• UFC on Fox 2

Bisping's awesome, but Sonnen will maul him - Rashad

ESPN staff
January 25, 2012
Michael Bisping fought Rashad Evans at light-heavyweight © Getty Images
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Rashad Evans has warned Chael Sonnen that he cannot possibly anticipate how good Michael Bisping is, but he still predicts the American will "maul" Bisping at UFC on Fox 2.

Evans fights in the main event on Saturday against Phil Davis. Victory will book him a shot at Jon Jones' light-heavyweight title.

The former 205lb champion has shared an Octagon with Bisping in the past, when the Brit used to operate at the light-heavyweight limit, and Evans only snuck by him via a decision. Indeed, Bisping still finds plenty of sympathisers to his claim that he beat Evans.

Casting a previewing eye over the Sonnen v Bisping encounter, which sees the winner earn a title shot against Anderson Silva, Evans swatted away the suggestion that it is a one-sided fight.

"Bisping is a scrapper man and that's one thing people don't really realise," Evans told the Bleacher Report. "You can't watch a Bisping tape and get a true appreciation for just how good he really is until you're in there. And by then, it's usually too late.

"He's very tricky and he's a lot better than what he looks. You underestimate him because he doesn't look strong but he's surprisingly pretty strong."

Having complimented Bisping, it shows exactly how highly Evans rates Sonnen that he still predicts victory for the American this weekend.

"For me I think the pressure Chael Sonenn brings is hard to match with his offense, takedowns, ground and pound, hand in the face and dropping elbows and shots," Evans explained. "It kind of wears down a fighter. And, if he does that to Bisping too much, I think he'll be able to maul him."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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