Rashad Evans had an 'Oh Shit' moment at UFC 108
by Jesse Holland on Jan 6, 2010 2:43 PM EST
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Quoteworthy:
"This fight was most important to me and I see everybody like, "Oh, he got caught in the 3rd round and there is a big question mark. He won, but he got caught." It's a fight man and you never know what's going to happen inside of those 15 minutes when you get in there and sometimes you sustain a little punishment and sometimes you don't. I got caught at the end of the fight, but I was able to maintain my composure and make it through without getting my head knocked off. I pretty much shut him down in every single place and then I started backing up and I got caught at the very end of a punch. Everybody talks about how powerful he is, but honestly, when he was hitting me early in the rounds, I didn't sustain one blow where I thought it was a good shot. I didn't feel like he had that much power in his punch and then he caught me with that shot and I was like, "Oh shit, he does have a little power."
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans talks about the close call he had in the third round against the dangerous Thiago Silva in the main event of UFC 108 back on Jan. 2. "Suga" almost dissolved in the third round after getting rocked by the Brazilian; however, Silva was either too gassed or too tentative to seal the deal, allowing the former TUF champion to recover and take home the unanimous decision win. Was the performance enough to convince you he'll be the better man in his eventual grudge match against "Rampage" Jackson? Or will the fighter currently known as BA Baracus send him back to the Spike TV fight nights?
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A "little" power?
You better watch out then when you get hit with “a lot” of power? ’Cause that “little power” almost did you in. That and the fact that (for some stupid reason) Silva chose to dance vs. keep smashing your ass.
Didn't he have an oh shit moment
when he thought Machida had no power.
"He wants to get in close and use that reach advantage" - Mike Goldberg
"Half of this game is 90% Mental" - Tim Sylvia
"I have two words for you... Destiny" - Diego Sanchez.
Anyone interested in a dumbest MMA quote of all time poll?
and he was still talking shit while he was getting koed...
man i hate this dude hes a cocky,smarmy arsehole.hes got zero chance of beating rampage.hes not gonna ko him and hes not gonna take him down and keep him there.i hope its a brutal wanderlei style k.o!
agreed.
I feel just the same you do scott1. 2010 we’re gonna Rashad sleep some more.
sometimes the beauty is in the attempt.
I wasnt really impressed with Rashad
Other then a few decent slams, he wasnt able to do anything! I mean it was basically a more explosive version of Couture/Vera, A very Jon Fitch-esque win for Rashad. Wins are wins, but nOT REALLY! Fans perspective is what really counts, and I am sure that Silva helped his stock more with the fans then Rashad did!
If anyone believes that Rashad can beat a healthy and in shape Rampage, they are a damn fool and shoudnt be allowed to watch the sport. Can it happen? sure, but on paper its impossible, and no one can really make any kind of a good argument for what Rashad can do to beat Rampage if you take ring rust, injuries and what kind of shape he is in, out o the equation……If Rashad and Page both show up in top form for their fight…Rampage will put rashad to sleep! No doubt about it! Shad will NEVER put Page on his back, and Rashad h6as been outstruck in all his recent fights (Silva,Machida, even Forrest outstruck him). Rampage is better at EVERYTHING minus speed, but shad’s speed hasnt made a difference in a long time
As if...
Page will put Rashad asleep about as fast as he did with Jardine and Forrest…lol. With the exception of Wandy on the downside of his career, where has Page’s power been lately? Thiago has a lot more power than Rampage does that’s for sure.
Fan perspective is not what’s important here…especially not to Rashad…getting the belt is and the only way to get a shot at the belt is through racking up some W’s. It was wasn’t the prettiest win but it was a solid win where he did what he needed to do to nullify his opponents strengths through using his own strengths. What’s sad is that Rampage doesn’t even care about the belt anymore…he said as much. He only wants to come back and make a few bucks and wait for his acting career to take off.
You can’t sit there and discount ring rust and what kind of shape Rampage will come in because it’s a proven fact that he doesn’t always train hard and he has said himself that he’s not as good with long layoffs and even said he’d never do it again. Rampage has become a rockem sockem robot with decent power…that’s it. At least Thiago has a BJJ black belt and muay thai backgrounds to fall on. Rampage is a boxer…he’s a damn good boxer…but he’s not nearly as diversified as Rashad now that he has his own BJJ black belt. Rampage has digressed while Rashad continues to improve himself. Rampage only cares about picking up a paycheck and he can still do that while staring up at the ceiling from the canvas…which is what will happen.
