[probettor1]

Rashad Evans had a nice first round but as the fight went on Jones had the lead.
By the forth round Evans was very tired and Jones was still warming up. But I can't blame on Rashad, I would be tired too. What is surprising is how rashad commited the same mistakes he commited with machida. Even though he has a shorter reach he fought Lyoto and Jon from the distance(distance for his reach but within the distance for the opponent with longer reach), eating all the kicks and puches, and giving almost none. In my opinion if you fight someone with longer reach and better kicker you have to stay very close, or very far, hitting and running or take the fight to the ground. Rashad just stays there where Jones can kick his face but where he can do nothing. I think that Jones is a much better fighter but if Evan had any chance he didnt used.
Can any one here tell rashad the best strategy to follow for the next fight with a similar opponents?

[probettor1]

Let me tell rashad myself:
1-First you need to change you strenghenning trainning coach. A visit to GSP could help for some advise.
2-You need to add some moves to you game: Elbow, kicks, knees. A visit to Jose Aldo could help for some advise.
3-You need some major changes in your strategy. Again a visit to GSP or to your old coach will help
4-You might need to drop a weight class or more and avoid Jon Jones and similar fighter with much longer reach. If you want to beat Jon Jones you will need to eat the same meat horse that Overeem was eating. Otherwise the story of your life will be the same as Tito Ortiz with Chuck Liddel.
5-Florida is a great place to live but fighting people trainning in high latitude wont help you. Look at your face in the 4th round and then look at Jon Jone in the same round and you will see what I mean.
6-Read my previous post.

[v1y]

the only thing you suggested that would be remotely helpful for rashad is dropping down to 185. jones is simply a nightmare matchup for the whole division.

[HoulihansTX]

I would recommend rashard growing 5 inches.

[PS3]

How can anybody stand a guy who uses an elbow like a jab?

[probettor1]

Even if he drops to 185 he will need to work on his conditioning and strategy. Anderson Silva might not have the killer elbow and the wrestling of Jon Jones but his front kick and hands are probably the fastest of all the divisions 185 and over. He need to be solid as GSP. being solid does not make you great but is very hard to be great without being solid. Most of the best fighters pound per pound including Jose aldo, jon jone, gsp, dan henderson, condit are extremely lean, rock solid, and never get tired as rashad did in his fight to jon jones. The opposit is Nelson country who get beat up by all decent fighter he has fought. And the greatest of all times a few years ago, fedor emilianenko came down to dust despite his judo and fast/powerful punching. For each pound of fat you have your opponent have one of muscle. Fat doesnt move your joints. If you go to boxing is the same, Mayweather, tyson, pacquiao. All rock solid.

[probettor1]

How can anybody stand a guy who uses an elbow like a jab?

[probettor1]

How can anybody stand a guy who uses an elbow like a jab?

And how can you throw a guy that kick like he punch.
It is time for the UFC to start doing one vs two fighters.

[probettor1]

He will probably get a revenge with machida and will lose. Kickers with longer reach will dominate him.

[brooks85]

rashad just isnt that good(compared to jones) and never was

phil davis
tito ortiz
fat out of shape rampage and was one punch from being finished in round 3
thiago silva with 3 ruptured disc in his spine and one punch from being finished in round 3
down 2 rounds to forrest griffin until ko in the 3rd
lost first round to an aging chuck liddel

those are the realities of rashads last 6 wins, when he did face top competition they were far from being in any condition to compete at this level.


I know id love to see rashad vs the rampage that fought jones but sounds like page has given up on training like that anymore.

[probettor1]

rashad just isnt that good(compared to jones) and never was

phil davis
tito ortiz
fat out of shape rampage and was one punch from being finished in round 3
thiago silva with 3 ruptured disc in his spine and one punch from being finished in round 3
down 2 rounds to forrest griffin until ko in the 3rd
lost first round to an aging chuck liddel

those are the realities of rashads last 6 wins, when he did face top competition they were far from being in any condition to compete at this level.


I know id love to see rashad vs the rampage that fought jones but sounds like page has given up on training like that anymore.

Make sense

[caveira]

How can anybody stand a guy who uses an elbow like a jab?

Nothing more need to be said... Jones is a HW fighting in the LHW division, while he keeps there, he will destroy tops like they were nothing. Rashad did it well, probably will be the only LHW (in many years) that had survived 5 rounds with the beast.

[PokerSource]

Seemed like Jones fought a very conservative fight. Smart, but conservative. Very curious that Evans didn't try one take down. He's probably outclassed on the ground too, and knew the only chance he had was a lightning fast left hook or a head kick.

[konck]

Evans lacks the heart to fight if he is the underdog in a fight he will lose
Since the ufc show he never really wants to bang I am shocked at the record he compiled though.

[brooks85]

i hope he moves to MW, lot of matchups id like to see there. No doubt he is a top fighter and can get back to a title shot at LHW but i want to see him vs silva/sonnen/belfort/munoz. Probably going to stay at LHW and aside from rampage rematch, id really love to see evans vs rua.

