Jones: Envious, jealous Rashad ducked the fight
Ariel Helwani: How did this fight come about? Jon Jones: The way the fight came about was Dana called me…
Ariel Helwani: How did this fight come about?
Jon Jones: The way the fight came about was Dana called me into his office just a few days ago, and he asked me to fight Rashad Evans at UFC 140. Without hesitation, I said ‘absolutely’. There’s nothing I want to do more than to get past this Rashad Evans chapter in my career, because it’s been a nuisance. He’s been the antagonist in my career.
So, I’m predicting that maybe Rashad thought that I would turn the fight down, knowing that I just got done finishing my title fight. I’m sure he thought that I would say no to him, and I’m sure he would have went with the approach of, ‘Oh well, Jon Jones is ducking me again; he turns down the fight in nine weeks.’
To his surprise, I took the fight, and after I took the fight, he decides that his hand isn’t ready, and he’s going to need more time. So, with me already agreeing with Dana that I would take a fight at UFC 140, Dana called me back and said, ‘Hey, listen, Rashad decided that he can’t compete at UFC 140, what would think about fighting Lyoto Machida?’ And I said ‘absolutely’.
My feet were swollen after my fight, but they are healed now, and I want to fight. My health is good, I’m a young guy, and I want to fight. So I took the fight against Lyoto in nine weeks from now. This is four fights in 10 months against three former champions in the same year. I don’t think that’s ever been done.
AH: Did you tell the UFC that since Evans wasn’t ready to fight in December that you would rather wait a month or two to fight him so you can finally put this beef behind you?
JJ: Well, Dana White basically needed someone to save 140. I didn’t necessarily want to fight at 140, but because it was Rashad, I said, ‘You know what? I would take the fight in nine weeks.’ I’m already in shape. I already know what I want to do. Rashad, predicting that I would say no, he kind of kicked himself in the butt because I said yes, he turns around and says, ‘Oh, I didn’t expect Jon to say yes. I don’t want to fight him that soon.’ So in reality, he’s kind of the one who’s ducking the fight. I feel like he’s ducking the fight.
AH: Is a part of you disappointed that this rivalry will now drag on even longer?
JJ: Obviously all my energy is on Lyoto Machida now. Rashad is just a small part of my being right now. I don’t really think about Rashad that much. But it annoys me. The reason why I took the fight on nine weeks’ notice is because I wanted it to be over.
Like I said, Rashad is the biggest antagonist of my career. He’s the biggest hater. He has so much envy. I don’t write him, he writes me. He harasses me pretty much. He is so envious and so jealous and it’s so obvious, he doesn’t even try to hide it. And after I beat him, he’s going to hate me even more.
So, pretty much the only reason I took the fight is because I thought I was fighting Rashad, and now that I’m fighting Lyoto. Obviously, I’ll get up for Lyoto because Lyoto is a worthy and awesome opponent – way better than Rashad Evans, I think. So to anyone who thinks I would duck Rashad by not waiting, let them know that there’s nothing more than I would want to do than fight Rashad Evans. Dana asked me to fight at UFC 140, so I am doing this for the UFC.