just want to go out there and compete.

"I definitely feel there's a title run in me. I don't want to compete just for superfights, even though superfights are awesome and everything, you give the fans what they want to see. I feel like if you're not competing to be the best, it really kills the whole desire to compete. I want to be the top dog. That mindset, it seeps into every part of your being - from the way you train, the way you sleep, the way you eat. There's gotta be that championship mindset. If I don't have that mindset, then I shouldn't be competing."

Penick's Analysis: Evans had two good performances in a row before his injury issues sidelined him. Unfortunately, that delay is a concern for what level he'll return at. That said, he left as an elite competitor, and if he can regain most of that, he'll be an elite competitor. He'll need to be entertaining upon his return to make that climb back up the ladder, and it may take a performance or two, but it's not out of the realm of possibility for him to make one last run.

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