[sirchadwick1]

Rashad is still the #2 LHW imo after that performance... I see no need for him to move down. The look on Jones face at the beginning of the 4th rd said a lot. He was frustrated when he couldn't impose his will. I don't think people realize how much better Bones than the rest of the div. You can't discredit Rashad.

[caveira]

i hope he moves to MW, lot of matchups id like to see there. No doubt he is a top fighter and can get back to a title shot at LHW but i want to see him vs silva/sonnen/belfort/munoz. Probably going to stay at LHW and aside from rampage rematch, id really love to see evans vs rua.

Evans vs Shogun is an easy fight, Evans taking him down and gas him out in the first 2 rounds. Shogun has a great chin and heart, excelent stand up, but he is the most lazy man in the division, always come out of his best shape and his take down defense is the worst of the tops fighters...

[brooks85]

gonna be hard for evans to even hold him down, let alone take him down when he is unconscious

[Ghenghis Kahn]

I would recommend rashard growing 5 inches.

yeah this would be his best strategy vs jones.

[probettor1]

Dan Henderson also thinks that Evans was not aggressive enough trying to take Jon Jones down. The only reason this fight got to the 5th round was because rashad was extremely careful. It doesnt make him better than Machida. Rashad has wins over an aging liddell and over a rampage dedicated to the hollywood world. He even has a draw with Tito. He will need to beat Lyoto Machida to say he is the 2nd best in the division. Dan Henderson might beat him too. To this point the renovated Dan and Lyoto are better fighers that Evans.

[Digo]

Dan Henderson also thinks that Evans was not aggressive enough trying to take Jon Jones down. The only reason this fight got to the 5th round was because rashad was extremely careful. It doesnt make him better than Machida. Rashad has wins over an aging liddell and over a rampage dedicated to the hollywood world. He even has a draw with Tito. He will need to beat Lyoto Machida to say he is the 2nd best in the division. Dan Henderson might beat him too. To this point the renovated Dan and Lyoto are better fighers that Evans.

Dan Henderson? He will be the most easy fight for Jones. It will be a replay of Jones vs Shogun, its easy to say that Rashad was not aggressive, but when his time comes, he will be destroyed! Hendo is much smaller than Jones and if he tries to be "so aggressive", Jones will TD him in a second. Once it happens, fight is over! (Tko or submission). Some people thinks that Hendo has the chance with his H-bombs. I think his chance is just in the first round, before Jones taking him down for the first time, after 3-4 minutes with Jones over him, if he survives, he will be totally gassed out in the second round. (even for H-bombs).

[probettor1]

I totally agree, Jon Jones has more tools that Hendo. But if he lose I hope he will lose trying. I would hate to see him standing at the same distance where Rashad stood vs Jon and vs machida eating all the kicks and the long jabs with no chances of winning. Nick Diaz also stood there where Condid could kick his face and he couldnt do much. When he decided to go for the take down it was too late. The fact is that you cant go there and fight the other guy fight.

[probettor1]

I know that wrestling Jon Jones is not a choice for most fighters, but for Rashad it was an option. Jon threw a lot of kicks and that was a good time to go for it. I was thinking in a combination of condit (hit and run) and couture (aggressive wrestling) to fight Jon Jones. I know the chances of winning are minimal any style you try but swallowing kicks for 5 rounds give you no chances at all. Hendo is very strong, more than rashad and I expect him to be much more aggressive. His chances for going to the distance will be reduce but he might get lucky.

[Digo]

I know that wrestling Jon Jones is not a choice for most fighters, but for Rashad it was an option. Jon threw a lot of kicks and that was a good time to go for it. I was thinking in a combination of condit (hit and run) and couture (aggressive wrestling) to fight Jon Jones. I know the chances of winning are minimal any style you try but swallowing kicks for 5 rounds give you no chances at all. Hendo is very strong, more than rashad and I expect him to be much more aggressive. His chances for going to the distance will be reduce but he might get lucky.

I think the problem is that Jones' wrestling is very good too, the last fights (Rampage and Rashad), Jones keep the fight in the distance he likes more (the distance where he can hit and not get hitted). Shogun tries to get close and when he did that, Jones TD him. That's the big problem, to fight in a long distance and "don't find" Jones or come close and risk to be TD with that monster over you... I think a good strategy should be stay in the long distance for the first 3 minutes of the round and keep close in the last 2 minutes. At least if he TD Hendo, he could survive until the end of the round.

[Thor4140]

i think the problem with getting in close is just that a problem. If this was the key to victory then everyone would do it. there is a reason they don't and that is because they are afraid they will get smashed if they do. Rashad knew he had to get close and he didn't. When u have arms like that and never have been taken down it just isn't that simple to get in close. It is simple to tell guys to do it. Just not to simple to execute it.