Rashad Evans: Randy Couture is a step down in competition
Now that bitter rival Quinton Rampage Jackson has officially called it an MMA career, Rashad Evans is in search of…
Now that bitter rival Quinton Rampage Jackson has officially called it an MMA career, Rashad Evans is in search of a new opponent. The former champ has plenty of options considering the depth his division carries, however opted to turn down a fight against Randy Couture to pursue a younger Thiago Silva.
That was a matchup that I didn’t think was good for me, Evans recently told MMAFanHouse. He’s 46 years old and coming off back-to-back losses as a heavyweight, and I feel like beating him wouldn’t move me up the rankings as a light heavyweight. Plus, I would have had to take that fight on short notice, in England, and it felt like I’m being punished because Rampage took a movie.
I think I matchup really well with Thiago Silva. He’s a great striker, and I love his focus. He’s going to be a challenge, and that’s the kind of fight I want.
No disrespect to Randy, because we all love Captain America, but Evans is right. The former champion clearly sees the big picture and isn’t looking to add a Hall of Famer to his resume just for kicks. He wants the title back and the only way to get there is by destroying the division’s current top dogs, not its prior ones.*
Thiago Silva is a good fighter. I’d like to fight him and I think he wants to fight me, Evans said of the explosive American Top Team product. When I saw him after he fought Keith Jardine, he kind of gave me a nasty look that I interpreted like he wanted to take me on, and I’d like that.