Thiago Silva vs. Rashad Evans

On January 2nd, after we’ve shaken off our hangovers from new years eve, we’ll get to watch a showdown between the two latest victims of Lyoto Machida. Rashad Evans will be looking to get back to his winning ways after he had his 14 fight unbeaten streak put to an abrupt end back in May.

Originally scheduled to face Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Rashad now finds himself up against Thiago Silva, who’s fresh off a devastating knockout victory over Keith Jardine. Keith Jardine is Rashad’s good friend and training partner so one can only assume that Rashad will have some additional incentive to avenge his friends loss.

In terms of how these guys match up, both have knockout power in both hands and both aren’t afraid to stand and bang. Mind you, Rashad tends to move around the octagon quite a bit and he waits until he sees an opening before he explodes.

Thiago Silva on the other hand seems to be a little more aggressive, which is most likely the result of the years he spent training with the chute boxe academy in Brazil before moving to American Top Team. And on the slim chance that this fight hits the ground, both fighters are well versed grapplers.

Rashad Evans has a base in wrestling as he wrestled for Michigan State University and while the 48-34 record that he amassed during that time isn’t overly impressive, he’s blended that wrestling base in with his overall style. I mean, if Rashad wants to take you down, there’s a pretty good chance that he’s going too – just re-watch his fight with Stephan Bonner.

As for whether or not he’d want to take Thiago Silva down however, now that’s a different story. Thiago Silva holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, which is surprising to most people seeing as how he likes to keep the fight standing and knock his opponents out using his Muay Thai skills – about 80% of his opponents to be exact.

As for how this fight will play out, this one is tough to predict. Both fighters have only been defeated once, and both of those defeats were at the hands of Lyoto Machida. And a fighters first loss, especially if that loss was a devastating knockout, it’s always interesting to see how he will rebound from it.

For some, it’s the best thing that could possibly happen and it gives them newfound motivation to train harder and for others, that first loss triggers a depression, a downward spiral and the fighter is never the same. We’ve had the chance to see Thiago rebound from his loss when he absolutely destroyed Keith Jardine at UFC 102 back in August.

As for how Rashad will deal with the loss, that remains to be seen. Thiago is yet another tough test for him but then again, with the way the UFC has been cutting fighters, and with the light heavyweight division being as stacked as it is, there really isn’t any easy fights to give him.

With both of these fighters being as well rounded and hungry as they are, this is a really tough fight to call. I imagine that come fight time, the betting lines will be nearly even and if they’re not, I suggest that you put some money on the underdog because this one can easily go either way. This one is as close to a coin flip as it gets.

Forrest Griffin vs. Rashad Evans

Who would have thought the ultimate fighter reality series would produce so much talent. As a matter of fact, up until only recently, being a contestant on the show was almost looked down upon by the non-reality series UFC roster.

Well, thanks to guys like Forrest Griffin and Rashad Evans, fighters coming off the show and into the UFC are now getting a lot more respect. Having both recently taken out former top ranked fighters – Forrest over “Shogun” and Rashad over Liddell – this showdown will certainly be interesting.

I’m calling this this as the fight of the night right now – and that’s saying a lot considering just how stacked UFC 92 is. As we all already know, Forrest Griffin is a workaholic warrior who just keeps pressing forward. It’s that never-say-die mentality that has got him where he is today.

Forrest Griffin isn’t the greatest wrestler, he isn’t the greatest striker, nor is he the best submission artist – yet he’s the champion in arguably the most competitive division in the UFC. How does that happen? Well, it happens as a result of work ethic and “heart”.

Rashad Evans – who up until this point has yet to be defeated in his 13 fight MMA career – embodies similar characteristics. Having gone to decision in nearly half of his fights, he’s no stranger to going into “deep waters” with a game opponent – which will likely happen against a guy like Forrest Griffin.

So How Do Forrest Griffin and Rashad Evans Match Up?

Neither of these guys is a “master” in a specific fighting style. They’re both just well rounded, really tough guys with a lot of heart. If there’s any standout advantage, it would be Rashad with his wrestling ability. Rashad is a much better wrestler than Forrest – and most of the light heavyweight division for that matter.

As for whether or not it will make a big difference in the fight, I’m not so sure. While Rashad Evans is the better wrestler, Forrest Griffin will likely be the bigger of the two as he walks around and cuts weight from around 240lbs while Rashad looked pretty small compared to Chuck Liddell in his last fight.

Of course, you could throw a wrench in that theory by pointing out that Rashad used to fight (and toss guys around) at heavyweight. Just look how Rashad was able repeatedly slam Stephan Bonnar when they fought back in 2006.

Both Forrest Griffin and Rashad Evans are fighting out of great camps so you can rest assured that they’ll both be entering the octagon with very detailed game plans. And speaking of strategy, one thing worth pointing out is the fact that the last man to defeat Forrest Griffin was Keith Jardine – who just so happens to be one of Rashad’s team-mates.

This is one of those fights where it’s extremely hard to predict a winner. The only sure thing in this fight is that both fighters will give it their all and of course, Rashad’s wife will be sitting somewhere within the first few rows screaming at the top of her lungs.

Rashad Evans vs. Chuck Liddell

Set to headline the UFC 88 card in Atlanta on September 6th, the Chuck Liddell vs. Rashad Evans showdown is an interesting match-up to say the least. Both fighters have a lot on the line. Liddell, who’s coming off an impressive victory over Wanderlei Silva, is in a sense, fighting for his legacy. He’s turning 39 in December and one would think he’s nearing retirement (although you never know). After going 1-2 in his last 3 fights, he needs a win over Evans to get himself back into title contention.

However, as his near perfect 11-0-1 record indicates, getting a “win over Evans” is no easy task. Granted, Evans has never faced an opponent as tough as Liddell. If there’s anything we’ve seen that may potentially indicate the outcome of this fight, it’s the two Liddell vs. Ortiz fights. Liddell had no problems finishing off Ortiz in both fights and Rashad and Tito have nearly identical skill-sets (as seen when they went to a draw at UFC 73).

Here’s Where It Gets Interesting

Although Rashad and Tito “had” nearly identical skill-sets, Rashad Evans has been working with Kru Phil Nurse. Phil Nurse is a Muay Thai champion and he’s the man behind the much improved striking of Georges St. Pierre. Rashad has yet to fight in 2008 and being the gifted athlete that he is, he’s always improving. While on the Ultimate Fighter reality show, he was primarily a wrestler who could box a little bit. Since then, he’s been constantly improving and has now evolved into a mixed martial artist.

It’s also worth mentioning that Chuck Liddell’s latest defeat was at the hands of Keith Jardine – who is one of Rashad’s training partners. Both fight out of “Jackson’s Submission Fighting” and if they beat Liddell once, who’s to say that they can’t devise a game-plan to do it again. When you consider the fact that Liddell had a hard time defending Jardine’s Thai-style leg kicks and you take into account all the Thai boxing that Rashad’s been doing with Phil Nurse, it makes for an interesting match-up. And of course, you can’t forget the fact that Liddell was sidelined due to a severely torn hamstring, Rashad was in the gym training with some of the best fighters in the world.

So Who’s Going To Win?

I hate the sites that “pick the winners”, so I’m not going to just throw out a random guess. I honestly don’t know who’s going to win so I’m not going to pretend too. Chuck Liddell always seems to prove me wrong. When I pick him to win, he loses and when I pick him to lose, he wins.

I’d say the best thing for you to do is to consider the facts and of course, consider how the betting odds weigh against those facts. Make the appropriate bet based on that. And of course, as always, trust your gut instinct.