Rashad Evans vs. Thiago Silva Likely for UFC 108
With opposing TUF 10 coach Quinton “Rampage” Jackson out for the indefinite future after calling it quits earlier this week, Rashad Evans will instead fight Thiago Silva in “December or early next year,” according to MMA Fanhouse, possibly at UFC 108 on January 2 in Las Vegas.
Evans (13-1-1), following 12-straight wins to begin his career over the likes of Michael Bisping and Chuck Liddell, won the UFC light heavyweight championship last December with a third-round knockout of Forrest Griffin. In his first title defense, Evans was knocked out by Lyoto Machida in May before appearing with “Rampage” as rival coaches on The Ultimate Fighter 10: Heavyweights.
“Thiago Silva is a good fighter, I’d like to fight him and I think he wants to fight me. When I saw him after he fought Keith Jardine, he kind of gave me a nasty look that I interpreted like he wanted to take me on, and I’d like that,” Evans told Fanhouse. “I think I match up really well with Thiago Silva. He’s a great striker, and I love his focus. He’s going to be a challenge, and that’s the kind of fight I want.”
After 4-straight UFC wins improved his career mark to 13-0, Silva (14-1) was matched up against fellow 205-pound contender Lyoto Machida in January but suffered a first-round knockout that propelled Machida into winning the light heavyweight belt from Evans. Silva bounced back last month at UFC 102 with a first-round knockout of Keith Jardine,
The matchup between Evans and Silva is the first rumored for the UFC’s tradition year-end card, which takes place this year on January 2 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
For the latest UFC 108 news and UFC 108 rumors stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com.
Tags: Rashad Evans, Thiago Silva
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very interesting matchup, and i hope it does happen. but going with tradition, i say rashad wins just because he avenges jardine’s losses.
Who has Rashad beat that Jardine lost to? They both beat Chuck, they both beat Forrest, Rashad hasn’t fought Wand or Alexander yet… This would be the first loss avenged since Stephan Bonnar, which was like 4 years ago or something?
they both fought Bonnar 3 yrs ago, goodness Muaythai4dalife, just joking with ya
Rashad needs to go back to his wrestling roots, then i think he can win. Otherwise Silva is underrated and dangerous in his standup. Rashad needs to strike a little and go back to his goods. Greg Jackson better have a better “plan” for this fight than he did in the Machida fight.
Gratz to whoever called this match-up over in the forum.
I was way offbase, thinking that Dana might try to bury this whole Rampage thing with a super-hyped fight between Evans and ANDERSON Silva, not Thiago.
Unfortunately I’m not a big fan of this fight, primarily because I don’t see Thiago Silva having the right skillset to beat Rashad, a slick, counter-punching Greg Jackson-trained wrestler exploding with confidence and experience.
That’s not to disrespect T Silva in any way, I just think that Evans has fought more big names than T Silva has, will grow frustrated with his inability to catch Evans the way he’s caught so many others, and is going to spend a lot of time alternately chasing Evans and trying to avoid takedowns when he’s attempting set-ups.
Hopefully I’m wrong, and this will be a Fight of the Year candidate, but I’m seeing this thing being ugly, and not going T Silva’s way…
stop believing MMAbay jcohl
You state that you aren’t “a big fan of this fight,” yet at the end you say that “this fight will be a fight of the year candidate”, personally if this has the possibility of being the FOTY I’m down for it….
Their only losses have being via KO from Machida, and you have the Jackson Camp revenge thing going for it, both are good on the ground and both have KO power this fight can be hyped, and can end at any moment good choice I believe..
What I meant is that I hope I’m mistaken in my belief in that this fight won’t be pretty, and that it IS a Fight of the Year candidate.
Personally I think this will be not a great fight to watch, unless you’re a fan of counter-punching and cage positioning.
Apoligies if I didn’t post that clearly.
