Cagewriter - UFC

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Wed Jun 03, 2009 1:00 pm EDT

Evans was depressed and dreaming of a loss before Machida fight

By Steve Cofield

Lyoto Machida may want to give his title belt back to the UFC. It sounds like the light heavyweight hardware screws with the guy mentally. Forrest Griffin told Cagewriter he lost his motivation and went through the motions before his loss to Rashad Evans. Evans said yesterday at the TUF 10 Media Day that he was depressed, listless and frustrated before his fight at UFC 98. It all led to a rough performance in which Evans couldn't pull the trigger and allowed Machida to dictate the pace of the fight:

"I felt weeks before the fight I was losing but there was nothing I could do about it. Something was missing but I couldn't put my finger on it. If you ever be emotionally messed up you can't really say (why), but you just want to cry. You don't know why, you just feel it inside"

Evans said he was storming out of practice after getting his butt kicked. His approach to the fight was poor and he didn't deal with the pressure of all the new responsibilities of being a headliner and champion. He was also sabotaging himself during his downtime:

"I couldn't even get any sleep. Everytime I slept, I lost in my dream. I was like '[expletive], I keep losing in my dream and I never lose in my dream.' "

Evans said he underestimated Machida and that he only gained respect for him when Machida knocked him down in the first round. Even as Evans was being finished off in the second round, he was saying to himself, "He doesn't even hit hard." He also speaks about knowing he was knocked out but also not being able to move (7:45 mark). He actually mocks himself at the end of the video.

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36 Comments

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  1. Jason P
    1. Posted by Jason P Wed Jun 03, 2009 1:26 pm EDT

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    Sounds like the dog that chases the car...... What does he do when he catches it?
  2. HAHA
    2. Posted by HAHA Wed Jun 03, 2009 1:31 pm EDT

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    Boo hoo
  3. HAHA
    3. Posted by HAHA Wed Jun 03, 2009 1:32 pm EDT

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    he doesnt hit hard he jus knocked me out unconsious
  4. Robert C
    4. Posted by Robert C Wed Jun 03, 2009 1:37 pm EDT

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    while all this may be true..it is something you just keep to yourself.
    Rashad simply should have said, "I underestimated Machida and I did not train correctly...I will work to make sure those things don't happen again".
  5. 2bad4u
    5. Posted by 2bad4u Wed Jun 03, 2009 1:46 pm EDT

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    Where were all these nightmares before he fought guys like Chuck and Forrest , Seems like he is a sore loser who now has all these things to say how he just knew he was in trouble. He looked like the same Rashad before the fight to me Except for his nipple twist so maybe that's the reason. Sounds like he and Rampage have a lot in common and the one who losses is going to go on a killing spree.
  6. chase h
    6. Posted by chase h Wed Jun 03, 2009 2:01 pm EDT

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    get an editor. reading a sentence three times to understand what the heck you are trying to say is difficult.
  7. method187
    7. Posted by method187 Wed Jun 03, 2009 2:04 pm EDT

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    sounds to me like TUF has produced another top level gate keeper to join Forrest Griffin. These two guys aren't cut out to be champions if they can't focus. Having a championship is what all athletes strive for. These guys can't handle the mental pressure of being a headliner and the responsibility that comes along with being a champion, and by default a celebrity. Don't get me wrong, they are both great fighters, but will likely never hold a title longer than they both have already.
    IMO, you're not really the champion until you defend the belt.
  8. Dubya b
    8. Posted by Dubya b Wed Jun 03, 2009 2:27 pm EDT

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    Ah Armchair Athlete Fanboys at it again. If you guys ever decide to get off of the computer watching endless clips of MMA fights, and actually put down the beer and cigarettes, go find an MMA gym or any MA gym.
    Being the Champion is apparently the same in MMA as it is in Boxing. Some people can handle all of the attention and mega-negative reports from the media and other detractors, like Rampage. Others simply can't like Griffin, and still others think that its what they want but when they get it it becomes overwhelming, like with Evans.
    Rampage is a good champion. He is likable and people not only like to see him fight, but they like to see him talk. Randy was a good champion, but he was relatively quiet and like a father figure. Chuck was quiet and intimidating, sort of like one of those guys you don't want to say too much to because he may decide to take your head off.
  9. ekc
    9. Posted by ekc Wed Jun 03, 2009 2:35 pm EDT

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    this actaully on of the better MMA interviews... its actually very insightful and honest... to bad its shot on a cameraphone.
  10. E.L.
    10. Posted by E.L. Wed Jun 03, 2009 2:39 pm EDT

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    Sounds like a cop-out. If the pressure was really on, he would have been more on the offensive. I just think that he did go to the fight prepared, but didn't know when and how to pull the trigger. Just say you got beat, plain and simple.
  11. IDGAD
    11. Posted by IDGAD Wed Jun 03, 2009 3:07 pm EDT

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    Too much information. It's true, a champion must successfully defend to be a champion. Many many succeed without an inkling of 'the way'. All true paths are known only in retrospect and only by those successfully finding a goal previusly attained.
  12. vudusup
    12. Posted by vudusup Wed Jun 03, 2009 3:11 pm EDT

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    Kimbo Slice will slap that punk silly, right in his earlobe.
  13. D rok
    13. Posted by D rok Wed Jun 03, 2009 3:18 pm EDT

