"Sugar" Rashad Evans: He Is a Friend of Mine

It may come as big news to Rashad Evans, but since we are friends on Facebook, I feel that I can state that: "He is a friend of mine."

It could be rather one-sided, but if you know me, you know how I feel about my friends.

I rejoice when they find love and marry, I rejoice when they have a child, and I rejoice when they win fights—especially championship fights.

Rashad has done all these things as I have sat at home, joyfully cheering him on in each of these endeavors.

When awful words hinting of racism rear their ugly heads, and unfortunately they have, I am one of his biggest defenders.

When he is accused of showboating, I tell the stories of the 60's and Muhammad Ali.

Ali, who was once considered a showboat and criticized for his poetic taunts of his opponents, is no longer reviled. He is now spoken of with respect and great reverence.

It is my fondest hope that the same will be true of Rashad in the future.

Surely the same thought is in the minds of his other close friends like Georges St. Pierre, Nate Marquardt, Keith Jardine, and Donald Cerrone.

I may be mistaken, but at one point during his recent fight, Cerrone not only performed the Jackson group's infamous "nipple tweak," but he also did a Rashad-like dodge-and- swagger. Of course, I thought that was just great and would dare anyone in my presence to say that the Cowboy was "showboating."

It would be hard to list all of the things that endear Rashad to me. But, I'll give you a few:

His classy sense of style, his suits, walk-in shirts, his warm manner and charming smile, his love for his wife that is so evident as he embraces her in the octagon after a fight or while sitting next to her in the audience beaming with pride.

How can I explain it as it is pictured in my head, with my words?

And yet, the hardest part about "our" friendship is yet down the road a piece, because it seems like he will be on a collision course with another of my beloved FaceBook friends—Rampage Jackson.

As large as the Greg Jackson stable is becoming, could he also be forced to fight another friend—Keith Jardine?

Suddenly, Grandma Dee has an issue with her much-loved sport of MMA which may inadvertently have her friends facing-off against each other.

What an awful predicament this poses.

How do I choose?

Give up the sport? Nah!

Forget friends and walk away? Nah!

What do I do?

For me, I think this will be a lifelong question—something I will have to live with until I die.

Is there any other way?

No, I only hope that when I am gone, someone will say, "Grandma Dee was a friend of mine."