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A lot can change in one year. UFC 114 saw Rashad Evans defeat his rival Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson by decision in the main event, and the talk in the light heavyweight division was all about new champion Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua.
Shogun was fresh off a one round knockout over Lyoto Machida a few weeks earlier, taking on Evans.
Jon Jones was just a hot prospect who many figured would go on to do big things if brought along at the right pace and Rampage seemed to be fading away.
Shogun and Evans were expected to fight late 2010 but a knee injury to the champion required surgery put the fight back until March 19, 2011.
Evans chose to wait for the champion instead of taking a warm-up fight, meaning he would have been out of action for nearly a year come fight time. Two weeks out from the fight, Evans injured his knee.
Jon Jones, having defeated Ryan Bader, took the title fight on two weeks notice and dethroned Shogun setting up a Jon Jones vs Rashad Evans fight.
An injury to Jones this time meant the title fight wouldn’t take place until 2012. Instead of waiting two years to fight, Evans took a fight with Phil Davis.
All the while this had happened, Rampage had won his way back into contention with wins over Lyoto Machida and Matt Hamill.
Jon Jones’ had injury turned out not to be as serious as first thought and he announced he was available to fight at the end of the year.
With Evans tied up in the Phil Davis fight, Rampage became the logical choice of opponent.
So over a year after Rashad Evans becomes number one contender, he now fights to stay relevant having not had his title fight.
Prospect Jon Jones wins three fights to become champion and Rampage Jackson defeats two opponents who have a history of making opponents look bad to leapfrog the inactive Evans.
The lesson here is that fighters should fight whenever they get the chance.
Had Evans taken an opponent back in 2010 instead of ‘playing it safe’ he wouldn’t be in the situation he is now, fighting for the first time in 18 months against an opponent he drew with (his opponent is now Tito Ortiz, a fighter Evans drew with back in 2008) where the risk of losing doesn’t cost him a title shot, but may cost him relevance in the division.
Now the man he defeated to get that number one contender status is fighting for the title as he is on the back of two victories.
All you have to do is flash back to 2003 when Chuck Liddell was number one contender.
Then champion Ortiz had his grudge match with Ken Shamrock to settle. Instead of sitting on the sidelines and waiting for that fight, Liddell took on the next best available opponent and won with a vicious first round knockout.
It was a fight he could have lost but if he had lost, all it would have meant is that he wasn’t the number one contender anyway. If you can’t beat the 3rd or 4th best in the division, what business do you have being in with the champion?
Jones will meet Rampage September 24 at UFC 135 in Denver, Colorado. Evans takes on Ortiz, who steps in for the injured Davis on short notice at UFC 133 August 6.
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