Evans Erases Davis; Fights We’d Like to See
Evans Clinches Title Shot, Routs Davis at UFC on Fox 2
By Brian Knapp
Read more from Brian and other excellent writers at the top notch mma website www.sherdog.com
Rashad Evans removed the last remaining obstacle standing between him and reigning light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.
In a stellar all-around performance, Evans put all of his weapons to use and captured a lopsided unanimous decision from the previously unbeaten Phil Davis in the UFC on Fox 2 headliner on Saturday at the United Center in Chicago. Evans swept the scorecards by identical 50-45 counts, pitching MMA’s equivalent of a shutout.
Vastly superior striking, airtight grappling and superb defensive wrestling were all in play for Evans (17-1-1, 12-1-1 UFC), who will face Jones, his former Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts stablemate, in the UFC 145 main event on April 21 in Atlanta, provided both men remain healthy.
“Now that I’ve won, I get the opportunity to fight Jon,” Evans said, “and I’m very excited about it.”
Davis (9-1, 5-1 UFC) was effective early in the first round with kicks to the leg and body and a nice right hand from the clinch. However, Evans shut down the 2008 NCAA national champion wrestler, securing a takedown of an ill-timed kick and later moving into a mounted crucifix position that had Davis squirming like a fish out of water. The scene repeated itself in the second and fifth rounds.
At a sizeable disadvantage in terms of experience, Davis had grown tentative by round two and threw his strikes with far less vigor. Evans capitalized, answering his opponent’s single shots with crisp multi-punch combinations. He was particularly sharp with his right uppercut and had Davis bleeding from the mouth midway through the 25-minute encounter. Most importantly, Evans stonewalled the four-time collegiate All-American’s takedowns and made him pay a hefty price for errant attempts. The only stone the man they call “Suga” left unturned was the finish.
“I felt like I wanted to put him away, and I just didn’t get the chance to land those big punches,” Evans said. “I’m kind of disappointed about it. When you’re fighting a guy as tough as Phil Davis, sometimes things like that happen.”
Sonnen earned a rematch with Silva.Sonnen Edges Bisping on Points
The polarizing Chael Sonnen won for the fifth time in six outings and secured his rematch with UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, as he took a unanimous decision from “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 3 winner Michael Bisping in the co-main event. All three cageside judges scored it for Sonnen (27-11-1, 6-4 UFC): 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28. The defeat snapped Bisping’s streak of four consecutive victories.
Sonnen attempted to impose himself on his foe from the start. He landed takedowns in all three rounds but had difficulty keeping Bisping (22-4, 12-4 UFC) on his back. The 32-year-old Brit routinely returned to a standing position, where he launched punches into Sonnen’s head and more than held his own in the clinch, often pinning the NCAA All-American wrestler to the cage.
Perhaps sensing the need to put his stamp on the fight, Sonnen did his best work in the third round. There, he struck for another takedown, transitioned to Bisping’s back, fished for the rear-naked choke and ultimately mounted him midway through the period. The damage he exacted was limited to punches to the body and a few elbows to the head. Bisping reclaimed guard, got back to his feet and scored with a takedown of his own in the final seconds. It was not enough to sway the judges.
Weidman Outduels Maia, Takes Unanimous Verdict
Former Ring of Combat champion Chris Weidman kept his perfect professional record intact and graduated from prospect to contender, as he defeated 2007 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships gold medalist Demian Maia by unanimous decision in a pivotal 185-pound showcase.
All three cageside judges scored it 29-28 for Weidman (8-0, 4-0 UFC), who accepted the bout on just 11 days’ notice and endured a drastic weight cut in meeting the middleweight limit.
Weidman controlled much of the matchup with his striking, as he countered effectively and peppered Maia (15-4, 9-4 UFC) with kicks to the legs and punches to the body. He also scored with takedowns in all three rounds and attacked the decorated Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt on the ground, threatening with chokes when Maia attempted to move into more advantageous positions.
Fatigue set in on both men in the third round, as they traded slow, looping punches with one another. Weidman, a two-time NCAA All-American wrestler at Hofstra University, opened a cut near Maia’s right eye with a series of knees from the clinch and battled through exhaustion to pick up the most significant victory of his career.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Matches We’d Like to See in the Future
by Brian Knapp, writer extraordinaire for www.sherdog.com
Rashad Evans wanted Jon Jones. Barring an injury, he will get him.
Evans dispatched previously undefeated four-time NCAA All-American wrestler Phil Davis with surprising ease in the UFC on Fox 2 main event on Saturday at the United Center in Chicago, utilizing his superior all-around skills in capturing a woefully one-sided unanimous decision — 50-45 from all three judges. The still-green Davis, who figures to benefit from the experience, was never a factor in the fight.
