• UFC 126

Rashad could drop to 185 when Jones 'smashes' Rua

ESPN staff
February 7, 2011
Rashad Evans has been ruled out for six weeks with a knee ligament strain © UFC
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Rashad Evans has revealed he could be looking at a future showdown with Anderson Silva, admitting he will consider a move to middleweight if Jon Jones wins the UFC light-heavyweight title.

Evans and Jones train together at Greg Jackson's gym, and they have both vowed never to share the same Octagon, much to the dismay of UFC president Dana White.

Ironically, due to a knee injury to Evans, Jones' journey to a title shot has been accelerated, with the UFC confirming he will take on Mauricio Shogun Rua at UFC 128. That would leave No. 1 contender Evans in limbo, and he admits he would have to consider other career paths.

"I'm still not going to fight Jon," Evans told MMA Live. "I will always find something to challenge myself. I will go up to heavyweight or down to middleweight. But I will not fight Jon."

Elaborating on how he sees the March 19 championship showdown going, Evans told Shogun he has no chance of beating his 23-year-old team-mate.

"I'm happy for Jones, I think it's a great fight for him. I think Jones is going to smash Rua," Evans said after Jones choked out Ryan Bader.

"Training with Jones in practice, he's one of the best guys I've ever trained with. The level he's gotten to so fast is scary and alarming. He's one of those guys at the gym, he'll be the first one there and the last one to leave. ... He's hungry, he wants it, so I'm glad if it's going to be someone to step into my place, I'm glad it's him."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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