"I bet a funny thing about driving a car off a cliff is, while you're in midair, you still hit those brakes! Hey, better try the emergency brake!"
Buster, you know you are my man, but that was def one of the worst posts that you have ever written!
Im about to Disect and tear up your entire post, line by line! lol
Not every win is a KO, Ok so pag5e didnt Ko Jardine or Forrest, but to question hs punching power is laughable! H^ope cocky rash6ad questions it to. Stupid Fock h6ad th6e audacity to question Mach6ida and Thiago’-s!!!! GENIUS! Thiago is one of my favorite fighters…but He does not have the POWER that Rampage has. NO ONE DOES AT LHW!!!!
To say Fan perspective isnt whats important, is so ignorant, and I am shocked that it came out of your mouth! You and I both know that Fan Perspective, sadly has become much more important then Merit! Why do you think Brock fought for a title after 2 fights? y do you think it took guys like Fitch and Machida, 5-7 wins in a row to get a title shot? YOU WILL TAKE THAT STATEMENT BACK or I will verbally BEAT YOU INTO SUBMISSION on this thread! lol
I am very vocal about how terribly UFC scoring has become! According to the terribly flawed system, Rashad clearly won that fight. Not DEBATABLE! I chose to go by the Pride system and judge for myself who really WON THE ACTUAL FIGHT, instead of letting judges that dont know the difference between a gogo, and a RNC decide for me! It wasnt a solid win! It was a crappy win! No different then how Randy beat vera! I HAVE NO LOVE for fighters that win a fight without inflicting ANY DAMAGE and not attempting any submissions. Rashad didnt bother spending any of his 15 minutes of cage time trying to end the fight! PATHETIC! I dont give a crap what Rampage cares about as long as he gets in the cage and brings it against top fighters!
Say what you want about Rampage but although he has the ability to easily beat EVERY SINGLE LHW in the world with his supperior power,wrestling and submission defense… HE NEVER DOES! He wouldnt even consider winning a fight the way Rashad beat Silva! NEVER! He would rather lose then win like that, and thats why I defend page and bash the over rated, cocky Rashad! Thats why hate him or love him, everyone watches a Rampage fight!
I dont discount the ring rust, I cleary stated that in my post. I was analyzing there skills on paper taking out the human elements like Cage rust, shape, injuries, because although they highly factor into the outcome of a fight, none of us can predict those elements and ON PAPER, matching up skills, shad has NOTHING ON PAGE! NOTHING!
I didnt say who would win, when they eventually fought! I am telling you that if on fight night they show up in peak form with NO injuries….RAMPAGE would SLAUGHTER Shad! Lets pretend that Rampage shows up with NO INJURIES, and in top form, tell me how Shad could beat Rampage? Rampage’-s chin can take Rashad’s biggest punch! Even the punch he landed on chuck wouldnt have made Page black out!
hahaha Rashads black belt! I forgot! lmao, lmao, lmao, lmao!
Please, lets not do this all day, Gracefully bow out, and we can go on being boys like nothing ever happened! lol teasing!
I stand by my comments
I bet Thiago has a significant more power than Page. Since Page became champ…he hasn’t put anyone away at all asides from a sadly a shell of himself Wandy…other than that…all decisions. Rampage has done nothing but become a puncher. I admit his boxing skills are very solid and his boxing defense is probably the best in the division. Other than that…what does Rampage really have in his toolbox? Wrestling? Haven’y seen much of it as an offensive tool…he uses it to stay on his feet but that’s not enough. What other tools does he have to draw upon? Game planning for Rampage is pretty simple because he does the same thing every single fight. He’s good at it but predictable. You get mad at every other fighter that does not evolve yet Bumpage is a prime example. He’s regressed if anything.
Fan perspective isn’t unimportant but the most important thing for a fighter is to win and your chance will come. You and I both can agree that we’d rather see someone deserving a title shot than someone that gets hyped into the title shot. I agree that it’s sad that it’s come down to popularity when awarding title shots but you still can’t deny someone who only wins a shot eventually…unless you are Okami.
