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#5 Rashad Evans vs. Rampage Jackson – UFC 114
The disappointing fight between Rashad Evans and Rampage Jackson – which in hindsight, wasn’t as horrible as people made out at the time – is a curious case because the hype for it seemed to go into overdrive simply because the fans were made to wait for it for such a long time.
The feud between the two 205lbers began in early 2009 – Rampage defeated Evans’ teammate Keith Jardine and was then pegged to challenge Evans for the Light-Heavyweight title he held at the time. But in the interim, Evans lost his title to Lyoto Machida by knockout.
The UFC were still keen on making a Rampage/Evans fight, however, and decided to name them – you guessed it – coaches for the 10th season of The Ultimate Fighter. The plan worked, as it quickly became clear that the pair despised one another, and numerous confrontations happened throughout the season.
Unfortunately, though, Rampage decided to take a leave of absence from the UFC after the tapings had ended, and the idea of the big fight was shelved. In this instance though, the extended wait only made the rivalry between the two more bitter – and the fans even more desperate to finally see them square off.
When Rampage decided to return in 2010, the fight was immediately booked for UFC 114, and the hype went wild. Rashad called out Rampage for quitting the UFC as he’d quit in his PRIDE fights with Shogun Rua and Wanderlei Silva. Rampage went even further, labelling Rashad an ‘Uncle Tom’. And of course, Dana White promised an instant classic.
In the end, though, the fight was anything but. It started hot as Rashad nailed Rampage with a right hand that had him reeling, but in the end, it came down to Rashad’s wrestling and cardio being too much for a rusty Rampage to handle, despite a late comeback in the third round.
Rashad won a unanimous decision and was labelled a “dull fighter” while many fans considered Rampage washed up after his poor performance. Dana White seemed utterly disappointed with the whole thing, but really, after such a massive hype job anything but a Rocky style fight was always going to be a downer.
