UFC Hall of Famer Rashad Evans ranks top 10 light heavyweight champs

“The way in which he was capable of do it to me was very spectacular. I used to be actually simply impressed with being one of many oldest champions on the market and the way he adjusted his sport from being a man who would stand and commerce and bang to any individual who leaned extra on his grappling and actually began to evolve his sport. Regardless of having been via so many wars, he completed out fairly good. For me, I really like to look at Glover struggle so I’ve to provide a spot to Glover.”

“It’s simple to miss ‘Shogun’ as a result of within the UFC he wasn’t what he was in PRIDE. Granted, within the UFC he did some work. He had a terrific rivalry with (Lyoto) Machida. He’s placed on some nice fights within the UFC, however I really feel like once I’m wanting and placing ‘Shogun’ on the all-time listing, I’m actually placing him on the all-time for simply who he was when he fought in PRIDE and issues like that. In PRIDE he was the scariest man ever. He was phenomenal. He had an ideal marriage of violence, of persistence and simply brilliance inside that cage.”

“I wished to place Alex Pereira larger, however right here’s the factor about it: I really feel as if this period of sunshine heavyweight isn’t what it as soon as was. Not saying that it’s weak, but it surely’s simply not the strongest that it’s been. I don’t say that to actually throw shade on Alex, however I simply have to see extra from him. So far as with regards to being all-time, I believe his legacy is on the trajectory to the place if he could make it via UFC 307, I’d undoubtedly put him inside the high 5. I nonetheless have to see extra and I nonetheless want to have the ability to imagine he can go in there with a talented grappler and never solely stand as much as the grappling challenges, however then capable of impose his will. He’s acquired plenty of good momentum, however with the intention to be an all-time, you want a bit bit greater than momentum.”

“Machida was probably the greatest in his period, throughout my period. One factor that basically stands out to me with Machida was the truth that he had a mode that basically hadn’t been seen within the UFC up till that time. He was a karate man, and he made karate cool. He made karate efficient. Lyoto Machida confirmed you that not solely it really works in a struggle, however that everyone ought to be doing God rattling karate.”

“He was that man who actually, to me, was foreshadowing what fighters can be sooner or later with regards to with the ability to struggle easily from hanging to wrestling to jiu-jitsu. His transitions had been sick. I really feel prefer it simply foreshadowed the sort of athlete that was to come back in blended martial arts.”

“Two-division champion, and what he did at gentle heavyweight, he was there at a time with Chuck Liddell, and he was simply so memorable and so instrumental at a time in UFC historical past at that division the place his means to only rag-doll you. He wasn’t one of the best striker, however what he was so far as ground-and-pound and the patented wall-and-brawl that he would do, it could simply actually annihilate his opponents.”

“We’re speaking a few man in DC who, for my part, had Jon Jones not had any particular sort of assist, I believe DC may’ve beat him. I really feel as if he had a terrific fights with Jones, however even after there was a domination that DC had the place he was clearly simply head and shoulders above the competitors. And that was at a time the place gentle heavyweight wasn’t a simple division. He made minced meat out of Anthony Johnson, God relaxation his soul. Two instances. DC doesn’t get all of the credit score that he deserves within the gentle heavyweight division.”

“He doesn’t get sufficient credit score. Folks don’t give him the credit score he deserves they usually neglect the truth that earlier than anyone actually dominated the division, there was Tito Ortiz. He was straight dragging individuals. He was the face. He was the person for the longest time and his domination of the sunshine heavyweight division, it was one thing that struck worry in his opponents.”

“When it got here right down to it, Chuck Liddell was a lot for the division. He was the face of it. He actually went on the market and whenever you watched him struggle reside, he actually did one thing spectacular. He captivated your creativeness. He terrified you. When he went on his streak and beat Randy Couture, Babalu (Sobral), Tito Ortiz – all these dudes. He arrived and it appeared prefer it was computerized.”

“Loads might be stated about Jon being No. 1. Lots of people can say as a result of he has blemishes on his drug testing historical past it doesn’t actually put him in there, however I give him the No. 1 spot.”

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