Regardless of how they feel towards one another, this title fight will be fought for the sport’s most hotly-contested title. Since 1997, some of the greatest fighters in the sport have fought for the light heavyweight belt and it’s been a hard one to keep for any of them. Champions have included Hall of Famers such as Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell and iconic fighters including Vitor Belfort, Tito Ortiz and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. More recently, Jones bested Mauricio “Shogun” Rua for the belt and now defends it against Evans, another former champion who lost the strap to Lyoto Machida right before Jones won it from him and became the youngest champion in UFC history at 23 years of age.
Are you following?
Basically fight will answer one simple question: Is Jon Jones the champion above all other champions in the UFC 205 lbs. division? A second title defense over his former training partner turned rival will do a lot to answer that and may also put him in the running for the mythical title of world’s best pound-for-pound fighter.
“The light heavyweight division has always been a special weight class in the UFC,” said UFC President Dana White, “and the Jon Jones vs Rashad Evans match could be the biggest fight at 205lbs in years. The last time we had a 205lbs title fight with this much emotion and excitement around it was the second Chuck Liddell vs Tito Ortiz fight in December of 2006.
Check out the full card for UFC 145 below then stick around as a plethora of former UFC light heavyweight champs offer their thoughts on who wins the main event this Saturday night in Vegas.
UFC 145 Main Card (PPV)
Light Heavyweight Championship bout: Jon Jones (c) vs. Rashad Evans
Welterweight bout: Rory MacDonald vs. Che Mills
Heavyweight bout: Brendan Schaub vs. Ben Rothwell
Bantamweight bout: Miguel Torres vs. Michael McDonald
Featherweight bout: Mark Hominick vs. Eddie Yagin
Lightweight bout: Mark Bocek vs. John Alessio
UFC 145 – Preliminary card (FX)
Heavyweight bout: Travis Browne vs. Chad Griggs
Welterweight bout: Matt Brown vs. Stephen Thompson
Lightweight bout: John Makdessi vs. Anthony Njokuani
Lightweight bout: Mac Danzig vs. Efrain Escudero
UFC 145 – Preliminary card (Facebook)
Welterweight bout: Keith Wisniewski vs. Chris Clements
Featherweight bout: Marcus Brimage vs. Maximo Blanco
UFC 145: Jones vs. Evans Predictions – The Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Edition
“Shogun” Rua, champion from May 8, 2010 to Mar 19, 2011
“They are two very smart, strategic athletes. Both of them fight thinking of their opponent’s strengths and weaknesses and think about how to fight the best possible fight to win. But I think Jon Jones has an advantage, since he is very hard to reach. He is not only long (limbed) but also fast and he can react very quickly, I know this. So, I think it’s going to be Jones’ match. However, let’s not forget Rashad is also very strategic. I believe Rashad will have a good gameplan and I am very interested to see what he will try to do in this fight.”
Lyoto Machida, champion from May 23, 2009 to May 8, 2010
“Jones vs Evans is a big fight for the fans and a big fight for the division. It is a very interesting fight; Jones is very unorthodox and is strong in all aspects of the game, but Rashad is a great wrestler and has the hand speed to catch Jones.”
Forrest Griffin, champion from Jul 5, 2008 to May 23, 2009
“This is a great fight. I’m glad I’m not fighting Jon Jones anytime soon, but I think Rashad has the right style to give him problems. There are so many emotions between these guys going into the fight, and I know the Atlanta fans will be getting their money’s worth. Jones looks very nasty, but I’m not going to underestimate Rashad. I kinda did that before once…”
“Rampage” Jackson, champion from May 26, 2007 to Jul 5, 2008
“Rashad has to go for it right from the start, for real. Rashad can’t play on the outside, you can’t fight no Jon Jones on the outside, believe me. Rashad is fast and can surprise you. He surprised me by faking a takedown and hitting me with a right hand which kinda stunned me. I think he can do that to Jon Jones, but he has to do it right away because the more time you give Jones, the harder it is to set him up for a punch. I think Jon Jones will win, but I think Rashad has a chance.”
Chuck Liddell, champion from Apr 16, 2005 to May 26, 2007
“Everyone is different but, I think, for most fighters getting into the Octagon with someone they don’t like is a great motivation in training. Every time you are tired or holding a little back, you think about losing to this guy you can’t stand and it helps you give 100%. That’s how I was with Tito, I couldn’t stand the idea of losing to him and so I trained harder.
“I’d love to know who really got the best of it when these guys trained together. You get a feeling for someone when you spar with them. That’s why I was so confident against Tito; I’d beat him up standing, wrestling and at BJJ when we trained together years before out fights and I knew I was in his head because of that. Listening to Rashad, it seems from watching the Primetime show that he feels he’s in Jon’s head a little. He sounds very confident and I think that’s based on experiences in the gym. I’m glad he is confident, because that’s something you have to have against Jones. If you don’t go after Jon you are in for a bad night.”
Vitor Belfort, champion from Jan 31, 2004 to Aug 21, 2004
“I think this fight will be great for the sport because Jones and Evans used to train together. That changes things, now they are going to fight against each other. We are in the new era of sport with these athletes like Jon Jones and the techniques they can do. Both guys have a chance to be the winner, and it could come down to who is better on that one night. I am looking forward to seeing this huge fight.”
Randy Couture, two-time champion from Jun 6, 2003 to Jan 31, 2004 and Aug 21, 2004 to Apr 16, 2005
“I think it is going to be very interesting, Rashad has the speed and skills to win. Rashad has to avoid his propensity for standing up and just striking, which he has done in the past. He can’t just strike with Jones; if he does he will lose because Jon has more tools in the toolbox. Rashad has to take Jones down, not just once or twice but every single time he has any opportunity. If Jones is worried about getting taken down, that’s when Rashad can put his hands on him and do some damage. But he has to keep Jon guessing if it is a takedown or a strike that’s coming.
“I think Jones is super-talented and he is clearly getting better in each fight. He could turn into a very special type of champion. He poses some very unique problems in the Octagon – and so far no one has solved too many of them. I think this is a huge fight for the division. “Bones” Jones is very hot right now and with the personalities and the back story, it all hypes this up into a very interesting fight.”
Tito Ortiz, champion from Apr 14, 2000 to Sep 26, 2003
“Jones is looking very good. But Rashad is fast, man, and once he hurts you he’s on you. I’d like to see Rashad use his wrestling and takedowns and really mix it up. I think it will be a great fight.”
Frank Shamrock, inaugural champion from Dec. 21 1997 to Nov. 24, 1999
“This fight has a tremendous story behind it, with it having grown out of a friendship that went sour back when these two were teammates. The drama that’s fueling this is incredible. Fans can expect a fight that, stylistically, will be extremely challenging for Jones to overcome, and he’ll have fits with Rashad’s wrestling if he’s able to put Jon on his back. But ultimately, I see Jones being able to inflict more damage and walk away with the belt still in hand. This will be a fight that will not end as easily and devastatingly as Jones’s others have, but rather one of those moments in his career where he’ll have to pull himself up and battle until the final bell. In the end, this fight will help Jon become a better fighter and a better champion, and will endear himself to fans for years to come.”