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<h3><a href="/go=news.detail&gid=190993" target="_blank">
Rashad talks Kimbo Slioe v Roy Nelson
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<a href="/go=news.detail&gid=190993" ><img class="photo" src="http://img.mixedmartialarts.com/method=get&rs=63&q=75&x=14&y=3&w=310&h=165&ro=0&s=0B2101EB-1D09-6BFC-E517349234A96342.jpg" /></a>
<strong class="ArticleSource">[mmaweekly.com]</strong>
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Evans said his team sat down and evaluated each match-up and felt that Nelson was the best fighter to go against Kimbo. Nelson told MMAWeekly.com last week that he would have rather fought someone else in his first bout.
"I think the decision to put Roy in there with Kimbo instead of anybody else was, everybody wanted to fight Kimbo, but I think they would have got caught up in the mystique of Kimbo. I was like Roy is probably the only one here with enough big fight experience to fight a guy like Kimbo and not get in their head about I'm fighting Kimbo Slice," said Evans.
Evans was not impressed with Kimbo during the evaluation process, but knows now that he may not have been showing his hand, knowing he was going to be picked first by Jackson.
"During the evaluations I thought he was like sandbagging, or just not really that good," said the 30-year-old former UFC champion. "I was kind of surprised at the fact that he didn't really have a good showing at the evaluations. I was like, he has to be sandbagging.
"Now I watched and heard Rampage say just take it easy because you're going to be on my team," he said. "That's probably why he was sandbagging because he knew he was going to be on Rampage's team.
"I was like, that's why when I was watching this guy spar, I was like this dude is sorry," added Evans. "I had him picked number 14. That's how unimpressed I was with how he did at evaluations. Judging based on talent with everyone else there, I was like, you know what? He's the fourteenth best guy here."
Regardless what happened against Nelson, win or lose, Evans admires Kimbo for his decision to join The Ultimate Fighter 10 cast.
"I have a ton of respect for Kimbo for even going in there and putting himself in the position he did because, you know what, he didn't have to do that,"