I’m not a huge fan of the scoring system either but at the end of the day…Rashad won that fight no matter what rules you want to put in place. The damage that Rashad caused was on Thiago’s cardio…that’s where the damage was done and it was evident in 1st round when Thiago was breathing out of his mouth. He also damaged thiago mentally and frustrated him to the point where he didn’t even know what to do. Not all fights should be based on how someone’s face looks after the fight. Even if that was the case…Thiago had more marks on his face than Thiago. It was a solid win over a very dangerous opponent and Rashad fought smart and took away any advantage that Thiago had in that fight.
Rampage is more popular for better or worse…I’ll concede that. People like his rehashed jokes he uses over and over again.
On paper…Page has a boxing advantage and the wrestling is about even although I think Rashad is more explosive in his takedowns than Page is but I haven’t seen Page do much wrestling lately. Other than that…Page is pretty one dimensional. That’s right….Shad has a black belt now. At least he’s evolving and improving himself. Page has been in the game longer and hasn’t changed at all since his pride days and has even regressed…ala Hughes…lol.
I think our feud over this is better than the real thing John…I’ll defend Rashad until the end…he’s an MMA fighter….Bumpage is nothing more than a glorified boxer/actor and he will never be champ again.
To the death John…to the death…lol…just kidding bud.
"I bet a funny thing about driving a car off a cliff is, while you're in midair, you still hit those brakes! Hey, better try the emergency brake!"
by Buster Bluth on Jan 7, 2010 10:26 AM EST up reply actions
Rashad is more than capable of beating Rampage.
I like Rashad as much as I like Rampage so I am not biased by hate. Looking at Rampage’s fight with Forrest and Jardine, I did not see anything that tells me that Rashad has zero chance. I do give Rampage the boxing adavantage, (although his knockout of Wandy was no more impressive than Rashadsknockout of Chuck) but that is really about it. Rashad has one of the most esplosive takedowns in that division, and I do not see Rampage stopping a lot of his takedowns. Rampage could do nothing with Jardine when he had him down, but that may well be because Jardine is a tough fighter. If I was just going by what Rampage did in Pride, then I would be more inclined to say Rashad had no chance, but as far as I am concerned you are only as good as your last few fights, and that makes these two pretty even to me.
by Ade on Jan 7, 2010 7:49 AM EST up reply actions
Rashad is not more than capable of beating Rampage, this was his coming out party after getting two let me say overhyped wins (Chuck, Forrest) that have made his whole career. Thiago was his first real well-rounded opponent in his UFC career and he couldn’t do anything, nada! We’ve already seen how bigger stronger wrestlers like Tito can beat him too. If he fights Rampage he’s going to lose the standup for sure and he has no chance of winning the wrestling match, Rampage is the strongest LHW on earth and his defence is top notch in every area, that’s why he don’t need speed cause he has quality and technique.
sometimes the beauty is in the attempt.
Thiago was gassed and had no choice
Maybe if thiago didn’t pump up the crowd and do his own spider dance for 2 mins he would of had the energy to finish him. When he put his hands on his hips he had to, the last two punches he threw in that flurry weren’t even punches more like slaps.Rashad wore him out the first two rounds with 7 takedowns, 4 of which were nice slams. I say good shit Rashad for sticking to a gameplan and not falling into trap of a slugfest. Stick to your roots kid
by Blood,bath and beyond on Jan 6, 2010 3:03 PM EST via mobile reply actions
+1
The reason Silva wasn’t able to do anything after that one nice punch was because of what Rashad did to him in the first 2 rounds. Rashad had a similar gameplan to GSP when he fought Penn…grapple grapple grapple and tire him out. Rashad won this fight with a smart and effective game plan and the second he got away from that game plan he ate a clean straight right that wobbled him. Props to him for recovering and not giving in to Silva’s taunts. I think it’s a solid win against a very dangerous opponent. I hope this fight teaches him not to underestimate anyone’s power anymore cause sometimes it’s not about the power behind the punch but rather the location of the punch and hitting the proverbial button that you have to worry about.
