Rashad Evans was very excited for his return to the ring for a boxing match towards longtime rival Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, however within the days main as much as the battle, the UFC Corridor of Famer realized that the guarantees made to the fighters weren’t being saved by the promoters.
That led to the eleventh hour determination for Evans and Jackson to drop off the cardboard moderately than face a possible fiasco by really preventing after which watching contractual obligations not get fulfilled afterwards.
“Negotiations sort of simply fell aside so far as issues that me and Rampage had been promised going into the battle. It didn’t get fulfilled,” Evans informed MMA Preventing on Monday. “We tried to work round it in order that it might occur nevertheless it simply wasn’t sufficient time to make all people comfortable. The [parties] simply sort of determined that it could be higher if we simply didn’t do it. It was disappointing.
“For one, that is one thing that we constructed up for some time and it’s one thing that we actually bought in form to do. We weren’t going to go in there and screw round. That is one thing we each bought centered for and it was an excellent focusing factor for he and I each. He’s in nice form proper now. I bought in nice form as properly. It’s one thing we had been actually wanting ahead to doing.”
Whereas Evans didn’t talk about the precise particulars within the contract, he revealed that cash completely performed an element within the determination to drag the plug on the battle.
The previous UFC gentle heavyweight champion acknowledged that listening to horror tales from throughout the trade the place fighters had been assured sure payouts solely to get stiffed after an occasion already occurred lingered in his thoughts when it got here time to drag out of the battle.
“It’s positively a monetary part,” Evans mentioned. “That’s the place issues simply sort of went off the rails a bit of bit. We weren’t in a position to be made complete and appeased earlier than it was time to essentially to take the subsequent step and actually know that all the pieces’s going to be taken care of when the battle is completed. The very last thing we needed to do was put ourselves in a scenario the place we weren’t going to get the cash that we had been promised after the battle is completed.
“There’s been some tales about different fighters that participated in boxing matches and never receiving anyplace near the cash they negotiated. So we put it in just a few security measures with a purpose to be certain that we’re hitting sure milestones, and we’re in a position to make that mark when it’s time. We simply weren’t in a position to come to that settlement.”
One specific incident involves thoughts involving fellow UFC veterans Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz after they confronted off in a boxing match again in July 2024 with Diaz then submitting a lawsuit towards Fanmio — the corporate that promoted the bout on pay-per-view — for $9 million he claimed he was nonetheless owed from the occasion.
Masvidal later informed MMA Preventing that he needed to “plead the fifth” relating to his personal points relating to potential fee issues from that occasion, however he promised “all the pieces can be recognized” finally.
That scenario caught Evans’ consideration when he began to have doubts about whether or not or not he and Rampage had been going to finish up in an analogous ordeal with their boxing match.
“It was one thing that we needed to guarantee that studying from that scenario [with Diaz and Masvidal] and ensuring that we had been taken care and ensuring that all the pieces was all met and accounted for earlier than we even stepped into the ring to battle,” Evans mentioned. “It simply wasn’t in a position to get carried out in time.
“They’re nonetheless placing this card collectively, issues are nonetheless taking place so I don’t know if there’s an answer to it they usually include one thing within the final minute ditch effort, we’d be capable to make one thing occur, however as of proper now, it’s simply not one thing that we are able to undergo with.”
Regardless of their rivalry within the UFC with plans to reignite the feud for the boxing ring, Evans mentioned he positively consulted with Rampage earlier than the battle was cancelled.
“We had dialogue and we talked about it,” Evans mentioned. “We simply made positive that we had been each OK with stepping away from this promotion and probably serving it up for one more time. Prefer it or not, he’s my adversary in relation to battle evening, however there’s additionally this symbiotic relationship that occurs alongside the best way when you’ve gotten an opponent like Rampage. Him and I’ve a really particular factor collectively being that we’ve got actually good chemistry collectively and actually good battle chemistry collectively. That’s one thing that you just actually wish to stick to as a result of it makes preventing that a lot funner.”
It’s an understandably upsetting final result for a pair of veteran fighters who haven’t competed just lately however put different tasks on maintain to prepare for a boxing match.
Whereas Evans nonetheless trains usually, he’s not placing his physique by means of the sort of exercises required for a coaching camp to prepare for a battle. So with the Rampage bout cancelled, Evans admits that he’s going to need to shift gears to return to his usually scheduled actions, however he’s not completely giving up hope that the battle could possibly be rescheduled.
Actually, Evans says he’s open to the thought of working with a distinct promoter who would possibly even wish to characteristic the battle on one other marquee card like these held by Misfits Boxing or perhaps a present headlined by a star equivalent to Jake Paul.
“I’m going to regroup however I positively do have a need to do the boxing match with Rampage,” Evans mentioned. “It was a variety of enjoyable devoting myself and actually simply getting again into the preventing mindset. Since I stepped away from preventing, I’ve been busy doing different issues, creating myself exterior of the battle recreation, which is all crucial. However on the similar time, there’s a sure itch that also must be scratched, and I nonetheless bought it. I nonetheless have that feeling within me. Earlier than I completely relent to being an elder statesman, I not less than wish to really feel it yet another time or not less than a pair occasions.”
“If the chance does current itself, and we do discover ourselves one other promotion that may make it occur, then I’m all for it. It’s nearly ensuring that each of us are taken care of and it’s one thing that is smart to each of us as properly … . We all know that there’s a variety of promotions that actually match into this area and actually match into what we do. It’s actually an excellent factor that influencer market has opened up the best way that it has and it’s actually acquired by the followers and it’s one thing that’s enjoyable.”
Evans isn’t giving up hope on the boxing match towards Rampage till all sources are exhausted, however he’s additionally not going to spend an exorbitant period of time stressing about points exterior of his management.
He’s efficiently transitioned to a life away from preventing, which incorporates companies he’s opened in addition to doing analyst work round fight sports activities, so Evans has loads to maintain him occupied even when he nonetheless actually needs to punch Rampage yet another time.
“Life goes on if this doesn’t occur for the quick time period,” Evans mentioned. “I’ll put my coaching on the backburner so far as doing it two or 3 times every week and actually begin to put my concentrate on my different companies and actually begin to do different issues exterior of the battle recreation.”
