Thoughts On UFC Primetime: Jackson vs. Evans
by Kelvin Hunt on May 13, 2010 10:00 AM EDT
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PrintLast night we got to witness the debut of the third installment of the UFC Primetime show which featured two brand new participants in Rampage Jackson and Rashad Evans. The two previous editions featured Georges St. Pierre as he prepared for BJ Penn and Dan Hardy at UFC 94 and UFC 111 respectively.
I thought last nights show was spectacular.
Almost all casual fans do not realize the importance of this fight, but it's a biggie on a couple of fronts. It will feature two former champions vying for the #1 contender spot in the deepest division in all of MMA. UFC 114 will be the first time ever that two black fighters will be featured in the main event.
The honest animosity between the two fighters is evident and that drove the show. I loved the way they showed Rampage in serious mode to open up the show. That kind of set the tone for me as it appeared that Rampage was all business. Rashad Evans bumping some Al Green in his ride on the way to train was foreshadowing as to how Zuffa would go about weaving intricacies of black culture throughout the show in regards to music.
I thought Rampage came off better in regards to the trash talk, being a former hip hop rap writer, I'm not a fan of the weak wordplay that Rashad associated with quitton. I think Rampage is naturally the funnier of the two, but Rashad probably has him beat when it comes to impersonations which we'll probaby see before the entire show is over.
It looks as though Rashad is in extremely good shape already as this training footage is probably a month old or so. I thought Rampage still looked a little 'out of shape', but again I'm pretty sure the footage has been edited from a while back.
I thought the way they showed Rashad watching the Machida/Rua fight at UFC 113 was great.
The footage they showed of Rampage growing up, primarily his early wrestling days was good as it kind of helped re-introduce Rampage to the fans as he's been gone for quite a while. That powerbomb he did on that kid was SICK, and Rampage should sue the UFC for showing that pic of him with that S-Curl. That was just wrong...lol.
I'm looking forward to seeing the difference in Rampage's physical appearance in the next two episodes, as that'll tell us more about what type of shape he's in. I'm also looking forward to more trash talk and more hip hop songs :).
Yall have any thoughts on the show?
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I only watched a little bit of the show but it almost seemed like the camera angles
were specifically trying to avoid Rampage’ gut. I may just be paranoid but it almost seemed like they were protecting him until he got into shape. Is this seriously the first time two black fighters have been in the main event? How does that happen I wonder?
by doonerthesooner on May 13, 2010 10:11 AM EDT reply actions
I thought it was amazing! Damn i really do wish they would get a huge sponser for all 3 episodes though. I hate the commercial breaks!
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua: UFC LHW CHAMP! Justice is served, 2-0 against Machida!
Mike Goldberg: "You know Joe, When Matt and his brother Mark Hughes were growing up, they would pound each other behind the barn."
I missed it! I fell asleep before TUF began.
- I don’t think there’s any significance to having two black dudes in a MMA main event because they’re both American fighters. And after you look past their national origins . . . a fight is fight.
- Honestly I can barely call Griffin, Evans or even Machida ‘real’ LHW champions. They really didn’t make it past their first title defense and all succumbed to 1st round KO’s. Well yeah, Machida lasted 5 rounds in his first fight with Shogun but . . . I’m just saying.
- Honestly I think Evans rivalry with Rampage is just as strong as Mo Lawal’s heated discussion with Rampage in that YouTube video a while back. They’re both fans of Rampage, he just doesn’t like Quitton getting in his face. Interestingly enough, Rampage revealed that he always liked Wanderlei for his performances. He stated he never hated Silva, he just knew he could get him really angry like in their UFC weigh-in.
‘Page with an S-Curl? Damn I can’t wait to catch that, hopefully an image will be posted soon.
"There's nothing cool about taking punishment" - Floyd Mayweather Jr.
I disagree with your first point
I don’t think there’s any significance to having two black dudes in a MMA main event because they’re both American fighters. And after you look past their national origins . . . a fight is fight.
It is a big deal because it’s NEVER happened. Two things about that:
1) It shows progress
2) It shows how much progress was actually needed.
I read that and was actually shocked. I understand that they’re both American fighters. But it’s crazy to think that in this day and age, that two black fighters have never faced off in a main event.