And for the record, I came up with the Anderson Silva fight and posted it on our forum BEFORE any other non-frenZy site posted on it, thank you very much Sir!
you are very welcome sir
Well lets not base who’s better by who fought bigger names, the only fighter they have in common is Machida which they both lost in the same way KO, and landed little to no punches on him. Thiago has decent wrestling and hands, I believe Rashad has the better of both those areas ,but that doesn’t mean he cann’t take him down or knock him out, Thiago has the better ground game, I mean if I had to rate a few skills from 1-10 for both it would look like this
Thiago
Strenght- 7.5
Power- 7
BJJ- 8
Wrestling- 6.5
Rashad
Strenght- 8
Power- 8
BJJ- 5
Wrestling- 8
Overall I do not see this as a “walk through” for Evans maybe a split decision or unanimous decision for Evans, I can see Rashads out pointing Thiago with a few takedowns kind of like the Bisping fight
You can submit those stats on MMA-core.com if it makes you feel speacial.
Ive done it.
i called this fight yesterday, i knew it would happen because Thiago just ko’d Jardine who is Rashad’s main boy. I think a win over Evans could set-up a rematch with Thiago and Machida assuming Machida gets passed Shogun which he will NOT
.
Silva can take out Evans iMO, Evans’s only way to beat Thiago is by using his wrestling which he hasn’t doen since his fight with Tito. Evans for sure has ko power but he has to load up his right hand which makes it obvious that he;s about to throuw that big punch. One thing that Thiago showed me in the Jardine fight is that he has more power than i thought but he still needs a bit of work on his foot-work. Even if Evans takes Silva down SIlva is a ground fighter and is a bjj black belt so. Evans has no subs but decent gNp.
This fight is a toss up in a lot of ways but i’m rooting for Thiago ans believe he’ll get the win,
Yes you did call this fight yesterday, kimboknight4.
I like to admit when I was wrong.
Over in the forum I was calling for Evans-Silva, but of the Anderson variety, not Thiago.
My boy mk4 nailed this one when I was wide of the target.
Gratz, and respect…
shogun has no chance mk4
I wouldn’t say Rua has NO chance, but rather the old “his chances are slim and none, and I just saw Slim get on a train out of town”…
Shogun is going to show everyone that Machida IS and always HAS been overrated, the dude throws a kick here and there and suddenly he’s unbeatable to all you banwagonners. You’ll see when Shogun beats him up and proves me right.
It is strange how Evans seems to always fight guys after Jardine “scouts them out.”
That said, I’ve never been a fan of Rashad…he used to be SUCH a boring fighter. (the stereotypical wrestler lying on top for position for an entire fight thang), but I will say watching the show is making me a bit of a fan. I’m a big fan of proffesionalism and leadership. These are things that I loved about Serra on Season 4 (as a contestant and later as a coach) and couldn’t stand about Hughes. (both seasons)
Am I a Rashad fan?????
Umm, I’m not a Rashad fan by any sense of the words, but come on, he’s not Gray Maynard. He strikes. i.e. Liddell, Salmon, Griffin, Lambert. One decision and one draw in his last 7 fights.
well if you watched the Huerta /Maynard fight you’d know Maynard strikes as well. Maynards trying
the ufc will def decline in the next year
Nothing to due with the topic, please stop trolling
FR702
What?
Seriously?
THATS what you want to post under your name on this thread?
Don’t hold your breath waiting for that prediction to come true…
this is a bit random, sooo please continue with this thought process I’m interested to read what you have to say on the matter of the UFC declining in the next year….
Please elaborate a little bit with that post.
Its not December 2012 yet is it?
Please tell me I’m wrong: Jordandown = Q = “Fail”
Ok I did some research on ya “Jordandown”, and you have been known to blast Strikeforce’s challenger series (noone knows who these guys are) type comments, when most of us do know who Tim Kennedy is and Cyborg Santos (who had to withdraw from the event)
You made a case that it wasn’t Nick Diaz’s fault for not taking a piss test and that because the CSAC asked for one they are clearly out to get him…
This isn’t the first time you have made this assumption that the UFC is going to decline, you once stated because the “UFC has no stars” and they don’t build talent properly, then you went on to say that Strikeforce’s challenger series won’t last because they can’t build up stars like the UFC can and that the UFC’s reality show helps build stars….
