Fighters Only

Issue 083

December 2011

All the Head-turning information every mma fan needs to know

MAYNARD TIPS RASHAD EVANS TO TOPPLE DOMINANT JON JONES

Successful UFC lightweight Gray Maynard has endorsed Rashad Evans to defeat Jon Jones when the two finally meet. Karate fighter Lyoto Machida will be the next person to challenge light heavyweight champion Jones, but Maynard believes Evans has the edge between the former training partners, saying: “He’s gonna hit him and Jon Jones doesn’t like that. I saw [Jones] fight a guy... it was after the [Stephan] Bonnar fight, I think. I forgot who it was. But, every time he hit Jones, he turned his back and ran. It was really an eye opener. I was like, ‘He’s got skills but, he doesn’t like to get hit.’”

Maynard, who recently suffered a TKO loss to Frankie Edgar while seeking the UFC lightweight title, is highly familiar with Rashad Evans’ capabilities since the two were roommates while wrestling for Michigan State University. Maynard said Evans’ explosiveness will help him come fight time. “You’ve got a long guy, then you’ve got a more explosive, powerful guy,” explained Maynard. “I’d say Rashad [will win]. You know, he can scramble, he has it all. Jon Jones, you know, he’s had ‘Rampage,’ Bader and a couple different guys. He did a good job, but I don’t think he can beat my boy Rashad.”

KOSCHECK WILLING TO TAKE FIGHTS AT MIDDLEWEIGHT

Confident UFC welterweight Josh Koscheck has said he’ll be happy to fight at middleweight if the money’s right. Koscheck told MMA Junkie that he’d be open to offers if any 185lb’ers were willing to call him out. The American Kickboxing Academy product said: “I’m a money fighter. I want big fights.”

If a fight were to come off, it wouldn’t be the first time he’d competed at the heavier weight having fought on the very first Ultimate Fighter series as a middleweight, beating Chris Leben. Koscheck’s last bout saw him snag a first-round TKO over Hall of Famer Matt Hughes as a last-minute replacement at UFC 135 in September. Prior to that he lost out on the UFC 170lb strap in a five-round decision to a highly effective Georges St Pierre back in December of 2010. Since then, the formerly outspoken 170lb’er has threatened a bout with light heavyweight mainstay Stephan Bonnar over a legal issue stemming from Bonnar’s apparel line, Trash Talkin’ Kids, using the likeness of Koscheck without permission.

“I’m 33,” said the wrestler. “I’ve been fighting for a long time now. I just want big fights. I’ll fight anybody at 185 or 170. I don’t care. I just want big fights, big names.”

$190,000

10 days after the first successful defense of his UFC 205lb title, Jon Jones picked up a 2012 Bentley Continental GT worth around $190,000

1st

Round in which Dominick Cruz broke his hand in defense of his UFC bantamweight title in October. He fought on with the break for another four rounds

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JON JONES AND RASHAD EVANS BEEF

Been going for months and it’s still not getting old

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