The result clears the way for the long-awaited Jones-Evans grudge match. Former training partners turned sworn enemies, the backstory between the two has been covered ad nauseum.
A knee injury to Evans ahead of his scheduled title fight with then champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 128 in March opened the door for Jones, who stepped up in his stead. “Bones” demolished Rua inside of three rounds to become the youngest champion in Ultimate Fighting Championship history and went on to defend the crown against two former titleholders: Quinton “Rampage” Jackson at UFC 135 and Lyoto Machida at UFC 140. Evans left the Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts camp for the upstart Imperial Athletics dojo shortly after, and the two men have feuded publicly ever since.
In what amounted to a tune-up fight in hindsight, Evans bested Davis in every facet, moving into the mounted crucifix position on three different occasions in the five-round bout. According to FightMetric.com figures, Evans outlanded Davis 106-61 in total strikes, 98-22 in strikes to the head. He also was successful on three of the four takedowns he tried, achieved side control three times and seized Davis’ back once. All his performance lacked was a finish.
With that, Jones-Evans becomes a given. In wake of UFC on Fox 2, here are five other matches we want to see made:
Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen: He did not set the world on fire against “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 3 winner Michael Bisping, but Sonnen’s strong third round gave rise to a unanimous decision and set in motion the rematch with Silva, a man who has held the middleweight crown for more than five years now. The two met at UFC 117, where Silva, nursing a pre-fight rib injury, landed a triangle armbar for a dramatic fifth-round submission. Sonnen later tested positive for suspected use of performance-enhancing drugs. Perhaps their second encounter, ticketed for a stadium show in Brazil this summer, will settle their score.
Phil Davis vs. Ryan Bader: Life as an elite light heavyweight may be in Davis’ future, but, for now, he remains a largely unproven commodity with plenty of questions to answers. His lopsided decision loss to Evans highlighted the holes in his game and showed Davis was not yet ready for what the alpha males in the division have to offer. Still, “Mr. Wonderful” does not turn 28 until September, giving him more than enough time to fulfill his considerable promise. Bader finds himself at a similar stage in his career, though he bounced back from consecutive defeats to Jones and Tito Ortiz with a 77-second knockout against Jason Brilz at UFC 139. “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 8 winner faces a former champion in Jackson at UFC 144 on Feb. 26 in Japan. Should Bader falter there, as some suspect he might, a matchup with Davis would make perfect sense.
Weidman is now 8-0.Chris Weidman vs. Rousimar Palhares: Weidman effectively shed what was left of his prospect label, as the unbeaten Serra-Longo Fight Team representative won a unanimous decision from 2007 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships winner Demian Maia on just 11 days’ notice. A grueling weight cut sapped Weidman of his endurance late in the fight but made his victory no less significant. He has put himself in position to climb the middleweight ladder in the UFC and, perhaps by the end of 2012, move towards title contention. In the meantime, potential potholes abound. Palhares may be the most feared submission fighter in the UFC, and he, too, wants a piece of the 185-pound pie, as evidenced by his three-fight winning streak. Let the leg lock master have a go with Weidman and let the chips fall where they may.
Michael Bisping vs. Demian Maia: Love him or hate him, Bisping did virtually everything right against Sonnen, only to come up short on the scorecards.
In defeat, however, “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 3 winner likely quieted some of his detractors by more than holding his own with an opponent most view as the No. 2 middleweight in the world. Bisping fought back to his feet win taken down, delivered the more consequential strikes and even kept Sonnen, a world-class wrestler, pinned to the cage at various moments in their 15-minute battle. Bisping was originally booked to face Maia before an injury to Mark Munoz forced matchmakers to shuffle the deck. With both world-ranked middleweight now on the rebound, a bout between them seems even more appropriate.
Evan Dunham vs. Edson Barboza: The buzz over Barboza’s scintillating wheel kick knockout on Terry Etim at UFC 142 has not died down. With that said, talk of pairing the Brazilian with someone much higher on the food chain — there were calls for him to tackle Jim Miller at one point — appears to have been premature. Having just turned 26 and with only 10 professional MMA fights under his belt, Barboza deserves time to cultivate and sharpen his potent skills, especially in a division as cutthroat as the one in which he competes. Dunham overcame a slow start to stop the gritty Nik Lentz on a second-round technical knockout, winning for the sixth time in eight trips inside the Octagon. He has the experience and the skill set needed to provide Barboza with a worthwhile test.
