• UFC 134

'Shogun doesn't have the best conditioning' - Rashad

ESPN staff
August 24, 2011
Forrest Griffin has the psychological edge over Mauricio Shogun Rua at UFC 134, according to Rashad Evans © UFC
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Rashad Evans believes Forrest Griffin already knows he can beat Mauricio Shogun Rua at UFC 134, because he "took something with him" after breaking the Brazilian in their first fight.

Griffin inflicted defeated upon Shogun in the former PRIDE man's UFC debut, choking out Rua in the third round. Shogun looked shattered at the climax of the fight, something that was partially put down to conditioning and partly due to knee problems.

Evans, who has beaten Griffin, believes Shogun has shown his conditioning isn't up to scratch, and he predicts that will be a major confidence boost going into the co-main event.

"You know, Forrest is going to go in there, and Forrest is going to push the pace," Evans told TapouT Radio. "Let's be honest here. Shogun does not have the best conditioning. I think that was a problem in their first fight, and I think it's going to be a problem in this second fight.

"There's something that happens in a fight sometimes, and the way Forrest beat him the first time, he took a piece of him with him. And when you take a piece of somebody with you…well, Shogun recognizes that.

"I think they might pick up right where they left off, because there's no fear. That's gone."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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