BTW, not saying you’re wrong. I just disagree.
yea..a fight is a fight
but to say it’s not significant is short-sighted IMO…Blacks have always been a strong base in combat sports like boxing…think of all the champions over the years..from Jack Johnson, Sugar Ray Robinson, Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Tommy Hearns, Hagler, Mike Tyson….Mayweather….for MMA to ever get to the next level…it’ll need the support of the Black demographic….this fight will help do that…that’s why they catered in that direction on this show…
http://www.mmaforreal.com
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. . . probably unnecessarily long response (with errors)
GotHorns and Kelvin,
Two black fighters headlining a combat event is not a novelty, an MMA event yeah sure. I’m just saying at this point in American history, there’s nothing really special about to black fighters headlining a main event. It’s kind of like, we’ve been there, done that. I don’t know how much the support of a black demographic will necessarily help MMA achieve higher heights. There have been a number of great black boxers facing each other in relative obscurity. It really comes down to who’s a huge star. I pay attention to issues and stories about race and American sports, especially boxing, but with all the milestones in recent history, two African-Americans headlining a kind-of-young sport like MMA isn’t that big of a deal compared to the other milestones achieved in sports and entertainment. I’ll channel Chael Sonnen for a second . . . Oscar De La Hoya, a Mexican-American, runs one of the biggest boxing promotion companies and Michael Jordan owns a basketball team . . . a fight? It’s not special, just two dudes punching each other.
I think international fighters competing for a title or specifically American MMA fans tuning in to watch two Brazilians competing is kind of a bigger deal. Demian Maia recently revealed that MMA is not really huge in Brazil, the biggest MMA story there was Anderson Silva’s Abu Dhabi brainfart.
Quick Notes:
- Jack Johnson’s BIGGEST fights were not against black opponents. Not to mention we’re talking about a seriously different time period.
- Everybody knows Larry Holmes biggest payday was against Gerry Cooney. Yeah Don King’s marketing was sleezy and obvious.
- Mike Tyson revitalized the heavyweight division because he had a tremendous story and played the role of heel like no other heavyweight after Muhammad Ali. Even after Cus D’Amato passed away and Robin Givens KO’ed Tyson, he was still a huge star.
- Mayweather Jr. did not become a major superstar until he face Oscar De La Hoya. Floyd didn’t care to face for Mosley 8 – 10 years because he knew no one really cared about two black fighters facing off . . . although ‘real’ boxing fans and pundits wanted to see them fight.
Not that we can really quantify or guage what this fight will do, but I really doubt this particular fight will significantly help MMA get to that next level. I think Mexico will help take MMA to the next level, not to mention Madison Square Garden.
"There's nothing cool about taking punishment" - Floyd Mayweather Jr.
by VeeisAnimated on May 13, 2010 3:03 PM EDT up reply actions
We are talking about two different things
You are talking about how those guys became stars..I’m not.
Of course Jack Johnson’s biggest fights were against white guys…guess who was rooting for Jack Johnson though….BLACK people…
That’s the thing…people tend to cheer for those that they can relate too…meaning of the same race for the most part. So for two black guys to fight in the main event of the largest MMA organization should and will attract more of the black demographic.
If nobody wanted to see two black fighters square off…then why id Ali/Frazier one of the most beloved trilogies ever? Sure there are more dynamics to it than this…but….ask yourself this…
Why is the UFC pushing Rampage Jackson?
Why did they push Kimbo Slice?
Why are they pushing Rashad Evans?
Hell…why did they do a whole season of TUF with two black coaches and one of the most popular black fighters out there in Kimbo?
Why are they pushing Jon Jones? Ryan Bader has knockouts and is undefeated…but hasn’t received near as much attention as Jones…and he’s a TUF winner.
Why do they continue to put Melvin Guillard out there even though he hasn’t really beaten anyone and has had all types of personal problems?
Charles can tell you….although the sample pool is small…more and more of his black friends at least know something about MMA…whereas they didn’t have a clue a few years ago…
http://www.mmaforreal.com
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yep, I see what V is saying but it really does play a big part on the black community wanting to embrace and follow it. When my sister saw the preview for UFC 114, do you know what she did? She immediately called my brother-in-law and told him to save some money so they can order that pay-per-view. It’s just human nature, people tend to gravitate to a sport or something in that manner where they see people like them. It’s not to say that my family will only watch for the black fighters, but when they see two black fighters, in a main event, on a UFC card…they want to watch and by watching they see other fighters and become more and more into it….case and point my dad only watched when Kimbo would fight, guess who his favorite fighter is now? Urijah Faber….big difference there but it’s simply people want to watch people they can relate to (or think they can relate to) and once they’re introduced to it, they catch on that there’s other fighters besides the black ones
by Charles Walker on May 13, 2010 5:26 PM EDT up reply actions
I guess I get it now, I did kinda regain some interest in boxing after the Klitchkos' showed up
It was getting kinda old watching all these black guys beat the ever living crap outta a bunch of slow white guys. That doesn’t carry over to all sports though, the last thing I want is any of my football teams to field a white half back.
by doonerthesooner on May 13, 2010 5:43 PM EDT up reply actions
YO!! I love-hate the Klitschkos.
