A Disgruntled Rashad Evans Lashes Out at the UFC

Rashad Evans is no stranger to controversy. In fact, the former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion was recently involved in a prolonged rivalry, one of the bitterest rivalries in UFC history, with fellow former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Quinton Jackson. Rashad’s victory over “Rampage” at UFC 114 in May solidified him as the #1 contender to the Light Heavyweight Championship, and “Sugar” has been sitting on the sidelines ever since, waiting for current champion Mauricio Rua to heal up from knee surgery. And if a new interview is any indication, it appears that Evans is growing very tired of waiting.

Here are the highlights of an interview Evans recently had with ESPN: “”…If I don’t get the chance to fight for the belt, I will never ask to fight for this belt again. I will never want to fight for that belt again… If [Rua] is going to be out longer than May or June then [UFC] should consider an interim title and I will fight for an interim belt… But if I don’t get a chance to fight for an interim belt, then I will just beat everybody in the division and I will never fight for the belt… If I don’t get to fight for this belt because [Rua] stays injured too long and they don’t make anything happen, then I will never ask to fight for that belt again, man.”

On some level, I can see where Rashad is coming from. Mauricio Rua’s expected return is around March 2011, if Rashad continues to play the waiting game he’ll be looking at a layoff of almost a year before he finally steps into the cage to get his shot at the gold. “Shogun” is looking at an even longer layoff, but he’s rehabbing an injury. Evans is perfectly healthy and needs to remain active in order to fully capitalize on this comeback that’s in the works.

But it seems as if Evans thinks that the UFC is conspiring against him. That’s wishful thinking at best. Rashad earned his shot at the champion, and then the champion came down with an injury. It happens. The UFC shouldn’t jump the gun and make an Interim title at a moment’s notice, especially not in the Light Heavyweight division, which hasn’t seen a dominant champion since the glory days of Chuck Liddell. The actual UFC Light Heavyweight Championship is so hotly contested that any Interim Championship would immediately be recognized for the make-believe belt that it is, and it would be a small comfort to an athlete like Evans.

Interim belts should only be created when the future of the current champion is uncertain. Many people don’t like Interim belts to begin with, regardless of the circumstances surrounding their creation. Even past UFC stars have been quick to criticize and basically throw away their Interim Championships. If Rashad Evans wants a belt so badly, he should train hard, minimize any ring rust, and wait for it. Rua’s future is not uncertain, he will be making his return, and in the meantime, an Interim belt is completely meaningless.

Perhaps the funniest thing about this entire situation is that I seem to be one of the few that believes that not only will Evans beat Rua, but that he’ll beat him decisively. Evans certainly isn’t endearing himself to the general public with these kinds of interviews, but he’s still a dominant wrestler with serious KO power. If “Shogun” blew out his knees defending the takedowns of Lyoto Machida, they’ll be turned to jelly against “Sugar”, so long as Evans stops needlessly complaining and focuses on preparing for one of the biggest fights of his career.

And what about you, fans and friends? What do you make of Rashad’s comments and/or his chances against “Shogun”?