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On September 23, 2006, Matt Hughes defeated BJ Penn via TKO in the third round. Also on the card, Mike Swick defeated David Loiseau, Melvin Guillard knocked out Gabe Ruediger, Rashad Evans knocked out Jason Lambert and Joe Lauzon knocked out Jens Pulver.
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From CombatPower.com:
Rashad Evans never loses. At least he hasn’t yet in his MMA career. Despite the 12-0-1 record, Evans has sort of slipped under the radar and worked his way to become the number one contender for the UFC light heavyweight belt.
There hadn’t been a storm of fanfare behind him, but Evans had made it through every test in the Octagon. While on The Ultimate Fighter 2 reality series, he initially was not overly impressive in the show, but showed he was the real deal as the show progressed and eventually went on to win the crown as The Ultimate Fighter with a win over Brad Imes. A couple decision wins and a win over Jason Lambert kept things rolling for Evans in the UFC and he was headlining an UFC Fight Night card in January of 2007. After dropping the first round in that fight against Sean Salmon, things didn’t look great for Evans, until a minute into round two were a huge head kick dropped Salmon cold. Evans’ first stand up knockout was in the bag, and it came in monster fashion. After fighting to a draw with Tito Ortiz and squeaking past Michael Bisping, Evans was once again in the top tier of the division, but did not blow anybody away with those wins. Once again it was the calm before the storm. While those two close fights against top contenders went the distance, against Chuck Liddell in September, Evans brought his A-game to the Octagon. After a first round that stayed completely on the feet, Evans didn’t change up the mode of attack in round two. The fight stayed in the stand up realm, where many felt Liddell would be able to catch Evans at some point with his patented right hand which laid out numerous victims in the past. Evans had different plans and he made them quite clear just under 2 minutes into the second round when he knocked out Liddell cold with a huge right hand which landed square on the former champ’s chin. Not more slipping under the radar for Rashad Evans. With a brutal knockout that kept Liddell unconscious for an extended period of time, Evans definitely caught the attention of everyone in the MMA world.
Evans’ potential is something that his crew in Albuquerque, New Mexico already knew. Greg Jackson’s academy has a healthy stable of fighters in their camp, including Georges St. Pierre and Nate Marquardt. Greg Jackson is touted as one of the most brilliant coaching minds in MMA, and his guidance has allowed Evans’ skills to fully flourish in the Octagon. His plan to have Evans fight fire with fire on the feet with Liddell may have heavily questioned by MMA pundits, but Jackson has the art of war in MMA down quite well and put together a solid strategy which worked out lovely. The strong support network at Jackson’s academy has kept Evans’ skills at a high level and aided him in moving up the 205 pound ladder.
That ladder has been easier to climb with the natural ability Evans possesses. His quick and athletic physique keeps him hard to hit and hard to stop from taking you down. His effective head movement and nimble wrestling double leg takedowns can be a frustrating combination for those looking to try and sprawl and brawl against him. The problem now for opponents is that Evans is no one trick pony. If they felt the kick against Sean Salmon was a lucky swing of the shin, they’d definitely be wrong. The huge knockout of Liddell is a testament to the effective striking technique Evans possesses in his MMA tool kit. He is a wrestler no more. His boxing is fast and he certainly possesses power behind his fists. Liddell has been known for a legendary chin and to be put to sleep with one punch in such a fashion is not an easy task for any 205er.
The raw talent and solid team behind Evans are aided by a keen mental game for fighting. Evans, a psychology major and graduate from Michigan State University, had a strong head on his shoulders. He’s focussed and doesn’t really put the cart before the horse when it comes to chasing titles or becoming the biggest star in the MMA world. Maybe that’s why he has quietly worked his way to the top—he has just focussed on the task at hand and successfully stepped up the ladder one rung at a time. He comes in prepared physically but also mentally. Visualization is part of his technique for the mind when it comes to competing. That Sean Salmon knockout was one that was replayed hundreds upon hundreds of times, but not more than it was played out in Evans’ head prior to the fight. He went over that on the pads and in mental rehearsal leading up to the fight endlessly. While not trying to force it in the Octagon, it worked out perfectly and Evans manifested that visualization in the cage flawlessly.
His next visualization should be wearing the title because it looks like he’s in line to take on Forrest Griffin for the UFC light heavyweight strap. It will be a TUF 1 vs TUF 2 battle as winner of The Ultimate Fighter 1 in Griffin will take on Evans, the king of season two of the reality series. It will be an interesting battle as both fighters are game competitors and don’t back down an inch when the going gets tough. Griffin was coming after Rampage in their fight, and Evans stood right in the face of Liddell and got the better of the exchange. These two fighters have shook up the 205 division and will bring out the best in each other. Griffin shocked the world with wins over Shogun and Griffin, and Evans did the same with his legendary KO over Liddell.
The word is out on Evans now, he is for real and not going anywhere. Whatever he’s doing is working well. He hasn’t lost yet and doesn’t plan on losing any time soon.
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When Chuck Liddell came rushing out of the gates for a takedown at the beginning of round 3 of his battle with Wanderlei Silva at UFC 79 late last year, it was a surprise to many, including Silva.
But that element of surprise is a great asset to have as a fighter. In the past Liddell never employed takedowns and purely relied on his power and striking skill to eventually find a route to his opponents chin and knock them out. These days opponents are more craftier, reviewing the hours of footage on Liddell and adapting to situations. So for Liddell, including takedowns into his arsenal strengthens his standup attack because it keeps opponents guessing as to what he might do next.
For a fighter like Rashad Evans, who Liddell takes on September 6th at UFC 88, throwing in some takedowns might be a good way to keep him wondering what’s coming up next. Evans is elusive and quick, so to a takedown attempt or two can keep him on his toes and have another concern on his mind aside from the concrete-like fists of Liddell.
And in close battles, scoring a takedown at the end of the round can steal the stanza for a fighter. Liddell was planning to use some takedowns in his bout with Keith Jardine, and regretted not doing so after as he felt a few of those could have won him the 3 round decision, which went Jardine’s way.
We’ll see if Liddell continues to add some more of his wrestling attack into his game at UFC 88.
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Chuck Liddel is a fighter who hides little. While other fighters are secretive about their gameplans, he’s pretty clear–he’s going for a knockout. At UFC 88 in September against Rashad Evans, nothing has changed in the desired outcome, but some adjustments are to be made stylistically. “Evans is a very different type of challenge because he is very fast, goes for takedowns, and has a mentality to try and take the fight into his comfort zone”, Liddell tells Yahoo Sports. “I won’t allow him to do that, I’ll pressure him for three rounds if I have to but I think I’ll knock him out.”
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UFC 88 video: Rashad Evans on fighting Chuck Liddell
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