Rashad Evans has emerged as a bit of a Cinderella story in the UFC. He went from reviled on TUF, to emerging as a legitimate contender with his knockout over Chuck Liddell, ultimately winning the title. Many believed after losing to Lyoto Machida he wouldn’t return to the top, but with four straight wins he’s emerged as the clear #1 contender, and his title shot has been long overdue. Most recently, Evans dominated Phil Davis on the second FOX show to maintain his spot as top contender, and he will finally get his grudge match with Jones.
Rashad Evans vs Jon Jones Betting Odds;
Jones- (-500) – Bovada.Lv [<- Up To $100 In Free Bets]
Evans – (+350) – Bovada.Lv [<- Up To $100 In Free Bets]
Jon Jones’ rise to the top of the light heavyweight division was perhaps the quickest, and most dominant run the MMA world has ever seen. After dominant wins over Brandon Vera, Vladimir Matyushenko, and Ryan Bader, Jones was granted a title shot against Shogun. Jones proved his believers correct by continuing the domination, as he easily finished Shogun in the third round. Since then, he’s defended his title twice, easily controlling Quinton Jackson en route to a fourth round stoppage, and finishing Lyoto Machida in the second round of their affair in his arguably most competitive bout to date. I don’t know whether Jones is unstoppable, but at this point it’s really, really hard to think anyone is going to stop him.
Stylisically, both fighters have gone through their own evolutions. Jones started off as a funky striker, then he started imposing his wrestling, and since then he’s emerged as a calculated striker while still using his wrestling. Evans on the other hand started off as a wrestler, then tried to be a striker, then moved back to his wrestling, however his most recent fight with Phil Davis saw him take more of a balanced approach. Ultimately, with the exception of the Machida fight, it seems clear that Rashad’s gameplans have simply been crafted around his opponent’s strengths.
In terms of striking ability, Rashad likely holds the power advantage, but one has to think Jones has the overall advantage given the technical skills he has shown, and more importantly his reach. Rashad has arguably never outstruck anyone outside of the Phil Davis fight, with all of his big knockouts coming out of nowhere opposed to being a result of accumulated domination.
In terms of wrestling, I’m not so sure how to call this one. We’ve yet to see Jones on his back, but if anyone can take him down it’s probably Evans. Further, Jones had a lot of difficulty taking Jackson down for the majority of their fight, and Machida was able to pop up fairly quickly after being taken down. For those reasons, I believe that the wrestling will probably be a wash.
In terms of gameplanning and intangibles, it’s tough to give an edge. Both fighters have proven to be incredibly cerebral along with being explosive and athletic, although maybe a slight athleticism advantage to Jones, and a slight mental edge to Evans.
The Jon Jones vs Rashad Evans prediction is that Jones does what he does, getting Evans down and making the difficult look easy. Am I willing to play it at -500? No, I would never, and will never play a -500 line against an elite level fighter like Evans. The only question is whether there’s any value on Evans at the +400 line. Honestly, you can’t help but feel like you’re throwing your money away by betting against Jones, but I honestly think Evans has a real chance. He can catch Jones with one punch, we really don’t know how the wrestling is going to play out, and Evans has a way of fighting very smart. I can’t fault you for staying away, but I think a tiny play is warranted on Evans at +400.
Rashad Evans vs Jon Jones Betting Odds Conclusion: Jones is unbettable, and Evans has enough of a chance to warrant a tiny play at +400.
Current Rashad Evans vs Jon Jones Betting Odds;
Jones- (-500) – Bovada.Lv [<- Up To $100 In Free Bets]
Evans – (+350) – Bovada.Lv [<- Up To $100 In Free Bets]
