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Tag: rashad evans

  • Rashad Evans Reveals ‘Rampage’ Jackson Boxing Match Has Been Canceled

    Rashad Evans Reveals ‘Rampage’ Jackson Boxing Match Has Been Canceled

    Fight fans won’t see the boxing match between Rashad Evans and Quinton Jackson after all. It was slated to take place on April 12, but now the fight looks unlikely. 

    In an Instagram post, Evans claimed the “boxing showdown” between the two former UFC light heavyweight champions next week at The Pit in Albuquerque, N.M., is not going to happen. The fight had been announced in mid-February. 

    In the video, Evans kept things vague and said, “There were contractual obligations not met, so we had to make this difficult decision to pull the fight.” Evans added that the decision was made to “let the lawyers handle it” and said he hoped the fight would be rescheduled.

    “I’m disappointed to announce the fight between @rampagejackson will NOT take place April 12th in Albuquerque at the PIT. There were contractual obligations not met so we had to make this difficult decision to pull the fight. However we do remain hopeful that this fight can happen at a later date. Sorry to you fight fans, we were really excited to put on a show. Thank you all for the support!”

    The clash was to reignite a feud that reached its zenith during their coaching stint on Season 10 of The Ultimate Fighter. The first fight between Evans and Jackson took place in the main event of UFC 114 in Las Vegas, where Evans emerged victorious via unanimous decision.

    Evans’s most recent in-ring appearance was in January 2022, where he secured another unanimous decision win against Gabriel Checco at Eagle FC 44. On the flip side, Jackson last competed in December 2019, suffering a knockout loss to Fedor Emelianenko at Bellator 237.

  • Former UFC Champion Rashad Evans Claims He Was Drafted By The GFL Without His ‘Consent’

    Former UFC Champion Rashad Evans Claims He Was Drafted By The GFL Without His ‘Consent’

    If you thought things with the Global Fight League (GFL) were a circus after the draft, things took even more of a turn on Jan. 25 thanks to a claim on social media made by Rashad Evans.

    Evans, a former UFC light heavyweight champion, was announced by the promotion to have been drafted to the GFL team based in Los Angeles as one of its two light heavyweight competitors, with the other being Da Woon Jung.

    This caught the attention of another legendary former champion in Quinton “Rampage” Jackson — a longtime rival of Evans’. The two have been pegged to reignite their rivalry with a boxing bout in April, with “Suga” confirming those plans in November.

    Jackson, via social media, asked how it was possible for Evans to be drafted by the promotion due to their booked bout.

    Well, according to Evans, he never agreed to be part of such a draft.

    If Evans’ claim is true, this is the latest in a series of confusing moves and criticism the promotion is already facing before an event is even scheduled.

    The GFL came under fire for several reasons in regard to its draft, from a stream for such an event not being set up until the day of, to the pacing of the draft broadcast, to the AI-created introduction video and content.

    There’s also the fact that the full teams were released in full after the fifth round, despite the promotion’s claim that this was to be a “live” draft.

    This news also brings speculation on fighters actually having signed with the promotion into question. Examples of this include Tony Ferguson signing with the GFL despite the UFC having not formally released him, as well as the promotion claiming to have signed Kenny Mokhonoana, who then fought on the PFL Champions Series card the day after the GFL Draft.

  • Rashad Evans & Rampage Jackson Eye Boxing Match In 2025

    Rashad Evans & Rampage Jackson Eye Boxing Match In 2025

    Rashad Evans and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson are seemingly set to reignite their storied rivalry — this time under the bright lights of the squared circle.

    The two former UFC light heavyweight champions first collided at UFC 114 in May 2010 following their fiery stint as opposition coaches on Season 10 of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF). That night, “Suga” emerged victorious, earning a dominant unanimous decision.

    Whispers of a boxing showdown between Evans and Jackson began swirling months ago, with ONE Championship even showing interest in bringing the fight to life. Although those plans never materialized, the tides have shifted. Now, 15 years after their first clash, the former rivals are closer than ever to stepping into the ring for a long-awaited rematch.

    During a recent interview with MMA Fighting, “Suga” revealed that he has already kicked off his training camp for the prospective bout, tentatively slated for February 2025, likely in Florida. The New Yorker also expressed his enthusiasm about rekindling his rivalry with “Rampage.”

    “Boxing is something I’m a huge fan of and there’s nothing better than getting another chance to fight Rampage,” Evans said. “Rampage is in pretty good shape right now. He was getting ready for Shannon ‘The Cannon’ [Briggs] so he’s in pretty good shape. I want to get a chance to do it again with it.”

    Evans emphasized that while the bad blood between him and Jackson is a thing of the past, their upcoming boxing showdown promises to be fiercely competitive — albeit with a friendly edge.

