I know he was promised a title shot if he beat Rampage. But with Shogun reinjuring his knee it looks like they wont meet until the middle of 2011.
Shane Carwin was promised a title shot if he beat Napao. But when Brock got sick, he ended up fighting (and destroying) Mir instead of sitting. But Rashad has chosen to sit out the entire year for his title shot.
I like Rashad & always did. And I know he earned his title shot by beating Thiago & then Rampage. But sitting out that long does zero to keep the fans interest in him. Especially to the casual fan. He's certainly within his rights to sit & wait for Rua to get healthy, I'm just not sure it's the best move.
Depends who else they may want him to fight while Shogun recovers, IMO. Rashad may feel that this is his best chance at getting the title back but I agree that it probably isn't the best move for him overall. If I was him I would probably try to get a fight with Randy or something, LOL.
"Randy beat my boy Jim Toney who as yall KNOW, I picked to win. Randy you done embarrass me for the last time. Now Imma fight that Randy Dana White. Zuffa make it happen. Whut whut"
thats how RAshad talks, or at least how I hear it when he talks
^^^no shit, now there's actual money on the line and people are paying attention lol
Wasn't Werdum waiting on a title shot when he fought JDS? Look what happened there 
JTRipper - Wasn't Werdum waiting on a title shot when he fought JDS? Look what happened there <img src="/images/phone/post_tag.png" alt="Phone Post" border="0" style="vertical-align:middle;"/>
Shit happens. Sitting out over a year is crazy. He could easily wait his year, and get injured just before the fight, you never know.
Is this the last time he will get a title shot? Hard to tell.
This is the downfall of the title shot orientated system.
I want to see top guys fighting 3 times a year as advertised.
explodin -
Remember when chuck took that fight with babalu @ ufc 40 and risking his title shot? He took that fight against such a dangerous opponent and risked everything. The ufc ain't what it used to be.
Why I have so much respect for guys like Hughes, Liddell, Franklin and a few other "old school" champions. Now you have champions or contenders that fight once, maybe twice a year. Or sit out a year to wait for a title fight. And then when they lose they'll use the ol ring rust excuse. Well no shit jerkoff you sat out a year waiting for a title shot.
He must be making pretty good $$ outside the ring to be able to sit around for a year and a half waiting. Not sure how great a fight this will be when two guys try and shake off 1.5 years of ringrust
He made a couple of million for fighting Rampage so I am sure he has a few bucks to live on for the next year ½.
The fight with Rua is money in the bank. Fans will want to see if Rua comes back healthy and is still the fighter he once was = Good PPV buy. If Evans wins not only does he win the title and a nice (PPV cut/bonus) but he gets to defend the title and another (PPV cut/bonus). Even if he loses to Rua he will still get a nice (PPV Cut/r bonus), which will be bigger than he can get from fighting any other person at 205 right now.
So his choices are basically sit out for 1 ½ years to make millions or take a fight right now and potentially lose that chance. What would you do?
If I'm in my athletic prime like Rashad, I'd want to be out there fighting making big money. I wouldn't be a mark for a belt.
Yeah, especially since there's a good chance he'll lose.
It's a bad situation and I can't really blame him. 205 is a stacked division and everyone knows that if he were to fight and lose (even if he were to also win one), that shot won't happen.
He's not hurting for money and he has some interest in what happens with Jon Jones, so I don't fault him. It sucks for the fans, but if I were in his shoes I'd probably do the same thing.
If other guys are going to drop off and keep their records safe with an injury - why not?
chuck had to wait awhile and took a fight with babalu if i remember right... great move rashad... your gonna get smoked anyway
Could Dana White not guarantee him a title shot anyway if he fights once before Shogun is back? Win or lose that fight
That's because you'll get cut if you lose.. even if it's short notice.
Yeah, look at Nate Diaz, Marcus Davis, Phil Baroni, Chris Lytle, Clay Guida, Cheick Kongo, Pat Barry, Frank Mir, Nogueira, Rich Franklin, Wanderlei Silva, Chris Leben, Michael Bisping, etc etc etc etc.
If Rashad ends up losing to Shogun, all this time waiting will have been a waste in his MMA career. I think it's gonna be hard to sell this fight aside from it being for the LHW championship. Rua will have been out over a year and Rashad will have been waiting all this time, not keeping himself relevant to the fans.
It's a calcualted risk. No Fight to Shogun means a guaranteed title fight, but risks losing the fan's interest, plus ring-rust. FIghting someone else means he stays in the limelight and stays in fighting shape. But he risks losing or getting injured which means no title shot.
In truth, though I hated it at first, I'm starting to like the whole Interim Title thing. And this is a perfect opportunity for it. Let Rashad fight someone else (Machida?) for the Interim Title and then Unify when Shogun is healthy. It's a win for the fans and still good for Rashad since it gives him his title shot.
Rashad is just applying his fighting style (wall 'n stall) to his career.
JudOWNED - It's a calcualted risk. No Fight to Shogun means a guaranteed title fight, but risks losing the fan's interest, plus ring-rust. FIghting someone else means he stays in the limelight and stays in fighting shape. But he risks losing or getting injured which means no title shot.
shit he has a yr to prepare for this dude.
Retard is correct.