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| Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (left) vs. Rashad Evans |
LAS VEGAS—Memorial Day weekend is usually a big one in this town, and the Ultimate Fighting Championship brass knows how to capture large groups of fans with the right bait. On this occasion, the second of such seasonal gatherings, the UFC Fan Expo served this purpose with a stacked roster of active mixed martial artists signing products and taking pictures with fans.
Naturally, the weekend peaked with another live event: UFC 114: Rampage vs. Evans at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. The headliner had been put off since September 22, 2009, when Quinton “Rampage” Jackson stated that he was retiring from the sport because of mistreatment. He was originally scheduled to face Rashad Evans, his opposing coach on The Ultimate Fighter, on December 12, 2009 after their May 2009 matchup had been canceled because of an injury.
Instead, Jackson accepted a role in a movie remake of the 1980s TV hit The A-Team, and filming would have interfered with any realistic fight prep. At the time, Jackson’s decision raised debate about the wisdom of such a gamble. Was Jackson hoping to connect with movie audiences the way he does with MMA fans? Quite possibly. Then he stepped into that other, somewhat less black-and-white world and learned how different it really was.
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| Rashad Evans slams Quinton Jackson |
After entering the octagon to the swelling cheers of excited fans (many of whom had just booed Evans during his entrance), Jackson returned to the reality of live combat. Following a yearlong break since his last fight (versus Keith Jardine, March 7, 2009, UFC 96), he had to face Evans, who’d competed twice in that time. Despite talk of ring rust, he refused to allow the accusations to dampen his spirits or cause him to doubt his abilities.
The fight was anticlimactic. Evans controlled it for all but about a minute in the third round, when Jackson’s inner rampager came barreling forth in a flurry of hard shots. Along with his speed and agility, Evans showed a flowing, comfortably snappy attack that confounded Jackson. Evans poked and connected hard, then clinched and worked for takedowns, a number of which he got. Jackson had few answers, especially against the fence, and all he could do was strain for an opening. One real chance was all he had, and it simply wasn’t enough.
Evans won by unanimous decision, and Jackson blamed the filmmaking for interfering with his fighting ability: “I wish I never made the damn thing.” All the same, he accepted defeat with a good, if dejected, attitude, praising Evans without letting go of his pride. And so a long-term rivalry is born.
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| Michael Bisping met Dan Miller in a close match that went the distance. Miller wasn’t fast enough to avoid Bisping’s attacks and got bloodied up, while the Briton bore no visible evidence of having fought at the end of three rounds. The unanimous decision went to Bisping, despite the grumpy protests of some parts of the arena. |
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| Heavyweight Todd Duffee was on everyone’s list to repeat his overwhelming flash win, especially when they spotted Mike Russow looking somewhat less, er, aesthetically sound. Duffee began destroying Russow, but the doughy grappler held his ground and took the punishment. This proceeded until two minutes 35 seconds into the third round when he unloaded a right cross that caught Duffee off-guard and knocked him out. Russow lept over him and added one for good measure as the referee called the fight. The arena erupted in joy at the surprise KO, and Duffee was left to shake his head and lick his psychological wounds. |
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| Antonio Rogerio Nogueira found stiff competition from Jason Brilz, who took him to the ground and quickly assumed a dominant position, from which he worked the punishment game. Nogueira made his best efforts to break free, but Brilz’s tenacity and good cardio allowed him to extend the bout to a decision. Despite a stellar performance by Brilz, the judges awarded a very close split decision to Nogueira. |
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| Diego Sanchez needs to find a new mantra. Seriously. Maybe he should come out chanting: “NO!” Whatever the change is, he needs to make it because suddenly he seems unable to focus his energy into a win. At the tender age of 22, the undefeated John Hathaway showed himself more than capable of socking his seasoned opponent almost at will. Once again, Sanchez found himself peppered with blows he was almost helpless to evade. The battle lasted all three rounds, and the judges saw it the same way, awarding Hathaway the win. |
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