    “With this fight, it’s fun because there’s not that anger-animosity, but at the same time, it’s still competitive. It’s still competitive like if he sees me looking a certain kind of way [he’ll say] ‘Hey, I see you getting ready, you’re looking pretty good’ and I’ll see him hitting the mitts or something like that and I’m like okay, he’s getting ready. It’s still the friendly competition and as the fight gets closer, all the sh*t talking’s going to come back. So it’s going to be fun.”

    Evans has made only one return to competition since leaving the UFC in June 2018, claiming a commanding unanimous decision victory over Gabriel Checco at an Eagle FC event in January 2022.

    Meanwhile, “Rampage” has remained inactive since December 2019, when he endured a tough loss to Fedor Emelianenko at Bellator 237.

  • MMA News Today: UFC 304 Star Paddy Pimblett Becomes Latest To Request Custom Shorts, Two Former UFC Champs Could Box In ONE Championship, & More

    MMA News Today: UFC 304 Star Paddy Pimblett Becomes Latest To Request Custom Shorts, Two Former UFC Champs Could Box In ONE Championship, & More

    Welcome to MMA News Today, a daily feature running down the most interesting stories in the world of mixed martial arts. For July 10, 2024, we’re taking a look at:

    • Pimblett has a special request ahead of June 27
    • ‘Rampage’ vs Rashad Evans could potentially box in ONE Championship
    • Ankalaev resumes pursuit of Pereira

    Paddy Pimblett Requests Signature Orange Shorts For His UFC 304 Return

    In recent times, certain high profile UFC fighters have been granted custom shorts from Venum that they helped design.

    The likes of Max Holloway, Justin Gaethje, Zhang Weili, Dustin Poirier and Alex Pereira have all stepped inside the Octagon with their own distinct looks.

    Paddy Pimblett is hoping that he will be able to add his name to this list when he returns at UFC 304 later this month.

    “The Baddy” put a post up on Instagram of him reaching out to the UFC’s apparel partner to make a special request before facing King (formerly Bobby) Green in Manchester.

    During his days in Cage Warriors, before he signed to the UFC, Pimblett was known for competing in bright orange shorts – which he wants to bring back in front of the UK fans.

    ‘Rampage’ Jackson Says Boxing Clash With Rashad Evans Is Being Spoken About For Later This Year

    Quinton “Rampage” Jackson has had to wait a long time to make his debut in boxing due to the saga with Shannon Briggs that never led anywhere.

    Now, he has changed his focus and could be set to square off with one of his greatest rivals once again.

    Jackson and Rashad Evans fought back at UFC 114 where Evans won via a unanimous decision following one of the most memorable seasons of The Ultimate Fighter.

    “Rampage” recently stated during an appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast that he could be set to box Evans, with ONE Championship potentially hosting the contest at their event (ONE 169) in Atlanta on November 8.

    “He’s still trying, but I lost my faith in Shannon [Briggs],” Jackson said. “I don’t know if he’s going to get it done. He talks a good game. I hope he get it done. If he ever gets it done, I’ll be game to fight him, but right now, I guess my first boxing match is going to be against Rashad. I need to get that win back.”

    Magomed Ankalaev Continues To Call Out Alex Pereira Following UFC 303

    Magomed Ankalaev has been as vocal as ever following the UFC light heavyweight title fight that took place at UFC 303 on June 29.

    After missing out on the title shot with the champion Alex Pereira instead facing Jiří Procházka in a rematch, Ankalaev believes that he is the next in line.

    He believes that “Poatan” does not want to fight him and is therefore continuing to call him out whilst making bold predictions for the fight.

    His latest post spoke about why this fight needs to happen next, reaffirming that he will stop Pereira once they meet inside the Octagon.

    “@AlexPereiraUFC kept away from me for a reason, and I do understand this is business @ufc best fight the best and he is the best for now I will keep my (word),” Ankalaev wrote on X. “I will knock him out. @Mickmaynard2 @danawhite nothing better than you’ve seen an event somebody going to sleep”

    Read more on the story here.

    For more MMA news, check out:

  • Rashad Evans Is Ready To Leave Competition On A “High Note”

    Rashad Evans could be calling it a career again.

    The 42-year-old former UFC champion Rashad Evans might be heading into another retirement. Evans made a quick comeback to MMA recently when he fought on the main card of the Eagle FC 44 card.

    Evans faced Gabriel Checco and walked away with the victory. It was the first win for Evans in quite a while. And now that he has gotten that win he was looking for, he may be ready to enjoy his retirement.

