UFC
UFC NEWS: Rashad Evans responds to criticism on waiting out for title shot before injury
Mar 3, 2011 - 11:30:57 AM UFC NEWS: Rashad Evans responds to criticism on waiting out for title shot before injury

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Rashad Evans has taken a lot of heat and criticism over the last month after an injury forced him out of a title bout with Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 128. A lot of that criticism has come from UFC President Dana White, and much of it was centered on the fact that Evans sat out of action waiting for that title shot instead of taking a fight in the interim. Now, Evans has given his side of the situation, and explained his reasoning for waiting out the fight, and says he wouldn't have done it differently.

"Say for instance I would have taken a fight then I would have gotten injured training for a fight that wasn't a title bout. Everybody would have said I was stupid for not waiting," Evans said in an interview with Duane Finley at BloodyElbow.com. "I got hurt in a freak accident while I was training for the title bout so it's just something that happened. It probably couldn't have happened another one in a million times but it happened to me and with no time to spare.

"Let me set a few things straight... first and foremost I was not afraid to fight. I would have fought but I wanted it to be for something. Dana White and the UFC didn't want to do an interim belt so therefore I waited. What was my guarantee and what would I really have been fighting for? I can tell you what I do fight for and that's to be the champion and what would a win against somebody else have gotten me when I had already earned the number one contender spot?"

For Evans the fight game is about much more than just the in cage action, and the business end of things is something he feels needs more attention from fighters at times.

"When you are in this business you have to understand that two of the biggest parts are navigating your career and taking fights that will allow you to get to the places you want to reach in this game," he said. "Every guy on the UFC roster is a tough guy. Everybody who steps into the Octagon is a tough guy. But what separates tough guys into different levels? It comes down to how smart you are and the choices that you make. It's about where you choose to set up at.

"It's a fraction or a hair of a difference between some of the guys who are at the top and the ones who are left wanting to be at the top. There is not much of a difference and sometimes it just comes down to the decisions and choices that you make and sometimes you have to make choices that are not the most popular. Sometimes you have to be willing to take the fighting out of the entire situation and analyze things from a business perspective."

Now, with his friend and protege Jon Jones getting the next shot at the belt in his place, Evans is left unsure of what his next move. He believes he'd still be the number one contender when he returns, but his absence may require him to take a non-title fight before that shot, and now it's something he'd be open to.

"I think I'm next in line but here is the reality of the situation," Evans said. "I've put myself in a place where when I do fight again I will have been out a little over a year. So now the question is do I go in there and fight for the title because that was where I was at before I got hurt or do I take at least one non-title fight to make sure that I'm sharp and on point when I get my title shot? That's the situation I'm in. Before I got hurt I was the number one contender and ready to go but now I'll be out over a year and if that's something that I need to prove again I will. Because there is no sense in saying you are the number one contender when you really aren't at that level at the time.

"I would rather take a fight to get back and make sure I'm sharp. It's all about being the best and going out there and proving you are the best. I don't have a problem with that. I like to test myself. I never want to go out there and try to fool myself into believing something that I'm really not. If I'm not the best then I'm not the best and I want to know that."

Link to Original Source Article

Penick's Analysis: Rashad's definitely got a point and has valid reasons for waiting for "Shogun" instead of stepping in again. He's made some good money over the last several years, so if that's not a motivating factor than he's well within his rights to hold on to that title shot once it's been given to him. But now that he's out longer, and will have been out of action over a year when he gets back into the cage, he's not going to be fighting for a title in his next fight. If Jon Jones beats "Shogun" and they refuse to fight each other, than he'll have a different set of problems to figure out. If Jones falls to Shogun, Evans can try to get back into action to re-earn his shot at regaining his belt.

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