By: Raul Rangel
April 23, 2012 – Every once in awhile in MMA, there comes a time when a feud between two bitter rivals outshines everything else leading up to fight night. These are the types of matchups that bring casual and hardcore fans together – mega fights, so to speak. This past Saturday night, two former training partners stepped into the octagon for the main event at UFC 145 with all eyes on them with Jon Jones taking on Rashad Evans for the UFC light heavyweight title.
Leading up to the fight, practically all the marketing focused on the fact that the two had trained together at Greg Jackson’s gym during a time when Evans was riding high at the top of the sport, champion himself while Jones was still coming up as a talent yet relatively inexperienced newcomer. As time went on, life would get in the way and things would change between the two. Long story short, Jones would get his opportunity to become champion and make the most of it while Evans would leave the Jackson camp with eyes on restoring his own momentum while training with the Blackzillians down in South Florida.
As for Jones and Evans in particular, people can try and pinpoint where their “friendship” ended but the fact of the matter is that they’ve become more nemesis to one another than actual friends or mere competitors – blasting each other as “cocky” or “out of control” when it came to their own individuals egos – both of which have them as great fighters usually do. Whatever the case may be, both these guys wanted badly to be the superior fighter when they finally stepped into the cage.
For me, I thought this dynamic was very reminiscent of a rivalry that happened 40 years ago between one-time good friends turned enemies, Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier.
According to an article on ChicagoNow.com, Ali and Frazier weren’t always the rivals which they’ve been defined as. “Joe Frazier was a friend to Muhammad Ali, giving him much needed money privately, and possibly more importantly, a much needed voice of support publicly” during Ali’s refusal against going to war in Vietnam after he was drafted in 1967. “This was of course not a completely selfless act on Frazier’s part; many considered Ali the “true champion”, and Joe wanted the opportunity to cement the legitimacy of his crown” but no matter what his motives, he helped Ali in a time of need prior to one of the greatest rivalries the sport of boxing had even seen.
Jon Jones and Rashad Evans aren’t there yet as far as having the same kind of rivalry but they’ve got all the makings of a rivalry in the making – a good story, a championship at stake, and people that want to give their feud attention – both celebrities and casual fans alike. Of course it’s not as grand as the Ali/Frazier story just yet but could be down the road if Rashad can climb back up the mountain and dethrone his would-be nemesis.
Speaking of the fight, in the end, Rashad “Suga” Evans came up short In this one. The young champion in Jones proved his dominance yet again in this one.
Yet rather than offering a contrite admission of defeat or a typical congratulations to his former friend, Evans only expressed disappointment in his own performance and said that he would be back to face the champion once again.
It doesn’t sound like this feud is ending anything soon.
What do you guys think? Can Evans prove to be Jon Jones’ version of Joe Frazier or is “Bones” simply the greatest in this day and age? Sound off with your thoughts.