Evans: ‘Things Could Have Been a Lot Worse’ in UFC on Fox Victory
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.
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.”
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.
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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.”
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