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[Sakara=Excitement]

Evans:

Please excuse Rashad Evans if he doesn’t have the ebullient demeanor one would expect of a man who just won a major MMA bout in front of millions of people on network television.

As the former light heavyweight champion explained at Saturday’s UFC on Fox 2 post-fight press conference, even though he took a lopsided five-round win over the previously unbeaten Phil Davis in Chicago, Evans didn’t get the win he really wanted.

“I don’t know. I just... I’m happy the fight’s over,” said Evans when asked about his subdued manner. “I’m happy I got the win, but I wanted to do better. I wanted to put on a more spectacular win for the Chicago fans and for the Fox fans. I didn’t do it like I wanted to or I envisioned myself doing it, but at the same time, I got the job done. I can’t be too overly critical because, nights like this, winning on this stage in the UFC, wins are hard to come by. So, I should really just be thankful. After I get offstage, I’ll probably smack myself into reality and think, ‘You know what? Things could’ve been a lot worse.’”

Evans, 32, was too quick and too skilled for the relatively green “Mr. Wonderful,” who carried half of his opponent’s 18-fight experience into the matchup. When the former Michigan State Spartan wasn’t stifling his fellow collegiate wrestling standout on the ground, he was beating Davis to the punch on the feet -- something Evans saw an opportunity for during round two.

“His punches were a little bit tired. I could see it in his shoulders,” Evans said. “I just wish that I would have capitalized a little bit more. I didn’t really throw the way I wanted to. I think I was just trying to hit too hard, and when you try to hit too hard, that’s when you are a little bit slower and your punches don’t come out the way you want ‘em to.”

In a duel of high-level grapplers, Evans’ ground acumen shone through as he repeatedly took down Davis and placed him in the dangerous mounted crucifix. “Suga” credited BJJ coaches Flavius Silva and Rolles Gracie for developing his jiu-jitsu game, but also made mention of performance coach Al Fuentes, who helped him prepare for a less tangible struggle.

“You never want to lose a fight, but at the same time, [the scale of the fight] played in my mind a little bit more than it normally does. I had to really sit down and have a talk with myself and get my mind wrapped up around it,” explained Evans. “We just talked about it, talked it through and really got my mind on the right path again. Because it’s so easy to just make it so much bigger than what it really is. What it comes down to is, I’ve got a five-round fight, and I’ve been doing five rounds in practice all the time, and I’ve been training with some of the best fighters in the world.”

Non-finish notwithstanding, Evans’ dominant victory has once again set the stage for a fight he’s been expecting for the better part of a year. Barring any more of the injuries which have twice derailed their meeting, Evans will lock horns with former training partner and current UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones in Atlanta come April 21.

“I definitely wanna put the rivalry to bed and, more importantly, get a chance to get my belt back. I feel like I can beat Jon Jones. I see areas in his game where I can capitalize on, and I know it’s gonna be a good fight,” Evans told reporters. “Jon Jones has one thing over other opponents that he doesn’t have over me: we’ve faced each other before, many times. I’m not really too worried about the mystique of Jon Jones because I know what’s at Jon Jones’ core. I remember Jon Jones when he used to come up to me and be like, ‘Hey, man, what is it like when everybody takes pictures with you?’ So, I see Jon Jones a little bit differently than everybody else sees Jon Jones.

“He said something to me a while ago when we got into it. He said he wants to show everybody that I’m all hype and he’s gonna destroy me. That right there is the biggest motivation in the world. For him saying that, I’m gonna make him pay.”

Evans didn’t offer much more in the way of “Bones” talk, however; he knows April is a long way away.

“There’s just so much that’s been said. There’s so much that’s gonna be said between now and then. Right now, I just want to go back and enjoy this victory, and think about the things that I need to do to get ready for the fight against Jon Jones,” he said. “Let tonight just be tonight, and then I’ll get my mouth going probably a little bit later on.”

[VimyRidge]

I actually really enjoyed the fight.

[GL Jeff]

It reminded me of two friends fighting, or a sparring session.

