By Raul Rangel
SAN ANTONIO, TX, January 30, 2012 – Cocky, brash, arrogant… these are just some of the words used to describe Rashad Evans; now I’ll add one more word warrior.
It’s true a majority of people cannot stand Evans.
Most it has to do with his personality, certainly not his fight style or record. But the week before his fight at UFC on FOX 2, Evans was met with personal difficulties that would cripple other fighters yet he made it through and performed despite the situation.
To begin with, Rashad Evans is in the middle of a divorce; now anyone that has ever been in a divorce knows how painful it can be, especially with children involved. Even though a divorce is the best thing for when a couple is not happy or in love with each other it is still a hard to start a whole new life.
In addition, Rashad also learned that his brother was being deployed to Afghanistan this week. No matter how people spin it, this country is still at war and Afghanistan is not a place you can call safe. Lots of people have loved ones fighting overseas, and not a single day goes by where they cannot hope and pray for their protection. To have that on top of your mind is hard on its own.
On top of all that, he had all the typical stresses a fighter would have to deal with during fight week also. Weight cutting is never easy, but the older you get the harder it is to cut weight. Having to possibly cut fifteen to twenty pounds in a week is hard; you’re cutting out foods that were already small and proportionate. It doesn’t make life any easier, that’ for sure.
All week Rashad had to answer questions about one man, and his name wasn’t Phil Davis. The man in question was Jon Jones, the current champion and former partner-turned-rival that wasn’t even the man he faced last weekend but rather a distraction from the task at hand. After the week of questions Rashad received you would have thought that they were the ones fighting last weekend. The match between Rashad Evans and Jon Jones has been on and off again for the past year, yet the trash talking has been at an all time high.
In the end, Rashad defeated Phil Davis by unanimous decision – winning every single round. After his hand was raised in victory, Evans gave one of the most humble post-fight interviews I have ever heard from him.
I may not agree with Rashad Evans all the time, but he made a fan out of me this week.
You can follow Raul Rangel on twitter @rrangel81 and you can also listen to his weekly podcast Undefeated Radio on iTunes. LIKE TXMMA on Facebook for more in-depth news and coverage of the MMA & grappling scene along with fan contests to win great prizes courtesy of TXMMA.com and much more. Also feel free to check us out on Twitter and Google+ for even more in the world combat sports!