"I bet a funny thing about driving a car off a cliff is, while you're in midair, you still hit those brakes! Hey, better try the emergency brake!"
you can always finish a fight there.
Thiago just made a terrible mistake of letting him off the hook, maybe he didn’t believe he could finish him maybe he expected Rashad to come back, whatever it was it was a big mistake and that’s all there is to it. Thiago wasn’t anymore tired than Rashad was up until the point he landed the punch that rocked him.
sometimes the beauty is in the attempt.
i don’t really think it was a mistake as much as the fact that he was just too gassed to finish him. He tried to stay on him, but he didn’t have the strength or the energy to finish the job. I would have to give props to Rashad for leaning on his ass heavy for two rounds….it sucked the life right out of Silva……He needs to go back and work on his takedown defense no doubt.
he should but not extensively, it’s a waste of time. He got back up right away every single time and appeared to be as fresh as Rashad was in the third. the fact that Thiago is a killer on the ground also makes takedown defence less of a problem for him.
sometimes the beauty is in the attempt.
But still, he has to work on it if he wants to keep the fight standing as he has deadly striking advantage over most light-heavies...
Whatever the fuck you do in life, echoes in eternity! <----slightly edited
-Maximus[Gladiator]
I wonder...
what he will be thinking once rampage lands a power shot.
by CanadianSensation on Jan 6, 2010 3:12 PM EST reply actions
That punch very nearly blew my 3 fight parlay
Thankfully Thiago was knackered after the first two rounds and wasn’t able to finish Rashad. He did all of that posing and dancing around to piss off Rashad so that he’d make a mistake and it worked, well sort of as it helped him to rock Rashad but also blew his chance to finish the job. As a Rashad fan with money on the line I was very worried during those last 2 minutes and even when it went to the judges I was half expecting Thiago to get a 10-8 for round 3 because he came close to finishing the fight, luckily for me 10-8 rounds in MMA are a lot rarer than in boxing.
"Anderson Silva is the best fighter on the planet...any Anderson Silva fight that is on, people should be buying that PPV, not because he’s my fighter but you know what, he to me is like the Muhammad Ali of MMA...the UFC has been around since 1993, nobody (else) has 10 consecutive wins in the UFC. Anderson has had 10 fights in the UFC, only 1 has ever gone to a decision."
Ed Soares on why Andy is the best fighter in the world
10-8 round
Not sure why people think that the 3rd round would even come close to being a 10-8 round. Thiago landed more shots and had that nice straight right that rocked Rashad but that isn’t deserving of a 10-8. Those scores are deserved when you dominate a round from bell to bell. Thiago spent too much time taunting and not enough time actually imposing his will…which he barely did. If I’m not mistaken…he even got taken down early in the 3rd.
"I bet a funny thing about driving a car off a cliff is, while you're in midair, you still hit those brakes! Hey, better try the emergency brake!"
Personally I'd give 10-8 rounds if the fight is almost finished
If someone badly hurts their opponent and comes close to winning by KO or submission then I’d give them a 10-8, that way fighters get more points for trying to finish the fight than outwrestle their opponent. I can see why it would have been 10-8 to Thiago as he badly hurt Rashad, had him rocked and walking on ice for the rest of the fight, that was easily the most significant damage during the fight. I’m not surprised that it was 10-9 in the end but I would like to see more 10-8 rounds given if the scoring is ever changed, as it rewards damage over control and would help to establish a clearer winner without messing around with the scoring system too much.
"Anderson Silva is the best fighter on the planet...any Anderson Silva fight that is on, people should be buying that PPV, not because he’s my fighter but you know what, he to me is like the Muhammad Ali of MMA...the UFC has been around since 1993, nobody (else) has 10 consecutive wins in the UFC. Anderson has had 10 fights in the UFC, only 1 has ever gone to a decision."
Ed Soares on why Andy is the best fighter in the world
So then...
Would you give Tito a 10-8 round in the 3rd for almost choking out Machida? I don’t think getting a good punch in that rocks someone should deserve someone going down 2 points in a round. Almost putting someone away and dominating a fight from bell to bell in most if not all scoring categories are completely different things. I like that fighters have to work hard to get a 10-8 score because that really puts the opponent at a disadvantage so you have to really work hard to obtain it.