[Repenter]

rashad's ground control impressed the hell out of me. i've shat on rashad before, but phil davis is a wrecking machine in grappling. he may give jones more of a fight than i ever credited him able to before.

[Mac]

I really thought Rashad looked impressive. He beat Davis at every aspect of that fight and really impressed me with how he out wrestled him.

And I've never seen 2 friends or a sparring session where one person has the other in the crucifix trying to take his face off. I've seen it happen between 2 brothers but not friends and definitely not a sparring session.

[SimpleJack]

Am I the only person who noticed that Davis repeatedly slipped and couldn't plant at all?

Not that it would have saved him, but it was particularly odd and at one point it looked like he tweaked his right knee pretty good.

[Greedo_Porter]

Originally Posted by VimyRidge

I actually really enjoyed the fight.

I enjoyed it as well. I thought the fight would be quite competitive but it turned out to be quite one-sided.

A finish would have been the icing on the cake for which otherwise was a dominant win for Rashad.

I hope he takes Jones out !

[MickeyKnox]

Originally Posted by SimpleJack

Am I the only person who noticed that Davis repeatedly slipped and couldn't plant at all?

Not that it would have saved him, but it was particularly odd and at one point it looked like he tweaked his right knee pretty good.

He was sliding a lot. A friend of mine thought he was doing it on purpose at one point.

I was really surprised at how Rashad had Phil mounted, in the crucifix, and had his back several times throughout the fight and didn't finish him. It was also interesting to see Rashad go an entire 5 rounds mainly on the offense. IMO, Rashad put on a good performance last night, especially when you look at it what he was doing and how he won the fight. He is much better than that. Like others, I think it was the perfect fight for him before fighting Jon. He gained experience from out-grappling, out-wrestling, and defending himself against a phenomenal wrestler like Phil for 5 rounds, constantly keeping the pressure on. The Rashad that will fight Jon Jones will be the best Rashad we have ever seen.

In Jones/Rashad, if one does not end up finishing the other, I could see it being one of the best LHW back and forth 5 round battles, ever, and being an absolute nightmare to judge. If Rashad can stifle Jones' wrestling in the beginning of the fight and it turns into a standing battle, will Jon's Muay Thai and reach be enough to avoid all of Rashad's flurries and big punches to eventually wear him down for the championship rounds? Who will be most dominant in the clinch? What can Jon do off his back with those long limbs? I feel like this fight is going to be fought everywhere. These guys are going to throw punches, kicks, elbows, knees, utilizing clinches, wrestling, GNP, BJJ... mix in with that a ton of animosity, heart, and desire to be one of the greatest champions in the world.

I hope that fight goes the distance.

I cannot wait. This fight has been brewing for a long time. Let's hope it turns out as great as it could be.

[Cat--Smasher]

I thought Rashad could have been a bit more aggressive at times with his hands. A couple times in the 3rd and 4th (I think w/ out re watching yet) It looked like Davis was seriously hurt and could have been finished with more pressure / strikes.

I get Rashad needed to play it safe and not take an unnecessary risks but fuck did it ever look like Davis was hurt/scared/wanting a way out a few times.

[cnlclink]

Originally Posted by Sakara=Excitement

Evans:

“Jon Jones has one thing over other opponents that he doesn’t have over me: we’ve faced each other before, many times. I’m not really too worried about the mystique of Jon Jones because I know what’s at Jon Jones’ core

How long ago was it they trained together so much? It's gotta be coming up to a year now I think. Both those guys have improved a lot, Bones moreso. Evans can say he knows everything that Jones can do but that was a long time ago. Looking forward to this fight and hopefully Bones wrecks him.

Originally Posted by SimpleJack

Am I the only person who noticed that Davis repeatedly slipped and couldn't plant at all?

Not that it would have saved him, but it was particularly odd and at one point it looked like he tweaked his right knee pretty good.

I noticed it too. Seems awfully strange that it was just him (that I noticed) slipping and sliding and falling. I really wish he had kept up kicking Rashad's leg last night but what do I know.