Your first comment under this name was on 5/22/08 and you have posted a few times since, sooo I’m letting you know that I have looked over your posts under this user name and not a single one have you really every brought anything to the thread, well except some type of weak trolling attempts, this is a WARNING either bring knowledgable posts to threads or don’t even bother..
FR702
jordandown – boxing fan?, fauxdor M1 lover?
Amen, brother.
Can I get a hallaleujah from the choir?
Note to self. “Dont pi$$ off or irritate FR cause he will air out all your dirty laundry”
Good on ya man I hate trolls. Espeacially the ones with the hair that sticks straight up.
daym!
UFC Decline in the next year! I don’t know about anyone else but every year goes by with better and better Fights, and the ufc gets better every year, so don’t hold your breath waiting for that “prediction”.
Lets be real here for a second.
While its fun to mock a troll, I just want to post a couple facts on this.
It was either CNBC, Fortune Magazine or Forbes that published a piece valued the UFC anywhere between a quarter billion to a half billion dollar commodity, if sold.
Keep in mind this rating came in the midst of a sh!t-awful economy. Nothing in the article even remotely suggested a UFC decline. Since then, Affliction has folded and handed the UFC a t-shirt selling franchise, or sorts. Thats what we call a win/win anywhere in the business world, when your competition folds AND brings you a deal wherein all concerned will profit.
Currently Zuffa enjoys an excellent relationship with PPV providers and SpikeTV, and they are working non-stop on a network deal. They are also spreading beyond their North American base successfully into the UK, and developing a whole new market for the sport.
The UFC is SO firmly secure at the top of the MMA foodchain, that not only do they have the luxury of picking the network deal of their choice or just walking away, but their marketshare is SO insanely high that the majority of casual fans don’t distinguish the difference between MMA and UFC.
Lets bear this in mind when someone posts stuff like, “the end is near” for the UFC…
I don’t get the Jardine avenger aspect. Evans has fought just 1 guy that has beat Jardine. He never fought Houston Alexander, Wanderlei Silva, or Rampage yet.
here is the theroy, that Jardine gets the first shot at an opponent then Shad comes in and fights this opponent, kinda like Jackson sends in Jardine to scout for Shad (Rashad)….
examples Stephan Bonnar, Chuck Liddell, Forrest Griffin, was then going to be Quinton now (rumored) is going to be Thiago Silva…
there ya have it TimCat
Yes that is a very interesting theory with a lot of truth to it. Funny too! Jardine tastes rashad’s food to make sure it’s not poisoned
I love this matchup dude! This is a great opportunity for thiago silva to jump into the top 5 @ lhw. Thiago will be an interesting test for “sugar” being that thiago is brazilian and jardine nor rashad to well against brazilians(wanderlei,machida and thiago silva)
ok ok i was just joking!
But seriously good matchup for both! Give thiago the stand up edge and rashad should utilize his wrestling and power in this fight.
Jazzkok, that was funny.
I’m just not sold on Thaigo Silva. Really other than Jardine (who really is a good fighter) who has he beat? And I don’t believe that Jardine is the opponent that propels you into super stardom status either. Thiago hasn’t really been tested on the ground at all. And his striking is sloppy (there I said it). He is a power puncher only. I know he has ko victories and that is great. So does Leban, Liddell, Cabbage, and Butterbean, but that doesn’t make them good strikers, it makes them hard strikers. I think Rashad is a LOT faster and will be able to shuck and jive all he wants around Thiago and then take him down at will… we’ll see.
You stole my theory… I guess I just go with ditto.
There is only ONE way I can see the UFC declining any time soon…enough name fighters leave and figure out a way to become self-promoted like boxing. I can see someone like Andersen Silva looking at Floyd Maywheather’s $10 mil. payout and thinking “gee, I headline gigantic pay-per-views…why am I getting 10% of that.”
Please knock on some wood or something…dont turn MMA into boxing.
hey a little off topic but do anyone know why I cann’t register in the forums????
If you are a member you have to be first logged in to post in the forum section.. If you are not a member, please create an account (ITS FREE) and feel free to move about the system and put forth an effort in the forum section, message members, buy a MMAFrenZy shirt
and create your own topics, thx
Still waiting for my frenZy rashguard…
Kris is making FrenZy condoms?
