Rashad Evans regrets not hitting ‘bully’ Rampage Jackson after watching Cody Garbrandt strangle TJ Dillashaw on TUF

On the premiere episode of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) “Redemption,” Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt grabbed ex-teammate T.J. Dillashaw by the throat after a heated argument.

Not only did “No Love” not get punished for choking “The Viper,” the incident was used as a marketing tool weeks before the show’s debut. After watching it all go down on FOX Sports 1, Rashad Evans says he now regrets not putting hands on Quinton Jackson during their stint as opposing coaches.

An experience that saw things get very heated between the two hard-hitting Light Heavyweights.

“I was kind of surprised. The only reason I didn’t do it back then was because I thought I’d get kicked off the show. Now that I know that you won’t, I feel like I should have did it,” Evans jokingly told Andy Nesbitt of FOX Sports.

While “Suga” and “Rampage” nearly came to blows on several occasions during the taping of TUF: ‘Heavyweights” back in 2009, cooler heads ultimately prevailed. For Evans, he was more occupied with trying to set a good example and be a good coach for his team than settle his beef with a “bully.”

“I had to try and balance out being a good coach and giving these guys an opportunity they could seize upon,” he said. “But at the same time, I had this guy who I felt was a bully at the time, always in my face. So, I was kind of like juggling, ‘Should I just hit him and get our fight started, or just stay focused on being a good coach?”

In the end, Evans got the last laugh, as he defeated Jackson via unanimous decision at UFC 114 in 2010.

While Garbrandt and Dillashaw’s beef did in fact get physical, they weren’t the first to do so, as Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva — who now call Bellator MMA home — actually came to blows on the reality television series three years ago.

Is normal.