- Emmanuel Steward will tell you, kind of like with Lennox Lewis earlier in his career. Wladimir can really finish fights but he plays it safer than Anderson Silva. He can really be more aggressive but he drags out fights.
- Klitschko and the recent Olympics kills the whole myth about America this and that. How cool is it and how much progress does this show when the American boxing champion is not American!! AND he’s a freaking nice, well-mannered, educated guy! I freaking love it. Ok, sure he doesn’t sell PPV’s but that’s another story but this is a new story and new era in boxing.
- W. Klitschko fights like Tim Duncan plays. It’s all in the fundamentals.
"There's nothing cool about taking punishment" - Floyd Mayweather Jr.
by VeeisAnimated on May 13, 2010 6:54 PM EDT up reply actions
I get the whole part of people gravitating to their own but I don’t think these guys will really compel an audience to really follow MMA, purchase PPV, etc.
Anecdotes:
The questions I hear from my friends ask when it comes to MMA,
“Is Brock or Kimbo fighting?” I try to explain to them that Kimbo really sucks.
“Oh wassup with ya man Anderson Silva, I heard he’s bugging the f** out?” I reply, yo he’s weird and has some issues but he’s brilliant. Some of my friends are really not trying to hear Fedor but I beg and remind them to check out Fedor on free-tv. And they usually try to determine if he’s a striker or ground specialist. They really do not care for ground specialist because that’s . . . . (you fill in the rest)
"There's nothing cool about taking punishment" - Floyd Mayweather Jr.
by VeeisAnimated on May 13, 2010 6:47 PM EDT up reply actions
Just a different way of looking at the aforementioned fighters.
Quickies.
Why are they pushing Rampage Jackson?
International MMA star, who’s camera-ready and KO’s his opponents.
Why did they push Kimbo Slice?
The same reason they pushed Brock Lesnar, THEY have a built-in audience.
Why are they pushing Rashad Evans?
He’s a TUF2 winner. He defeated TUF1 including one of the TUF1 coaches.
Why have TUF season with ‘Page and Evans and Kimbo?
Kimbo = Ratings even though we know he sucks. And it was the perfect opportunity to promote and market to black folks, I guess.
Why push Jon Jones vs Ryan Bader?
Good question, easy answer. Jon Jones is exciting and he’s doing stuff in the cage that excites his peers.
He is a great young fighter, too damn good, and he’s coming with everything in our division. He is very good in wrestling. I think he and Cain Velasquez are the two guys with the best wrestling in MMA today, together with Georges St. Pierre. He’s a very good wrestler, very dangerous. He’s a guy who will give a lot of people trouble.
– SHOGUN talks about Jon Jones
Guillard? I can’t call it, but he’s young, brash, game for a fight and made some mistakes just like Chris Leben.
I know, most of my friends, who don’t really don’t follow MMA will tune into Rampage, Kimbo and that “dude that put Chuck Liddell to sleep” but for the most part there’s a lot of be said for audience retention if cards do not involve particular stars.
"There's nothing cool about taking punishment" - Floyd Mayweather Jr.
by VeeisAnimated on May 13, 2010 6:38 PM EDT up reply actions
Ford vs. Spratt at MFC 15
Two black dudes – Main Event fight.
Ford’s Canadian and it wasn’t in the UFC with the hype but still, it happened in MMA a couple of years ago.
by The Real T-Bone on May 13, 2010 9:53 PM EDT up reply actions
I'm talking UFC.
That MFC shit don’t count…lol.
http://www.mmaforreal.com
Follow Me On Twitter@MMA4Real
The UFC is like George Bush…right Kanye?
by The Real T-Bone on May 13, 2010 10:01 PM EDT up reply actions
ha
btw…yall peep the new record set the the UFC Primetime show….
http://www.mmaforreal.com
Follow Me On Twitter@MMA4Real
by Kelvin Hunt on May 13, 2010 10:45 PM EDT up reply actions
sparring or beatdown?
Anyone else notice that while Rashad was sparring with either elite fighters or big heavyweights, Rampage was crushing British cans, some of whom looked like welterweights?
