Xtreme Couture grappling coach Neil Melanson says he wants to train Rashad Evans
by Geno Mrosko on Apr 23, 2011 2:25 PM EDT
in UFC News
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So Rashad Evans, a world-class fighter and former light heavyweight champion, leaves his longtime home in New Mexico at Greg Jackson's MMA and goes in search of a new gym.
What, you thought there weren't going to be elite training teams lining up to coach him?
"Suga" has stated his desire to go the nomad route, calling in favors in order to bounce around various camps to strengthen his game, at least in preparation for his upcoming title shot against Jon Jones.
He'll also likely be a major part of Marcus Aureilo's new Imperial Athletics squad based down in Florida, training with the likes of Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva.
However, there is one coach, Neil Melanson, on a high profile team, Xtreme Couture, that thinks he can take Rashad's already elite skill-set and accentuate it by turning him into a finisher.
"We're trying to get Rashad to come here (to Xtreme Couture)," Melanson told Steve Cofield (via MMA Fix). "We got some people asking him to come out here. I know he's in Denver right now but it's just because I've always been wanting to get my hands on him for a while. And I look up to Greg Jackson but what's Greg gonna do? He's got Jones. ... I've been wanting to train with Rashad for a while just because I feel like my style of coaching is perfect for him because he's a wrestler and I have a lot of experience with these wrestlers here and I think I can help him. He's really good already but I would like to see him finish and I know he can finish on the ground and I think maybe I can help that."
Despite working his way back to a title shot after a crushing loss to Lyoto Machida at UFC 98, Evans has come under fire as of late for his recent performances against Thiago Silva and Quinton Jackson, respectively.
In both fights, Rashad controlled the action but let both men hang around too long and was nearly knocked out in the later rounds.
Melanson believes he can harness the former champions already excellent game to avoid issues like that in the future, something he'll especially need when he takes on the dynamic and hard-to-handle "Bones" later this year.
Anyone think it would serve Evans best interests to make his way to Las Vegas to to take direction from the fellas down at Xtreme Couture?
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Xtreme couture doesnt have that many 205ers that i can think of.
Not sure of the elite training level there anymore quite frankly. Hieron, Tyson and Maynard are the really the only high level guys there.
BIG NOG for Life
One Step closer to Gleison Tibau @ 145
If the round is too close, it's 10-10, NOT flip a coin 10-9 or late takedown FTW.
by NNR (formerly NameNotRequired) on Apr 23, 2011 2:51 PM EDT up reply actions
*more so training partners than coaches and other resources.
BIG NOG for Life
One Step closer to Gleison Tibau @ 145
If the round is too close, it's 10-10, NOT flip a coin 10-9 or late takedown FTW.
by NNR (formerly NameNotRequired) on Apr 23, 2011 2:52 PM EDT up reply actions
theyve got Griffin ;)
"ever heard of a tune up? tee hee hee hee
"ah hee hee hee ever heard of a ritual killing? tee hee hee hee"
"i dont get it"
"you gnaw on her face in public like that again and you'll be one tee hee hee hee"
And Mike Pyle
Forrest or Tyson? I Think both Griffins are there. I stopped liking Tyson due to his poor sportsmanship.
Nothing Ever Changes When Nothing Ever Changes
Use the UFC search engine to win free prizes http://ufc.searchpw.com/refer/JasonFahQ
forrest
"ever heard of a tune up? tee hee hee hee
"ah hee hee hee ever heard of a ritual killing? tee hee hee hee"
"i dont get it"
"you gnaw on her face in public like that again and you'll be one tee hee hee hee"
Lol
I didn’t look it up… am I gettting it right..? Uncle Buck?
Nothing Ever Changes When Nothing Ever Changes
Use the UFC search engine to win free prizes http://ufc.searchpw.com/refer/JasonFahQ
yeah love that film and that guy lol
"ever heard of a tune up? tee hee hee hee
"ah hee hee hee ever heard of a ritual killing? tee hee hee hee"
"i dont get it"
"you gnaw on her face in public like that again and you'll be one tee hee hee hee"
obviously dont know much about xtreme couture
they have couture and forrest for him to work with at light heavy
lets be honest...