    Evans had a great run in the UFC during his time there. He came to the UFC back in 2005 when he won The Ultimate Fighter Season Two. He later went on to win the light heavyweight title. Towards the end of his career, Evans ran into some trouble. He finished his UFC career with five straight losses. He spoke recently in an interview with BJPenn.com about why he chose to return to fighting.

    “It was a few different things, ending my career the way I did, it didn’t sit well with me,” Evans said. “Just doing a lot of soul-searching over the past few years brought back that competitive edge and also some of the things, the pandemic put things into perspective. It made me want to compete. It felt like we were running out of time to do the things we truly love to do.”

    Evans made the decision to return from a three-year retirement and join Khabib Nurmagomedov’s promotion for one last shot at going out on a win. Now that Evans has gotten the win he was looking for, he doesn’t feel the need to do it again.

    “I don’t know, I keep asking myself if I’m going to compete again or leave it as it is. It feels good to be on this high note, a big part of me just says stay here,” Evans said. “At this point in my life, I feel as if I don’t have much to fight for. Fighting for me has always been about the personal journey and I feel like I have passed the test I needed to pass. I’m still in the gym, training and working, I’m sure maybe somewhere down the road something will pop up for me where I’m just like, let me get one more. I’m going to take my time with it. I’m 42-years-old, we’ll see. That is a big part of it, that is a huge part of it on if I will do it again. I got the win I have been so desperate to get. Now that I got the win, I don’t want to trade places and get a loss.”

    Evans was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2019. He also can be seen behind the desk for various ESPN commentary media duties.

    Do you think Evans is done fighting for real this time following the win?

  • Rashad Evans Denies Joe Rogan Is A Racist After Latest Controversy

    Former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans thinks Joe Rogan saying a racial slur on his podcast in the past is wrong, but he isn’t racist.

    Evans and Rogan go back years from their respective time together in the UFC. Rogan has been a longtime color commentator for the promotion while Evans began his championship run after winning The Ultimate Fighter 2.

    Rogan has been under heavy fire from all sides as of late, particularly following a video compilation of him saying the ‘N-Word’ went viral on social media. During a recent interview with TMZ Sports, Evans showed support for his longtime friend and answered whether or not Rogan has racial prejudice.

    “It’s very tough for me,” Evans said. “That compilation of the ‘N-Word’ it really is hard to go against that. But I know Joe, and I know the kind of person Joe is, and Joe’s never gave me any kinda feeling or any kind of indication that he’s racist or anything like that. I believe that people make some off-kilter remarks sometimes. And when you’re a comedian, you’re used to doing that.

    “Not to excuse any of this, but at the same time when you go back that far, I’m sure there’s going to be a compilation of a lot of unfavorable things that people have said that can come back and bite them.”

    Evans recently returned to MMA after a four-year hiatus at Eagle FC 44. He defeated Gabriel Checco via unanimous decision.

    Many former and current UFC fighters have spoken out of defense and support for Rogan after the video went viral. The UFC still plans on having Rogan on the UFC 271 commentary team this weekend.

    Do you agree with Rashad Evans regarding Joe Rogan?

  • Eagle FC 44 Results & Highlights: Kharitonov, Evans, & Borg Victorious

    Eagle FC 44: Spong vs. Kharitonov took place tonight from the FLXcast Arena in Miami, Florida.

    In the main event, undefeated boxer Tyrone Spong sought to go 3-0 in his MMA career when he took on Sergei Kharitonov, who entered with a total of 42 MMA fights and a record of 33-9. Spong is 14-0 as a pro boxer and also has kickboxing experience.

    In the co-main event, “Suga” Rashad Evans competed for the first time since his “retirement” in 2018 after losing to Anthony Smith. Evans came into the fight on a three-fight losing streak after falling to Sam Alvey and Daniel Kelly prior to his loss to Smith. Evans took on Gabriel Checco, who entered with a record of 12-5. Most recently, Checco defeated Simon Marini via unanimous decision last October.

    You can check out the highlights from both of those bouts as well as a bout between former UFC competitors Ray Borg against Cody Gibson below.

    Ray Borg def. Cody Gibson

    https://twitter.com/EagleFightClub/status/1487253128319803393
    https://twitter.com/EagleFightClub/status/1487254967085936646
    https://twitter.com/EagleFightClub/status/1487255937811369987

    Rashad Evans def. Gabriel Checco

    https://twitter.com/EagleFightClub/status/1487259563317415936
    https://twitter.com/EagleFightClub/status/1487260971869655040
    https://twitter.com/EagleFightClub/status/1487263421141864455

    Sergei Kharitonov def. Tyrone Spong

    https://twitter.com/EagleFightClub/status/1487269126171148295
    https://twitter.com/EagleFightClub/status/1487270211740913675
    https://twitter.com/EagleFightClub/status/1487270514531971072

