Jones, Evans once brothers now rivals

Every so often there comes a rivalry in sports that goes deeper than what takes place on the field, or in the case of mixed martial arts inside the cage. There have been classic rivalries in MMA, but few have the back-story of the one that headlines UFC 145.

The rivalry between Jon Jones, left, and Rashad Evans, right, comes to
a long-awaited end in the octagon at UFC 145 this weekend.

The rivalry that has grown between UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Johnny “Bones” Jones and former LHW Champion “Suga” Rashad Evans goes beyond the octagon.

It’s a rivalry that was once a strong friendship, a brotherhood of sorts, which took a turn for the worse. It has ended long-standing relationships and changed careers. It will all come to a crossing this weekend in Atlanta.

In August of 2009, Jones joined Jackson’s MMA where Evans trained. The two light heavyweights began to build a strong friendship, with the elder Evans becoming a mentor of sorts to the younger Jones. Just one month after his arrival, Evans began touting Jones as a future champion.

That was where the problem first started. Jones and Evans had both said that they would never fight a member of their own team, which is common amongst MMA fighters that train together. Evans, being a former champ and defeating a who’s who of LHWs, would always be in title contention. And, Jones was well on his way to a title shot.

This is where this friendship starts turning into a rivalry. On March 3, 2011, two weeks before his title fight with Shogun Rua, Jones said during a UFC broadcast “if that’s what he (UFC President Dana White) absolutely wanted (a fight against Evans) to happen, then I guess that’s what would have to happen.”

A day later on MMA Live, Evans responded by saying “I am no punk. If Jon wins the title I got to sit down with the team (Jackson’s MMA) and decide what to do.” Well, Jones defeated Rua on March 19 for the LHW title and subsequently had a stare down with Evans inside the octagon post-fight.

Later that night Evans, who was a mainstay at Jackson’s MMA, announced he was leaving the gym and relocating to Boca Raton, Florida where he formed the now feared “Blackzilians”.

For almost a year there are rumors of a possible collision between the two former teammates, but nothing comes to fruition as Evans and Jones suffer injuries and take on other fights. In early 2012, the UFC announces that Jones and Evans would meet in Atlanta for Jones’s LHW title at UFC 145.

For Jones, this is the most dangerous opponent he may face in his title reign thus far. Not only was Evans there to watch Jones grow into the fighter he is, but he is also the best wrestler he has faced to this point. Both fighters are well-rounded wrestlers and have knockout power.

One difference between the two is Jones’s use of submissions. Jones has used submissions to finish four of his fights whereas Evans has never won nor lost by submission. Wrestling could play a big part in the outcome of this fight, but if the fight is taken to the mat Jones could try to utilize his submission ability.

Expect both fighters to fight with a little more emotion than usual, which could play a major role in how this fight ends especially for Rashad. If he is unable to maintain his composure it can be a quick win for Jones.

Many experts and analysts, not to mention fans, expect Jones to win by submission or KO early in the fight. It is hard to determine how a fight will end, because anything can happen. But, this has the makings of a five-round brawl that can end in a close decision victory for either man. My pick, however, is Jon Jones by majority decision.

Follow me on Twitter @NiteshDutt.