Jones and Evans in heated verbal confrontation on UFC Ultimate Insider
Jones began by responding to a question regarding whether or not he seriously thought he’d ever fight Evans when he…
Jones began by responding to a question regarding whether or not he seriously thought he’d ever fight Evans when he first started training with him at Jackson’s MMA:
“No. You know, I knew we were both top guys, and I knew it was kind of a possibility, but I really set it aside. I really ignored it. I was really honored to be a part of the program.”
That was how things started; innocent enough. But the rivalry became a reality when Jones won the belt, by defeating Maurico Rua at UFC 128 in Newark, New Jersey, on March 19, 2011. It set the stage for a match up against his stablemate, causing Evans to pack up his things and leave Jackson’s MMA.
According to Jones, the drama was avoidable:
“Greg, he said, basically, Rashad is always welcome back. You know, Rashad will always be like a brother to me. You know, he spoke so highly of Rashad. On numerous occasions, he really did everything he could to keep some type of rapport. On the other hand, you have Rashad, who’s bashing the program and the history –“
It was here that Evans’ fangs came out. In his mind, a correction was in order:
“–The history? I made that history! What are you talking about? I’m the one who helped make that history! You’re the one who came into it. You came into it! Don’t talk about the history, when you have no roots in the history! Don’t talk about — I helped make Greg Jackson! I helped make him the reason why you even wanted to come there and train. So, don’t talk to me about the history of the team, bro! Don’t talk to me about the history of the program because, motherf*cker, I made that program!”