Evans routes Davis, earns shot at rival Jones

By Anthony Springer

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans made the third time a charm. After missing out on title shots due to injuries, “Suga” is on the verge of facing Jon Jones. All he had to do was defeat prospect Phil Davis in a one sided decision win in the feature UFC on Fox 2 bout.

The pair went back and forth throughout the week. When Evans called Davis’ wrestling technique “trash,” many (this writer included) thought he’d lost his mind. However Evans proved that despite lacking the collegiage credentials of Davis, the vet indeed has better MMA wrestling.

Davis was caught in a crucifix late in the first round and peppered with punches. It went downhill from there. Davis’ grappling was nullified; his striking non existent. He was a fish out of water and Evans took full advantage. Some hard right hands in the later rounds bloodied the mouth of Davis.

“I felt like I wanted to put him a way and I didnt get a chance to land those big punches,” Davis said after the bout.

Evans showed a complete range in his arsenal, besting Davis on the feet and taking his back a few times when the bout hit the man. When Davis was able to score a takedown, Evans prevented the collegiate wrestling standout from doing much damage.

All three judges scored this bout 50-45.

The win sets Evans up for a UFC 145 showdown with Jon Jones, the UFC announced today.

“I’m excited. It was hard to focus on this fight when everybody started talking about [the Jones] fight.”

Sonnen rolls to victory over Bisping, faces Silva in rematch

Chael Sonnen punched his ticket to a rematch with Anderson Silva, defeating Michael Bisping by unanimous decision in the night’s co-main event. Sonnen pushed the pace from the outset scoring a takedown in the opener. Bisping, to his credit, was able to get back to the feet, but Sonnen used his wrestling credentials to keep the fight at close range. “The Count” had better luck in the second stanza, busting Sonnen up with some strikes. Sonnen came out resurgent in the final round, scoring an immediate double leg takedown. He spent the bulk of the final frame in top position and landed some crushing blows in the final moments. The judges scored the bout 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28 for Sonnen. When Joe Rogan entered the ring, Sonnen the showman emerged. “I want to know how you feel being only inches away from greatness? Sonnen asked Rogan. Are you not mesmerized?” The Silva-Sonnen rematch likely takes place in Brazil later this year.

Weidman tops Maia in uninspiring affair

It wasn’t exciting. It wasn’t really competitive, and the judges still found a way to get it wrong. Chris Weidman stayed unbeaten in a surprising split decision win over Demian Maia. The jiu-jitsu ace abandoned the technique that brought him to the dance in favor of wild, sloppy striking. Weidman, who took the fight on just 11 days notice, brought the fight to Maia from the outset, scoring takedowns in each round. In the striking department, a visibly tired Weidman scored with jabs that kept Maia off balance. The judges scored the bout 29-28, 28-29 and 29-28 for Weidman who scores the most high profile win to date.
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January 28th, 2012

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