Does it really matter where rashad goes? This fight with bones isn’t going to be competitive
by The_Comedian on Apr 23, 2011 3:40 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
To be honest, I don't think there is anyone at LHW who can stuff Rashad's explosive takedowns.
And once Jones is on his back, we will see his game from the bottom.
If he is as great off his back as he has shown to be in his spectacular standup and his top game, then he truly will be a champion for a long time.
I am very much looking forward to finding out.
Fedor.
Jones will outwrestle Rashad.
I think you overrate his wrestling. Most of his takedowns are off of the cage but come on that’s a miracle if you can get your hands around jones’ legs off of the cage. And i dont think he has the time to get one out in the open.
BIG NOG for Life
One Step closer to Gleison Tibau @ 145
If the round is too close, it's 10-10, NOT flip a coin 10-9 or late takedown FTW.
by NNR (formerly NameNotRequired) on Apr 23, 2011 4:17 PM EDT up reply actions
I agree with the cage takedowns, that would be very difficult against Jones, though I wouldn't see it as a "miracle"
And i dont think he has the time to get one out in the open.
Well that’s the question. If you are right and he doesn’t have the timing to do it, it might be a long night for him, even though he still has the power and speed in the standup on his side.
However if he does have the timing, which he will be most likely training extensively, then it could be a very different fight from the impressive Jones destruction that you imagine.
Fedor.
Umm Freenow82 you do realize that ....
….. Rampage stuffed all but three of those explosive takedowns ( out of 12 ) after being away from the ring for over a year …. right ? Jones will end Rashad quick like . And I agree with The Comedian …….
This fight with bones isn’t going to be competitiveIt really doesn’t matter where Rashad trains because we all know what he wants to do . He wants to press you on the cage to sap you energy or take you down and Lay & Pray you to death . Jones can get off the cage ( with ease in my opinion ) and stuff the takedown to avoid the Lay & Pray all together . Thats really gonna leave this as a stand up fight and Jones is the superior stand up fighter . One other issue here is reach and Jones knowing how to use this advantage . Jones’ reach is 84.5 and Rashads is 75 . 9.5 inches of reach is really difficult to overcome , especially when the fighter with the reach advantage know how to use it . Then we could move onto the height / reach disparity , but I think we all know Jones has that as well ( 6’4" to 5’11" ) . With Rashads lack of a ground game this fight is looking to be one sided . Now am I saying Rashad has no chance ? No , but in my opinion hes got the same chance that a snowball has in hell .
" Everyone has a plan 'till they get punched in the mouth. " ~
Mike Tyson
by MidWayMonster54 on Apr 23, 2011 4:45 PM EDT up reply actions
I disagree with the following:
It really doesn’t matter where Rashad trains because we all know what he wants to do. He wants to press you on the cage to sap you energy or take you down and Lay & Pray you to death .
we all know what he wants to do? Well I don’t, you must be psychic.
Thats really gonna leave this as a stand up fight and Jones is the superior stand up fighter.
As unorthodox as he is, Jones has not shown any kind of knockout power in his standup. Rashad has knocked out 2 former UFC champions and rocked Rampage who is notorious for possessing a great chin. Also Rashad has faster hands and foot-speed in my opinion.
With Rashads lack of a ground game this fight is looking to be one sided. …in my opinion hes got the same chance that a snowball has in hell .
I believe Rashad doesn’t “lack ground game” and trying to dress that opinion with an analogy does not make it ring anymore true for me.
Thanks for reading MidWayMonster, I will be leaving this discussion at that.
Fedor.