    Eagle FC 44 Quick Results

    Sergei Kharitonov def. Tyrone Spong by TKO (strikes on the ground) R2 (2:55)

    Rashad Evans def. Gabriel Checco by unanimous decision (30-27×3)

    Ray Borg def. Cody Gibson by unanimous decision (29-27, 29-28×2)

    Ramazan Kuramagomedov def. John Howard via unanimous decision (30-27×2, 30-26)

    Raimond Magomedaliev def. Anthony Njokuani via TKO (strikes), R1 (2:49)

    Dylan Salvador def. Arman Opsnov via TKO (corner stoppage), R2 (5:00)

    Yorgan De Castro def. Shaun Asher via submission (guillotine choke), R1 (1:04)

    Demarques Jackson def. Miles Hunsinger via TKO (strikes) R1 (0:54)

    Shawn Bunch def. Firdavs Khasanov via unanimous decision (29-29, 29-28×2)

    Loik Radzhabov def. Zach Zane via submission (standing guillotine choke) at R1 (3:23)

    Ayadi Majdeddine def. Sitik Muduev via unanimous decision (29-28×3)

  • Eagle FC’s US Debut Gets Main Event Replacement With Bigfoot Missing

    Khabib Nurmagomedov’s MMA promotion Eagle FC will debut in the U.S with a few former UFC fighters.

    Following his retirement from MMA competition in 2019, Khabib Nurmagomedov hasn’t strayed too far from the sport. He is still coaching the next wave of Dagestani fighters and has even opened his own MMA fight promotion. His Eagle FC is based out of Russia but is planning to begin holding shows in the United States next year. The very first event already has a location in Miami FL, and now has a headliner.

    As first reported by ESPN, former UFC heavyweight Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva was scheduled to take on Tyrone Spong in the main event. However, Silva will no longer be taking part in the event and has been replaced by Russian heavyweight Sergei Kharitonov (30-8) to face Spong.

    Silva, who is 42 years old, has not won an MMA bout of any kind since 2015. Although he has still been active he has now lost six in a row, five of which were by KO or TKO. Silva’s last fight was in June against Quentin Domingos for Megdan Fighting.

    Nurmagomedov promised that he would be bringing Eagle FC to the States and with it some former UFC and Bellator athletes. Former UFC lightweight champion Rashad Evans will also be competing on the card.

    Evans will be coming out of retirement for this Eagle FC card. He will be fighting at Lightheavyweight according to MMA Junkie. His opponent is not determined at this time.

    Towards the end of Evans’ UFC career, he was on a five-fight losing streak against top opponents.  His last bout was a 53-second knockout loss to Anthony Smith at UFC 225. Following his retirement, the former light heavyweight champ was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.

    This Eagle FC event will be taking place on Jan. 28 at FLX Arena in Miami, FL. The event will be shown on UFC Fight Pass.

    Will you be tuning in to watch Eagle FC on Jan. 28?

  • Rashad Evans Explains MMA Return: “For Me To Compete Is My Reward”

    Former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans is humble ahead of his return to MMA at an upcoming Eagle FC event next month.

    Evans will compete in his first fight back on Jan. 28 against a to-be-determined opponent. Eagle FC is the promotion that former lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is the lead promoter of, and this will be the first Eagle event on U.S. soil in Miami, FL.

    Evans retired in 2018 after a string of losses to some of the best contenders at light heavyweight and middleweight. His return to MMA may be surprising to some after Evans hinted at a possible transition to boxing against either Logan or Jake Paul.

    During a recent interview with SiriusXM, Evans explained what his motivation is ahead of his highly-anticipated return to the cage.

    “I’m not crazy, I know what this is and what this is about,” Evans said. “It doesn’t take away the significance of it. Sometimes we get to the mindset where we’re like ‘if I’m not chasing the belt, then I’m not chasing anything’. But for me, to compete is my reward. For me to do it in a way and a shape that I want to, that’s all I need to be honest. I just see life differently. I know what I’m capable of when I’m at my best and I just want to feel that feeling again.”

    Rashad Evans Has Changed A Lot In His Approach To Competition

    Rashad Evans
    Image Credit: Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

    Evans was once thought to be arguably one of the brashest and cocky fighters in the UFC at one point in time. Stemming from his time on Season 2 of The Ultimate Fighter, many fighters in the sport took issue with Evans’ attitude.

    But Evans has clearly changed over the years as he’s taken on a mentor role for many top MMA fighters, including UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. He’s also remained an integral part of Sanford MMA down in south Florida and has continued to train.

    Evans’ first fight back in the cage could potentially be the start of something special for the former UFC star. Despite being 42 years old, the result could go a long way in determining his next move in combat sports.

    What are your thoughts on Rashad Evans’ return to MMA?