Rampage vs Rashad breakdown
BUY DESI FIGHTER
BUY DESI FIGHTER
In a grudge match has gotten about as heated as it possibly can, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Rashad Evans will tangle in a fight that promises to bring a lot of action and a lot of animosity into the Octagon. Their disdain for one another was clearly visible to millions of fans watching The Ultimate Fighter 10 go down. Week after week we’d witness both Rampage and Rashad throwing insults and dishing barbs at one another explaining why the other was going to lose and why he has no business stepping into the cage with him. There has been some coaching rivalries on the program, but it was pretty obvious that this one was getting extremely heated and bordering around the edges of both fighters losing control. Mild-mannered, well spoken and gentlemanly, Rashad Evans doesn’t seem like the most likely candidate to jump at the chance to get into verbal battles and tip toe around getting into a physical battle outside the cage, but Rampage certainly brings out the confrontational side of him and the two fighters engaged in some classic cringe moments on the program where they both hard to protect their egos while trying to smash their nemesis.
In the end none of the talking will really matter, because it is the fight that will determine who will be catapulted into glory. It won’t be a debate championship in the Octagon, but rather a 15 minute grueling fight where not only potential title contention is dangling in front of the light-heavyweights, but a major pride factor is also on the line. Let’s look at some of the key components of this upcoming intense 205 pound battle.
STRIKING
Both fighters have the KO power in their arsenal and have used it to flatline some tough fighters in the game. Rampage and Rashad have put away the legendary Chuck Liddll with their fists, and Rampage was able to also take care of the Brazilian sensation Wanderlei Silva, who was KO’d in spectacular fashion by his American foe. Rashad has also shown great moments of brilliance with his striking, and while it was on the ground that he finished off Griffin, it was with some heavy strikes that he was able to win the bout against the durable Griffin. Rashad has a more light on his feet style, with plenty of head movement and quick strikes. He has the power, but it comes in spurts. Rampage is possibly more technical with his boxing, and is quite aggressive when he comes out to fight on the feet. Both men can take a punch and their opponents really have to throw the kitchen sink at them to put them away. It was a barrage of Karate inspired punches that Lyoto Machida had to rain on Evans to separate him from consciousness and the UFC light heavyweight gold. And the memory of Wanderlei Silva against Rampage in their first battle still defines a big part of Rampage’s character, even though he suffered a loss. It was a flurry of knees, punches, kicks, soccer kicks that Silva blasted Jackson with, and Rampage was still not put away completely but rescued by the Pride FC referee who had seen enough and put an end to the vicious pounding which was not stopping any time soon. Nonetheless, it’s clear that Jackson and Evans can both dish it out and take it when it comes to striking. I might be inclined to give a slight edge to Jackson in the striking, but it’s a situation where both can land a fight-altering strike at any moment.
EDGE: Tiny one for Rampage
WRESTLING
Rampage and Rashad are both great wrestlers. You have to look at the Dan Henderson-Jackson fight and there must a great sense of appreciation for Rampage out-wrestling the very decorated grappler in Henderson. While Hendo was taking down Jackson quite frequently in the first couple rounds, Jackson was able to turn the tide and score some excellent double legs which planted his opponent on his back on multiple occasions. Both fighters can shoot and stuff a takedown, but I might give a slight advantage to Evans here. He has quite a lot of speed and shoots in with some very clean and technical double-legs. His mixture of striking and takedowns is very fluid, which can keep opponents guessing as to what he wants to do. He can go from throwing hands and change levels seamlessly and in very quick fashion. It’s tough to tell how exactly this wrestling battle will go, but I can envision both fighters trading takedowns, and also scrambling back to their feet. Rampage has some great ability to work his way back up to the feet, even later in the contest when the gas tank might be depleting at a more rapid pace.
EDGE: Slight one to Rashad
JIU JITSU
Neither fighter likes to really use submissions to finish fights. If the fight hits the mat, they’ll likely just try and ground and pound their opponent with fists. It might be a more satisfying situation as well for both fighters, given that they don’t like one another very much. Nonetheless, both competitors as professionals, and they are going to be doing what they need to do to win, regardless of personal issues. And for both fighters, the most important component on the ground for victory would be using striking. Both have a good ground and pound game, and Rashad has shown a lot of aggression with his fists on the mat. He has been able to put away some solid opponents using effective striking on the mat. So Jiu-Jitsu will most likely be a non-factor here.
EDGE: Even
CARDIO
Both have been in title fights that have been scheduled for 25 minutes, so this 15 minute duel will most likely not gas out either fighter. That isn’t to say it won’t be a tough fight that will require the utmost of cardio, because the 15 minutes will be all the more intense and fast paced. Rampage did an amazing job in fighting hard against Dan Henderson for 25 minutes when he defended the light heavyweight title. It was quite a task granted the pace Henderson can bring, and the fact that there was a lot of wrestling and back and forth scrambling going on in that bout, which can really push the limits of a fighter’s conditioning. Evans himself has been pretty solid with conditioning and you wouldn’t expect anyone coming out of the highly touted and respect Jackson’s academy to be anything but in pristine condition for a fight.
EDGE: Even
RESULT
Tough one to call and both fighters are quite even in many categories. If there are advantages, they are slight, and given different circumstances in a fight those can flip flop from fighter to fighter. I think Rashad has been a bit more active as of late, he has gotten over his Machida loss and learned some more info about himself and his weaknesses from that loss as well as his tough battle with Thiago Silva. Rampage has been on the sidelines for a bit, and while he is always a game fighter, ring rust could potentnially come into play. I think the speed and effective takedowns of Rashad could possibly give him a slight edge in this bout, but it’s not really a fight you want to lay down a lot of money on. There is very little chance of submissions in this bout, it’ll either be a brutal KO or a decision. Since both fighters are very durable, I’ll say split decision in a fight that will potentially solve nothing in their little tiff, but add more fuel to the fire over who really won the fight.
RASHAD BY SPLIT DECISION
BUY DESI FIGHTER
BUY DESI FIGHTER