Or did you mean a different kind of rash?
just a whole lotta wow DbiZ
Garrule,
You might be on to something simply because of the how big Anderson’s Ego has gotten. But I don’t think Anderson is nearly as famous sa
gayweather(not giving thisassholeany props by the way) and mma is not boxing.Fighters from around the world are dedicatiing their lives to this sport in hopes of one day getting the call from Joe Silva to come to the UFC. The UFC is huge and is still growing so I don’t think any mma fighter is thinking the way boxers are. Boxers only do business that way because the sport has been in such a decline that they are doing what they can to make money in a sport that isn’t making much money @ the moment. I’m not one to care much about the business side but I doubt, or atleast hope that mma fighters don’t go down that same route.
You register through the main site, look at the the very top of the page, there should be a “sign up” button. You sign up there, then just pop over to the forums.
I realy dont see how Thiago can win this fight. Sure he wont be a pushover for Evans, but I dont think he has enough power or speed to hit Rashad often or hard enough. Regardless of the Machida fight Rashad can take a punch. Silva on the other hand doesnt react as well to getting hit. Evans might not be an elite striker, but he is a solid couter puncher with super fast hans, and good KO power. He should do fine on his feet as Thiago preses forward and either gets blasted by counters, or put on his a$$ by a great wrestler. Granted Silav has some sub skills but it wont be enough against the top game of Rashad. I see a great clash of elite LHW here and Thiago’s new found dedication will make this fight interesting. At the end of the day though I see Rahshad being to fast and to good for Silva to handle.
The reason you can’t see how Thiago Silva can win a fight against Rashad Evans is because he can’t, bud.
I’m not trying to hammer T Silva, nor am I an Evans supporter, but Evans is better coached, a superior athlete, a faster striker, a far more polished counter-striker, has more experience against “name” opponents, and his wrestling will put Thiago Silva’s to shame.
Unless Evans comes into the fight injured, or makes some grievous error in the cage, T Silva is going home with an “L”, no doubt about it…
Il take that as a “yes carls I agree with your post”
Rashad vs. Thiago wow i want to see that! My moneys on Rashad but you never know, the sun shines on a dog’s ass every once in a while.
Although Jardine fought thiago silva and is rashad’s teammate, there’s no way really that he can help rashad prepare for this fight. They went at it for only a minute and the only thing jardine learned is that every brazilian out of chute hits hard
I see Silva taking this fight for one reason and one reason only. He likes making that Pacino scarface face. It makes me laugh so Silva by knockout.
Now I only say that cuz I heard the ufc will decay in the next year. I think if Silva wins and gets to make his “say hello to my lit’le frien” face people will smile and continue to watch ufc. That’s all I’m saying.
I ALWAYS vote against Rashad and he usually ends up winning so I guess I’ll…. No i’ll stick with tradition, Thiago tko rd 2
evans fan he can win this rashad FTWWWWWWWW
This is not cool. Dan Henderson should have gotten another title shot after his wins over Franklin and Bisping. He looked really good in both fights. It’s not fair to have Belfort come in and get a shot only after defeating Franklin.
I gotta go with Silva on this one.
Just to see his scarface celebration at the end. loll
please Thiago is going to run through the 205 weight class, straight up. Griffin, Evans, Vera, Rampage it is all over. The man is a freight train and will run over everyone in the Lh class. Plus he is a much more refined fighter than rashad. Thiago is like the cool and cunning samurai, evans is more of a viking who doesn’t have as much intellect in fighting as silva. The chimpanzee style of JK did nothing for him and he was KOed in the first round. the break dancing style of rashad will not do anything for him just as the herky style of jardine did not work. The only 2 fighters in the light heavyweight division who can beat Silva are Shogun and Machida simple as that. Thiago equals domination
Rashad just lay down because Thiago is a lion and you are the mouse. Thiago is preying on everyone in the 205 pound weight class. Thiago goes in there and he is fighting for his wife and only for her to make her happy. This man has been throgh hell and back and he will find his heaven. May the lord bless you Thiago and make you fruitful in all of your ways and your wife as well.