On July 29 after a training session at the Renzo Gracie Academy in New York City, UGO got the chance to quickly catch up with former Light Heavyweight Champion "Sugar" Rashad Evans about his training and his Aug. 6 fight against Tito Ortiz at UFC 133.
Evans has been absent from the cage since his May 2010 fight against Rampage Jackson and has had a constantly changing set of challengers for his upcoming fight. Initially set to fight for the title against Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, Evans decided to wait for Rua as he healed from an injury, but eventually had to pull out of the fight after he himself suffered a knee injury. What followed next was a series of opponents that had to cancel out fights with Evans due to injuries. UFC 133 will be the first time Evans has stepped into the Octagon in 14 months, an extended break for a fighter in his prime.
How is this fight different than when you fought Tito at UFC
73?
He has some more years on him. I have some more time on me,
more experience, better training. I've learned a lot more than when I fought
Tito the first time. I'm in a different place, physically and mentally.
It's been a long road for you; it's been since 2010 since you
last fought and there were a long series of potential opponents for you. You
had Shogun, then you were set to fight Jon Jones, then it was Phil Davis and
now you're at Tito Ortiz. How has your
training had to change as you prepared against those four opponents?
Well it changed a lot from Shogun to Jones, but now for the
most part the training for Phil Davis and Tito Ortiz remained the same because
they both have that wrestling base. That's what I'm trying to prepare for, that's
what I have to watch out for.
Are you nervous for this fight, are you ready?
I'm a little bit of both. I'm anxious, I haven't been in in
14 months, so I'm a little anxious to get in there. I'm a little nervous, a
healthy nervous. But I'm just excited to get back into the cage again.
This is your first day at Renzo Gracie's place. Where else have you been training?
Yeah, this was my first day here. I've been training in Ft. Lauderdale, in Florida. So that's
where I do most of my time and do most of my training. I've got some really
good guys in South Flordia, so I'm happy to be there.
What's the prep for the rest of the time before the fight?
Now I'm just doing media. Toning everything down a bit, just
bringing my heart rate up. All the hard work is done, all the hard work is
done. Now it's a matter of relaxing and just staying focused.
What did you think of Tito's last fight? It was a pretty
decisive victory and it was a quick turn-around time for him (to prepare for
this fight).
It is a quick turn-around time. It was an impressive victory
and he's riding that emotional rollercoaster and he's up on the high right now.
I thought it was a great fight for him, but at the same time it's just whatever
- I'm not overly impressed by it. It was a good win for him.
Seemed to be a lot of celebration for him at the end...
I mean he hasn't won in 5 years, so I can understand the celebration. He was a little surprised for himself that he won. I was happy for him, I was happy to see that he got to stay in the organization and leave on his own terms when he decides to leave.
Thanks for your time Rashad, I know you're a busy man.
Thank you.
