...OH, ONE MORE THING - PLEASE BOOKMARK US & VISIT DAILY!
"I got a lot of fights left in me. I've still got the competitive edge and that's what it's all about. And I still love the sport enough to want to compete. See? You can love the sport, but if you don't love the sport enough to compete you better get out of there... I'm real excited [to get back into the cage]. I've been learning a lot. You've got some of the best stand-up strikers with Tyrone Spong and Alistair Overeem and those guys and everybody who they bring around for their connection back in Holland, so the stand-up game has just gotten ridiculous. And the ground game, you've got Braulio [Estima] and whoever he brings to train with us and you've got Vitor Belfort...the legend. So, you know, there's a lot of knowledge that's getting passed around the camp."
-Rashad Evans, who is expected to return to the Octagon on Feb. 2 at UFC 156 against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, talks to Pro MMA Now about wanting to continue his fighting career for some time, and being excited to return to action (transcribed by BloodyElbow.com).
Penick's Analysis: The Blackzilians camp haven't had the most successful track record since forming, but they're still a very young camp very much in fluctuation as they find out what works best for them. They're all improving the way they do things just by virtue of being together longer and longer, and they'll continue getting better and finding more success as they continue to work together. The variety of talent they've attracted in South Florida is impressive, and Evans was obviously a key component in getting things started there. His return fight with Nogueira isn't the most thrilling matchup choice for his first fight after a title fight, but it's still a good fight in the light heavyweight division. He clearly wants to continue fighting for some time, but finding the right path for him is going to be the key. He briefly flirted with the idea of a move to middleweight, but considering he wanted a shot at Anderson Silva and there's a backlog of opponents there right now, it's a tough move unless he's going there full time. For now, he's going to go one fight at a time until the right path is revealed.
[Rashad Evans art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]
(Attention MMATorch app users: Make sure to upgrade to the latest edition of the MMATorch app on your iPhone, iPad, or Android device!)
Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
STAFF COLUMNISTS: Shawn Ennis - Jason Amadi
Frank Hyden - Rich Hansen
Chris Park - Matt Pelkey
Interested in joining MMATorch's writing team? Send idea for a theme to your column (for Specialist section) or area of interest (i.e. TV Reporter) along with a sample of writing to mmatorch@gmail.com.