"I bet a funny thing about driving a car off a cliff is, while you're in midair, you still hit those brakes! Hey, better try the emergency brake!"
was that the worst example you could find?
no maybe the third round between Machida/Tito was a 10-10 since both came equally close to finishing the fight. Machida with the knockdown and Tito with the choke.
dominating a round bell to bell is the worst explanation ever, it’s impossible to dominate a round bell to bell cause if you do the fight isn’t going the full round or if it does and the other guy has a superman chin you get a 10-7.
sometimes the beauty is in the attempt.
octagon control should also be taken out of the scoring since it don’t do you any good, it’s who lands clean that gets the point.
sometimes the beauty is in the attempt.
Octagon control is an iffy way to score. Just because someone presses forward doesnt mean they win. or if they have a counter puncher on their heels doesnt mean anuthing either. Thats why an emphasis should be made on EFFECTIVE octagon control
by AintNoSunshine on Jan 6, 2010 4:42 PM EST up reply actions
If you take out octogon controll you will end up with two counter punchers with neither of them willing to engage.
Myth: Three Americans die every year from rabies. Fact: Four Americans die every year die from rabies.
Agreed. I didnt say take it out I just said its iffy and should have more detailed meaning
by AintNoSunshine on Jan 6, 2010 4:58 PM EST up reply actions
But the argument can be either way that it does include that
by AintNoSunshine on Jan 6, 2010 5:03 PM EST up reply actions
Someone hugging someone against the cage could be octagon control even when not landing any strikes.
by AintNoSunshine on Jan 6, 2010 5:08 PM EST up reply actions
yes and that's why i'm saying octagon control is shit.
you should give a little extra credit to the person trying harder to finish the other, like more strikes thrown more sub attempts just basically activity.
sometimes the beauty is in the attempt.
Honestly Randys clinch game is the most effective in terms of holding someone up to the cage. Kenny Florians cage work vs Penn was the perfect example of not being effective.
by AintNoSunshine on Jan 6, 2010 5:21 PM EST up reply actions
knowing that was exactly why the judges gave him the fight against Brandon, a fight where his clinch work was ineffective for once.
sometimes the beauty is in the attempt.
It was also borderline ineffective vs Nog.
by AintNoSunshine on Jan 6, 2010 5:26 PM EST up reply actions
Agreed with that quote completely RoB
The only time I’d credit octagon control is if the guy on the bottom is doing nothing, then they deserve to lose for not being able to get back to their feet or break free of the clinch. However, if someone is being active off of their back like Nick Diaz and Diego usually are whilst someone like Fitch or Guida is just laying in guard doing nothing but defending then it should be the guy on the bottom getting the points, or if someone does some damage in the striking but is controlled for the rest of the fight without actually taking some damage (Couture-Vera) then again the guy doing the damage should win the round, as holding onto someone won’t end a fight.
"Anderson Silva is the best fighter on the planet...any Anderson Silva fight that is on, people should be buying that PPV, not because he’s my fighter but you know what, he to me is like the Muhammad Ali of MMA...the UFC has been around since 1993, nobody (else) has 10 consecutive wins in the UFC. Anderson has had 10 fights in the UFC, only 1 has ever gone to a decision."
Ed Soares on why Andy is the best fighter in the world
Define damage David. I’m not bashing your idea, I just think interpreting damage is too difficult. Cuts for the most part are surely not as damaging as torn muscles, concussions, or broken ribs…but you can’t see those internal types of injuries.
Myth: Three Americans die every year from rabies. Fact: Four Americans die every year die from rabies.
you can, it’s clean hits and the judges should alwasy be able to see and score clean hits.
sometimes the beauty is in the attempt.
One clean hit doesn't nulify 14 minutes of being outwrestled.
They did score the clean hit. That is why Silva won a round. One round doesn’t trump two rounds, do the math.
Frank Mir packed 30+ pounds of solid muscle onto his body in five months. Why hasn't anyone called him out for steroid use? Is it because he never wrestled for Vince McMahon? I give Mir credit for his taste in strippers/wives, not his fighting skills or his personality.
yo dave..
who u got for ufn? im stuck on a few and have gone with my heart which i promised myself id never do again!
