In the best-promoted grudge match since Ken Shamrock and Tito Ortiz did battle in 2006, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Rashad Evans finally squared off at UFC 114: Rampage vs. Evans.
Both have shown explosive wrestling ability, dominant strength and knockout striking prowess–they have also both held the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. And as they fought to end a feud that reached a boil when the two performed as opposing coaches on season ten of “The Ultimate Fighter,” the two would also be vying for the chance to fight Mauricio “Shogun” Rua for the title.
Results of the epic encounter follow:
Save for a scary moment at the beginning of the third round, this fight belonged to “Sugar” Rashad Evans. After rocking Rampage with an early first round punch, the relentless Evans applied pressure throughout, bullying Rampage into the cage with a tight clinch.
In addition to allowing Evans to secure some takedowns, the speed advantage also created a problem for Rampage on the feet. For much of the first two rounds, Rampage struggled to find a rhythm on his feet, and he was unable to punish Evans with his normally-dangerous hands. And though he defended all but one early takedown attempt, it is not as if dealing with Evans’ pressure against the cage was not taxing.
Round three marked an opportunity for Rampage, who dropped Evans with relentless shots to the head. Rampage pounced on the downed Evans, but he was unable to secure the stoppage. From that point forward, Evans regained control of the fight, getting back to his feet and then scoring some big takedowns to put an exclamation point on what was sure to be a decision victory.
Rashad Evans b. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
COMPLETE UFC 114: RAMPAGE VS. EVANS RESULTS
Ryan Jensen b. Jesse Forbes via submission (guillotine) at 1:06 of Round One
Aaron Riley b. Joe Brammer via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Cyrille Diabate b. Luiz Cane via TKO (punches) at 2:13 of Round One
Melvin Guillard b. Waylon Lowe via TKO (strikes) at 3:28 of Round One
Efrain Escudero b. Dan Lauzon via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-27)
Dong Hyun Kim b. Amir Sadollah via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
John Hathaway b. Diego Sanchez via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira b. Jason Brilz via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Mike Russow b. Todd Duffee via knockout (punch) at 2:35 of Round Three
Michael Bisping b. Dan Miller via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Rashad Evans b. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)