While UFC light heavyweight champ Rashad Evans might be focused on challenger Lyoto Machida, by no means has he forgotten about Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.
He says the two nearly came to blows at a recent UFC photo shoot.
Some intrepid UFC staffers booked them on the same day, and things got ugly for a spell.
"I looked at him and he walked out of the room," Evans told MMAInsider. "He was like, 'that's messed up putting us together.' They tried to separate us, and the UFC walked him out in the hallway and walked me out in the hallway. And they walked me into the same hallway he was at.
"I looked at him and I was like, what, man? He was like, 'Rashad don't talk to me, man! Don't talk to me! Don't say nothin' to me! You don't know me! You don't know me!' The (expletive) I need to know you for?"
Eventually, cooler heads prevailed, and the photo shoot went on. But Evans filed it in the motivation bank for later.
Following UFC 96, the two went nose-to-nose for forty heated seconds to hype a future showdown.
Later, Jackson bowed out of a quick turnaround meeting with the champ at UFC 98, citing jaw surgery that would make him unavailable.
Many fans wrote the encounter and its aftermath off as hype, part of the business of promoting. Evans maintains it was all real.
"(My camp) was laughing about it, but I was pissed," he said. "I felt mad because I felt like he disrespected Keith a little bit. Keith tried his ass off and he had a good fight, and Rampage didn't look all that good to be acting like he killed him or something. I just didn't like that. Whenever you invest in any of your partners, and when it doesn't turn around the way you want it to turn out, it kind of hurts your feelings a little bit. And that's what happened."
Before 96, he says he got along fine with the former champ, which takes him away from all-out hatred. He's happy to face challenger Lyoto Machida on May 23rd, but looks forward to the day he can squash the recent animosity with Rampage.
"I don't dislike him, but I really want to whup his ass, you know what I'm saying?" Evans said. "I don't know where that falls. I like Quinton. He's a funny guy, and a great person, but I really want to beat his ass. Is that too much of a hypocrisy?"
18 comments:
All hype to make Evans seem like a legitimate opponent for Rampage.
Evans has never lost you douche
this is the only reason im rooting for evans over machida. sorry machida, i love u man but i'd rather quinton ko evans than u.
I think Rashad ranks up there with the Diaz brothers.
Rashad is not as good as he thinks he is. I am very curious to see how he handles Machida I have a feeling he is going to be like Forrest and lose on the first title defense lol.
Greg Jackson will give Rashad a good game plan, but he's toast! He was losing that fight with Chuck before he caught him, plus the last game opponent he beat was Forrest, who Greg Jackson gave him the fight plan. I never liked Rashads attitude and ego, so I would like to see Rampage KO him! If not, Lyoto can drag a 5 rounder out of him and hopefully take the belt!
I am becoming a huge Rashad fan. Smack talk or not I like the guy.
wow, you morons who think rashad has no skills are dumber than a bag of hammers, enough said
rashad is a joke he will get destroyed by machida he never should have had a title shot,especially after the tito fight which he clearly lost but tito was a dipshit and lost a point,his most notable win is over an aged chuck,that definately is not deserving of a title shot or jardine should have got it before him then.
I BEG YOU LYOTO DESTROY THIS ARROGANT DOUCHE BAG
I never said he didn't have skills. I said he is not as good as he thinks he is
Please Rampage should be fighting Evans, and to say the Rampage would KO Evans haha that's funny. Rampage has only boxing that it, he caught Wanderlei LUCKY!!! and took Jardine to decsion, i see evans by KO
The 1st guy who posted in this thread is a complete moron. If anything they need to make 'Page seem like a real threat to Evans at this point. For a guy who couldn't beat Forrest and barely beat Jardine, Rampage sure is cocky.
I don't think that Rashad has ever really had an "impressive fight." Sure, he's won against some big names, but I personally think he's a "one punch wonder" at this point. Don't get me wrong, I think he CAN be great. But he needs to get rid of that "I'm in the UFC, I'm now the champ and I can whoop anybody's ass" mentality. He first needs to get rid of the arrogance and become a champion of "character." I think when (and if) he does that you'll see perhaps one of the greatest light heavyweights ever up to this point. Good luck Rashad.
who cares ,we finally saw the real shogun this past weekend the title will be his...
There is no one at 205 that can beat Machida right now. The UFC is going to end up putting itself in a rough position because Machida will win that belt and then the UFC will have many boring title fights to look forward too.
I somewhat agree with David...I think that all that Rashad has on Lyoto is a puncher's chance, if Lyoto fights at even 70% of his talent he will beat Evans for the title if he can fight at the talent he showed against Thiago Silva then say goodnight to Evans because he will be getting a huge wakeup call...as for if Lyoto gets the title I really believe that if he preforms to his best then you will have exciting fights just like his last one again Thiago Silva.
okay for one..im a huge rampage fan so dont think im baggin on him but page is just as cocky if not more than rashad is...look at all of rampages interviews..."ima beat chucks ass, ima beat kieths ass, im beat wandys ass, ima beat marvins ass, ima beat forests ass, ima beat dans ass" thts cocky..i have yet to see n interview where rashad is claiming hes ne thing near the best..hes an awesome fighter with awesome skills n will give rampage trouble everywhere..except in a fire fight..then rampage will cover up n land a huge left hook like he did wandy...i hope he beats machida cuz this fight will draw masssive numbers.
"All hype to make Evans seem like a legitimate opponent for Rampage."
Yeah. You sound like the elitists who said Forrest Griffin would get rolled by Rampage and Shogun.
Some people never learn.
cool wish fedor fought these three noobs, maybe he would look to knock all three out in the first round lol, and these wannabes wwould quit bitching how great they are
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