Rampage-Rashad Rivalry Settled for Now

One of the more memorable rivalries in the recent history of the sport may not be completely over, but the “pause” button has certainly been pressed while each participant goes his own way: Rashad Evans to a title fight with reigning UFC 205-pound champ Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson to a fight that he hopes will put him back in the mix at the top of the weight class.

Whether the fight itself lived up to the hype depends on your expectations.  Those believing that the trash talk beforehand would translate into an all-out brawl in the cage were surely disappointed, and many of them have since taken to forums to whine that the idea of using strategies in MMA fights aside from slugging it out and waiting for the other guy to fall have hurt the sport.  However, if you have paid attention to Rashad Evans’ career, you knew two things going in: that he would decide the pace and complexion of the fight, and that he would fight to win, not necessarily to vacate Rampage of his senses.

Now, if you are going to say that you were disappointed by the outcome, I won’t argue with that.  Who am I to tell you what you should want to see in an MMA fight?  I enjoy a good brawl like anyone else does, and explosive knockouts are part of what got me into the sport, just like everybody else.  The one thing that I don’t want to hear is that Rashad’s grappling-heavy strategy somehow proves that there was no real dislike between the two fighters.

Like I said, if you have paid attention, you’ve seen this before with Rashad.  While I doubt that Rashad has any real “hate” towards any person, he certainly was not happy with Thiago Silva leading up to their fight.  Silva mocked the man who is perhaps Rashad’s best friend in the sport (Keith Jardine) after knocking him out, and that didn’t sit well with Evans at all.  Still, when the fight came, what did Evans do?  He fought a mostly smart fight that took more advantage of his wrestling background than his always-improving standup skills.

The best revenge in this sport is a win, after all.

Would Rashad have been elated to have defeated his nemesis with a highlight-reel knockout?  Of course he would have.  Still, is that a reason to unnecessarily risk suffering one of his own?  Of course not.  We can’t expect these professional athletes to forget that they are taking part in a sport simply because they do not like each other.  If anything, an intense dislike sometimes breeds conditions that lead to a conservative fight, as neither participant wants to risk losing to the other after all of the trash talk has taken place.

That’s not even to mention that Rampage was obviously suffering from a lack of cardio and what many will call “ring rust” throughout the fight.  Fans who were unhappy with the bout are by and large blaming Rashad’s strategy, but seem to have given Rampage a pass for his part in a sometimes-lackluster bout.  Why wasn’t Rampage able to do anything when Rashad had him pressed against the cage?  Why was his timing off, leading to a much less competent display of boxing compared to what we’ve seen from him in the past?  Why wasn’t he able to keep the pressure on Evans after rocking him in the third round?  The answers to these questions aren’t as important as the fact that most fans are not even asking these questions, instead choosing to focus on Evans’ strategic choices.

After the fight, both fighters gave credit to the other, with Rampage only getting a slight shot in by saying that it was “more of a wrestling match than a fight”.  He also said that he respected Evans for being a good fighter, though, and showed surprise that Evans was able to take him down at all.  For his part, Rashad said, “Whenever you go in there and fight somebody for 15 minutes and they give you everything they got, there’s a bonding experience, an exchange in there, and I respect that.”

Rashad’s path from here is clear, but what about Rampage?  There are a number of opportunities awaiting the former light heavyweight champion, including a fight with Lyoto Machida to determine who may get the next crack at the title after Shogun-Evans.  I had figured that Antonio Rogerio Nogueira would be right in line for a title shot after the weekend, but his performance against a very tough Jason Brilz may require another fight or two first.  Personally, I would favor a fight against Nogueira, a rematch against Forrest Griffin, or a fight with Rich Franklin (if he is able to beat Chuck Liddell) for Rampage.  My favorite option of the three is probably a rematch with Griffin. Rampage would be motivated to avenge a loss that bothers him to this day, and one of the two would be able to use the fight to get back on track.

Of course, the doors to a future resumption of the Rampage-Rashad rivalry were left open.  If either approached the other with congratulations or pleasantries after the fight, it wasn’t shown on camera, and both mentioned that they were open to a rematch in the future in their post-fight interviews.  Furthermore, at the post-fight press conference, they had a memorable exchange that revealed that other than deciding which of the two would get the first crack at Shogun, not a lot was settled on Saturday night.  “He did a good fight, but he can still kiss my ass,” Rampage said.  He went on to add, “I’ve been a fighter all my life, but I still ain’t going to forget the stuff he said.  He can kiss my black ass.”  Rashad replied, “I feel the same way.  He can kiss my ass, too.”

Hopefully, the next time the two face off, it will be a five-round fight, and Rampage will be in the mental and physical condition to push Rashad further than he did on Saturday night.  Until then, the two will have to store away their feelings of animosity and any memorable quips they come up with for the inevitable rematch.

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Tags: Keith Jardine, Lyoto Machida, Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua, Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson, Rashad Evans, Thiago Silva, UFC