Rashad Evans Shows Respect For Former Opponent Jon Jones
Rashad Evans will now be a UFC Hall of Famer, coming off the back of a legendary career. However, out of the many great fighters he faced, he never got the win over Jon Jones.
Evans was once a training partner of Jones. The two turned rivals when Jones was granted the opportunity to fill in for Evans in a short notice title bout. The two would experience a split in their relationship, one that turned vicious at times. Once they met in the cage, Jones would see a dominate decision victory.
Seven years later, the rivalry seems to have subsided. The two have been seen having conversations together, confirming that observation. Recently, Rashad Evans even spoke to TMZ to discuss his respect for Jones, stating he was the best opponent “Suga” faced.
“Without a doubt, Jon Jones. When it comes down to it, I think that Jon Jones is the best in history. When he’s inside the cage, he’s dynamic. He’s got some skill. But, I would say technically speaking, he’s probably the best fighter.”
Evans would go on to discuss just how special Jones was. He would go on to describe how the loss made him question his ability to be at his level.
“When you fight guys that good, you feel like after the fight is over, there’s another level that I need to get to. You don’t feel like, ‘aw man, I had a bad day.’ You just feel, ‘man, I need to get to another level to be able to beat this guy.'”
Rashad Evans retired last year, and is a rightful induction for the HOF. He had several contributions to the sport, including for a time, this rivalry with Jones.