Rampage is dangerous, and the Wolfslair seems to have done him some good, but it really reminded me of watching GSP spar with the best in the world while BJ crushed his hawaiin can training partners. And we all know how that fight turned out.
I’m picking Rashad.
No shit Rashad is sparring with Shane Carwin,
Who’s Rampage training with?
by doonerthesooner on May 13, 2010 11:29 AM EDT up reply actions
rashad all the way.
the guy admits he hates to train. he is just going to think his ko power will win him the match. expect a long fight and a frustrating fight for rampage. he does not have the work ethic orpatience to beat evans. this will be easy if rashad plays it smart like koscheck did.
I'm all about covering the spread and moneylines. I was building a house, I don't deserve this, deserves have nothing to do with it. Bang. "Unforgiven" I drink your milkshake. I drink it up! "There Will BE Blood". Hell is just a word, the reality is much much worse." Event Horizon". Now remember, when things look bad and it looks like you're not gonna make it, then you gotta get mean, I mean plumb, mad dog mean. cause if you lose your head and you give up then you neither live or win. That's just the way it is. "The Outlaw Josey Wales". "And that's just what these hustlers look for. They cruise from casino to casino looking for weak dealers the way lions look for weak antelope". Ace Rothstein, The Movie "Casino" 1995.
by wolfmanshowlforever on May 13, 2010 3:02 PM EDT up reply actions
yeah. i completely thought the same thing…..I think Rampage is one of those guys that doesn’t really want to bang in the gym, not with anyone legit anyway. I’ve never heard of him doing any sparring with any name guys…and watching him slap around that one guy who looked like he weighed 140 lbs then berate the other guy for being timid….meh. not impressed.
my ONLY concern is that Rashad’s chin has gotten touched both by Machida and Silva…..and Rampage won’t let Rashad off the hook the way Silva did.
I think if Rashad sticks to a good gameplan with leg kicks and speed, and DOES NOT let Rampage bait him into brawling in close in the pocket, Rashad takes a decision.
Gatti. Dekkers. Pele. Aoki. Kang. Vanderlei. Basillio. Harry Greb.
by theworldsoldestsport on May 13, 2010 11:42 AM EDT up reply actions
agreed, I really think he can use the same gameplan he used against Silva for the most part
While they are not exactly the same fighter their styles and strengths are similar. Rampage is better stand up and Silva I think has a better top game, but that’s about it.
by doonerthesooner on May 13, 2010 11:55 AM EDT up reply actions
We already know Evans game plan
We know Rashad Evans will avoid simply standing in front of Rampage. He more or less said as much. He will definitely attempt takedowns and get into a clinch with ’Page against the cage like Dan Henderson did. Why not? I would try my best to take Quinton out of his comfort zone, slow him down and control the pace of the fight. He may exchange a little bit just to see what Rampge offers him but I expect to see Evans pick his shots in and out to frustrate a probably impatient Quinton Jackson. He has no interest in repeating the 3rd round against Thiago Silva.
The only surprise that Evans can provide in this fight is leg kicks. But that would be a mistake because his limbs are not as long as Griffin or Jardines.
"There's nothing cool about taking punishment" - Floyd Mayweather Jr.
by VeeisAnimated on May 13, 2010 12:22 PM EDT up reply actions
did the same thing VeeisAnimated did and fell asleep…blame my wife for having to watch the America’s Next Top Model finale and it being 2 hours…woke up when the replay of TUF came on :(
You have to give up being Remote Nazi when you get married?
That doesn’t go for football season too does it?
by doonerthesooner on May 13, 2010 4:32 PM EDT up reply actions
I’m all good for playoffs, but regular season, gotta distract her
by Charles Walker on May 13, 2010 5:10 PM EDT up reply actions
!["I remember one other thing he [Rashad] was doing - he was punching me in my knee! It was weird because I had suffered a real bad knee injury in camp but we kept it secret, we didn’t say anything about it and we didn’t even tell the UFC."
"I told my doctor and that was it, he helped me out but I was going to back out of the fight. The only reason I didn’t back out was the fight had been so hyped and I didn’t want to disappoint the fans. Why was he punching me in the knee though? That’s kind of weird - did he find out about the injury? I don’t know. Its weird."
Rampage Jackson Talks More About His UFC 114 Loss To Rashad Evans.
HT: Fightersonly](http://cdn3.sbnation.com/fan_shot_images/126205/rashad-rampage1_small.jpg)
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