In the opening round of the UFC 114 main event Rashad Evans stunned Quinton “Rampage” Jackson with a quick right hand. Later in the round he was able to use his speed to get a quick takedown to put Rampage on his back. It was a very early, very clear sign that Evans was not going to get blown away early. The second round was more of the same with Evans’ speed presenting problems for Rampage although toward the end of the round Jackson did start to find the spacing to throw a few punches that mostly missed their mark.
UFC 114 Results: Rashad Evans Survives Scary Third Round, Defeats ‘Rampage’ By Decision
In the third round Jackson managed to land a hard shot that put Evans on his back. Rampage followed him to the mat and started landing hard follow up shots that had referee Herb Dean on the edge of stopping the fight. Evans was able to gain some control back before finding a way to scoot his hips out and get back to standing. Still wobbly it looked as though Jackson could pour on pressure and possibly still finish the fight, but fatigue appeared to stop him. Once Rashad recovered he was able to get a takedown and start landing effective punches of his own before Jackson stood up and Evans took him right back down. It was a major turnaround where Evans went from almost finished to taking over the second half of the round with takedowns and ground and pound.
A somewhat disappointed live audience booed the fight at several times as Evans spent much of the fight pushing Jackson into the fence and controlling him without doing damage but it was a safe strategy that led to a clear decision win.
Official scorecards were 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 all for Rashad Evans who will now meet UFC light heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua for the title.
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