All of the fights are pretty tough to call. I’ve got Diaz as I think that he’ll catch Gray on the ground like he did against him on TUF, though there’s always the chance of Nate getting laid and prayed by the master of it; Blackburn as he’s won a few tough fights lately and Amir hasn’t done anything noteworthy since TUF; Efrain as his wrestling will be too good for Dunham to deal with and Simpson as I don’t see Lawlor catching him in a submission like he did to CB and that’s really his only shot at winning.
"Anderson Silva is the best fighter on the planet...any Anderson Silva fight that is on, people should be buying that PPV, not because he’s my fighter but you know what, he to me is like the Muhammad Ali of MMA...the UFC has been around since 1993, nobody (else) has 10 consecutive wins in the UFC. Anderson has had 10 fights in the UFC, only 1 has ever gone to a decision."
Ed Soares on why Andy is the best fighter in the world
The only reason...
I wanted Rashad to win is so he can fight Rampage…other than that, I could care less about this guy.
the correct statement is...
I could NOT care less
LOL
grammar fragment error!
by And Boom goes the dynamite on Jan 6, 2010 6:18 PM EST up reply actions
Because we speak and write English properly
"Anderson Silva is the best fighter on the planet...any Anderson Silva fight that is on, people should be buying that PPV, not because he’s my fighter but you know what, he to me is like the Muhammad Ali of MMA...the UFC has been around since 1993, nobody (else) has 10 consecutive wins in the UFC. Anderson has had 10 fights in the UFC, only 1 has ever gone to a decision."
Ed Soares on why Andy is the best fighter in the world
This guy is F***ed in the head
“i shut him down in every place” by taking him down and doing nothing with it, Rashad is just like another frank mir. i can’t wait for rampage to come back and skull f**k this fool.
Out of your mind
Rampage is so fat and out of shape and so much ring rust. He looked sloppy against Jardine, Rashad is going to punish him.
Rashad is just cocky. As are many fighters. With that said he played the strategy I knew he would win by. Wrestling. If Rashad would have stood with Thiago for 3 rounds it would have led to an eventual KO. Thiago has power, but the way Machida hit Rashad didnt look like bombs and Rashad went to sleep. Rampage will show everyone why people say Rashads hands and foot work are overrated.
Rashad takes his job seriously now..
I’m just not sure about rampage since he went nuts after losing to Forrest.. But I definaty want rampage to beat Rashad when it happens
by Jesse13 on Jan 6, 2010 4:26 PM EST via mobile reply actions
What!
He is going to Middle weight before the end of the year. Bet on it.
He's gayer than a handbad full of rainbows.
LOL
Dont bet on that. I can 99.9 percent guarantee you Rashad will not cut to 185
by AintNoSunshine on Jan 6, 2010 4:38 PM EST up reply actions
Rashad made it out of the 3rd round
Because Thiago apparently didn’t have the gas to go in for the finish. He did follow the Greg Jackson game plan I am sure and gets a very nice payday because of it but frankly Rashad…..I’m not impressed with your performance (in my best GSP accent). To me, that’s wasn’t really fighting on your part. Just take downs to score points and do whatever you can to avoid damage. Your team might love it, your wife and bank account might love it, but the I don’t think a lot of the fans do. Just my opinion though.
simple
Thiago had a few reasons not to follow through when he landed the hard shot…. one, he knew he had been shut out the first two rounds so he pandered to the crowd with his “come on & fight” antics…. two, he had been taken down like a rag doll countless times & was frustrated. Rashaad fought a pretty boring fight- no question; but he had shut Silva out. Then, rather than staying focused & trying to finish him, Silva got emotional, while Rashaad stayed focused & in his game plan. Randy Couture made a championship career out of this. Rashaad has finished plenty of fights… he just didn’t pull it off this time.
Rashaad is over rated
If rampage can get into decent shape he will take out rashaad. Rampage won’t be out wrestled and he has better boxing. Rashaad is a great athlete but he has so much pointless movement in the octagon. As much as Rashaad is an intellectual outside of the ring it doesn’t seem to be the case in the ring. He relies mostly on just his speed and athleticism. An in shape Rampage would put him to sleep.
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