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    I think this says a lot about Evans actually. Everyone got on him for being cocky and blah blah blah and said he was a thug and bashed him, and even I joined in a little bit, but whether its too much info or not, he's being very honest about himself. To admit that you didn't focus and you came into the fight with a losing mentality, and to mock yourself during your own knockout doesn't display the kind of character everyone jumped on him for being. That displays a very honest and very self aware athelete, and I think we will see rashad bounce back from this lose and be an extremely talented gate keeper. I dont think he will be able to get the belt back or hold it if he did, but I think he's still a great competitor and deserves some respect imo.
  14. Swift
    14. Posted by Swift Wed Jun 03, 2009 3:22 pm EDT

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    This is why women shouldn't do MMA.
  15. Donald_Cerise
    15. Posted by Donald_Cerise Wed Jun 03, 2009 4:28 pm EDT

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    Reminds me of GSP, he completly lost his focus after winning the title from Hugues. But after the loss to Serra he cleaned up his entourage and reinvented himself. He's a much more mature champion now. I don't see why the same can't happen to Evans and Griffin.
  16. TKflash
    16. Posted by TKflash Wed Jun 03, 2009 4:38 pm EDT

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    Hey Steve Cofield!! Are you trying to make a mockery out of the english language? You should not write. It is embarrassing.
  17. President Bush
    17. Posted by President Bush Wed Jun 03, 2009 4:45 pm EDT

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    Classic case of underestimating your opponent. We may see a new Rashad in the future but right now it's back to the drawing board. It's only 1 loss. A brutal loss, but only 1 loss. He was simply outmatched and it showed. It happens to everyone one. CLICHE ALERT: It's how you bounce back from adversity that counts.
  18. President Bush
    18. Posted by President Bush Wed Jun 03, 2009 4:45 pm EDT

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    Classic case of underestimating your opponent. We may see a new Rashad in the future but right now it's back to the drawing board. It's only 1 loss. A brutal loss, but only 1 loss. He was simply outmatched and it showed. It happens to everyone one. CLICHE ALERT: It's how you bounce back from adversity that counts.
  19. AdamG
    19. Posted by AdamG Wed Jun 03, 2009 5:28 pm EDT

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    Well, he's got Rampage next - time to refocus Rashad or you'll be sleeping in the octagon again.
  20. knuckle sandwich
    20. Posted by knuckle sandwich Wed Jun 03, 2009 7:37 pm EDT

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    lmao... "he (Machida) does NOT hit hard?" I guess Rashad's spaghetti legs were because he was drunk, not rocked from taking some solid blows? In all due respect.. I think Machida will leave a lot of fighters scratching their heads after loosing to him thinking that he wasn't that good, or doesn't hit that hard ect... but you can't argue with one fact. the man has not loss a round in the UFC.
  21. robert t
    21. Posted by robert t Wed Jun 03, 2009 8:01 pm EDT

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    Ok two points here.
    #1 I would have to agree with DW, "Even though he has never said it, you can tell". Machida is one hell of a bad#$%, Pound for pound. What does that mean. THERE IS NO ORDINARY "Fighter that will even come close to his STYLE". Wake-up plp I did. Scared $#@@ "Rampage Jackson" is hiding in a cage trying to AVOID the fight with Machida. Trust me I don't blame Him. If someone-els can take him "out", he's HOME-FREE. ROFL. Props to you Rampage. I had RESPECT for you UNTIL THIS.
    #2 Mr Evens You earned even more respect from me then you had before. Ask ANY "FORMER Champ" What went wrong with there loss and you will here I messed-up. "You didn't say that, you said in not so many words, DEAMONS made me lose". Props to you, as you were scared and should have been. NO-ONE has EVER dealt with HIS UN-Orthodixed Fighting STYLE. It's NOT the UM Karate-Style. It's the Intimidation he dispells on you-all.
    I will close buy saying You wanna stop Machida? Let him get tangeled in "THE WEB"
    Piece_Out
  22. athsquare
    22. Posted by athsquare Wed Jun 03, 2009 8:49 pm EDT

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    this is a complete 180 from what he was saying last week... EXCUSES!!!!!!
  23. swrestler
    23. Posted by swrestler Wed Jun 03, 2009 11:38 pm EDT

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    Robert t.
    Machida schools Silva in practice. He breaks through that web, no problem...
  24. Daniel W
    24. Posted by Daniel W Thu Jun 04, 2009 1:05 am EDT

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    I'm not the biggest Rashad Evans fan,but I like his honesty about the whole thing that went down with Machida. That to me shows that he is maturing as a fighter,and can only help him with his career as a Mixed Martial Artist. I think that basically he thought that if he's less aggressive,and he waits for Machida that that is the way to beat Machida,and obviously that isn't the right way ti fight Machida. In order to beat Machida you have to be aggressive,but at the same time that can also can be someones downfall when they fight Machida just because his timing is so good. Tito Ortiz is the only guy that I've seen that actually has had a fair gameplan against Machida,even though it didn't work he had the right idea. Someone is going to have to put pressure on him with takedown or clinch attempts. Even though they may not be successful with the takedowns or clinch attempts it will give Machida something else to worry about,besides just throwing hands with him. Then when he's kinda thrown off balance with the takedown or clinch attempts,then you can kind of play off of that. Machida tends to move away with his chin straight up in the air,I think I guy like Rampage that uses that cover roll technique might actually be able to catch him when he's moving away like that.
  25. Kobe Bryant
    25. Posted by Kobe Bryant Thu Jun 04, 2009 1:47 am EDT

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    Yeah, whats up with Rampage clearly ducking Machida? I'm kind of bummed about that.

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Cagewriter is an MMA blog edited by Steve Cofield. Email him, and follow him on Twitter.

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