Wrong
I told you kids Rua was gonna run through Jones, but no one listened. The hype train has made its last stop, and the "mighty" Jon Jones has fallen. Shogun tore him up with his muay thai, and dominated in every aspect of the fight. He came in fully prepared and got the job done, like I knew he would. Still the greatest p4p of all time. And STILL UFC LHW Champ, Mauricio Shogun Rua.
by danago on Apr 23, 2011 7:40 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
jones may not have that flashing KO power
but he can inflict damage and unlike most guys he works you up and down. Head, body, legs, everything. Rashad also has many deficiencies in his striking whether it’s his footwork or how he gasses himself out tryin to hold guys on the fence going for takedowns. And his power is also significantly overrated. The fact that blew chuck’s chin off isnt really indicative of legit power. He has never shown any guard passing skills or powerful ground and pound either.
BIG NOG for Life
One Step closer to Gleison Tibau @ 145
If the round is too close, it's 10-10, NOT flip a coin 10-9 or late takedown FTW.
by NNR (formerly NameNotRequired) on Apr 23, 2011 9:36 PM EDT up reply actions
You may leave the discussion at that but ....
….. that doesn’t change facts . Fact is that in Rashads last few fights ( Silva and Rampage ) he did employ the Lay & Pray gameplan . So yes we can all accurately state that we all know what his gameplan will be . Does that mean I’m psychic ? No , what its implies is that its not hard to figure out what Rashad wants to do .
I believe Rashad doesn’t "lack ground game"Really ?? You can say that with a strait face ?? Riddle me this then , when was the last time Rashad even came close to a submission victory in the UFC or even went for a legit attempt ? Does he have great wrestling skills ? Yes , but his GnP is rather weak as is his submission game thus he lacks ground game .
So thanks for reading as well Freenow82 , but if you wish to discuss this further I’ll be around .
" Everyone has a plan 'till they get punched in the mouth. " ~
Mike Tyson
by MidWayMonster54 on Apr 24, 2011 3:47 PM EDT up reply actions
I think he should try to go to AKA and work with Cain.
I honestly belive Cain has the best wrestling in MMA. And I bet Cain is closer to Jon Jones’ size than a lot of the 205ers out there.
Most overrated fighter by fans: Shinya Aoki, Shinya Aoki, Shinya Oaki.
Most underatted fighters by fans: Thiago Alves, Alan Belcher, and Kamal Shalarous! Bring on the hate fan boys!
^ this
he can train his wrestling with cain and daniel, that’s the place to be for rashad if you ask me
There's only one way to make a "finisher" out of Rashad ...
… and that is for him to move down to 185.
He certainly had no problem finishing Jason Lambert or Sean Salmon – both undersized LHWs (just like Rashad) who have since moved down to MW.
And not for nothing, but if Rashad did go with Xtreme Couture, wouldn’t he sooner or later run into the same situation regarding fighting teammates that caused his breakup with Greg Jackson?
Plus I do think what he’s got going now with Imperial is temporary – unless he beats Jon Jones; and I can’t even see Rashad so much as lasting more than 3 minutes with Jones, much less winning the fight.
And if this is all about Rashad becoming a “finisher,” isn’t elevating his BJJ skills the surest way to accomplish that? Integrated Fighting Academy in Indianapolis has one of the best BJJ guys in the industry in Marcello Monteiro – along with some familiar faces for Rashad to team with: Matt Mitrione, who Rashad coached on TUF10 (and despite the edit-monster-driven “friction” between them on the show, they’re actually good friends), and Jake O’Brien, who like Rashad has a longtime friendship with Dan Christison (Dan and Rashad were in the house together on TUF2, then trained together at Jackson’s) – who is also very close to Pat McPherson, IFA’s owner.
I agree with Melanson
The one gaping hole in Rashad’s game is finishing on the ground. Whether you like him or not he’s looked good against everyone he’s fought. He needs to be able to incorporate transitional submissions along with his ground control. If he does that he’ll be a problem on the ground.
Maybe UFC 133?
Now there’s some chatter out there that Jones-Evans might go down at UFC 133; in that case, after the inevitable happens, and then Shogun demolishes Forrest in Rio, Rashad-Shogun could happen in Las Vegas on New Year’s Eve.
I’m guessing that Rashad gets jolly-stomped there too – then 185 here we come.
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