UFC 114 : Rampage Vs. Evans Similar to Ali-Frazier

The ticket name says it all.  The fight isn’t Jackson vs. Evans, but Rampage vs. Evans.  And such a slight and subtle difference is in fact magnificently great when you delve into the matter.  This difference in names represents a difference in title, nobility, and socioeconomic status.  These two fighters from completely different worlds, like Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, collide those worlds this Saturday night to fight for more than just a shot at the title.  They fight for pride, power, and most importantly, for who they are and where they come from.

The circumstances of American culture surrounding today’s society are not as tumultuous as the old Ali-Frazier fights, and so the two different bouts can never truly be equal.  There is not the civil rights unrest there once was, nor the riots, nor the protests. 

But side by side, Rampage and Evans in many respects represent the same factions Ali and Frazier once did.  Saturday night they will once again answer the famous question asked so many years ago, “What happens when a boxer meets a brawler?”

These two UFC superstars have all the reasons in the world to hate each other the way they do—they are, in every way possible, polar opposites.

Their fight then becomes not a battle of fighters but a battle of good versus evil.  A battle of technique versus talent, of education versus experience, and of showmanship versus showing off. 

When you line up Rampage and Evans next to each other any person can discern the differences:

Evans’ nickname is “Suga”.

Jackson’s is “Rampage”.

Evans enjoys a silk tie. 

Rampage--a chain link.

Evans’ resume has a Bachelor’s degree in psychology from a Big Ten university. 

Rampage barely made it out of high school alive.

Evans remains always neatly trimmed, well-suited, clean cut, and articulate.

You can usually find Rampage rocking a five-day-old unshaven beard, hoodie, and mumbling in a thick southern accent laden with the vernacular of an urban upbringing.

These stark contrasts even creep their way into the trash talking the two athletes dish out towards one another. 

When Evans was interviewed about Jackson he noted that he views him as an “insecure boy” and gives him the nickname of “quittin: as a constant state of giving up”. 

Meanwhile, Rampage’s feelings about Evans are much more colloquial and succinct: “You know how you feel like when it’s Christmas Eve?  You want to just go to sleep so you can wake up and open your presents.  I just want to go to sleep so I can wake up and open his face”

As of now there is no telling who is going to win Rampage vs. Evans, but everybody can be sure of one thing come Saturday night.  No matter the outcome, this will not be the final match between these two worlds.  There is no beef to be settled and no disagreement to be sorted out. 

The only blood that will be shed is bad, and so will it remain between Rampage Jackson and Rashad Evans.