Sherdog.com Preview: Ultimate Fight Night 5 Pt II
Rashad Evans vs. Stephan Bonnar
Jun 28, 2006
EVANS: 5’ 11”, 205 pounds, 26, Lansing, Michigan
BACKGROUND: Evans was a two-time All-State wrestler at Wheatfield High School. Evans wrestled in East Lansing from 2000-03 after spending a year at Niagara Junior College. He was a two-time NCAA qualifier at Michigan State University. He took fourth at the 2002 Big Ten Championships and third at the Big Ten tournament in 2003. He finished his career there with a 48-34 record. Rashad is best known throughout the collegiate wrestling world for eliminating three-time national champion Greg Jones of West Virginia from the NCAA Championships in 2003. He has trained with Dan Severn (Pictures) and has been training with Diego Sanchez (Pictures), Keith Jardine (Pictures) and Dan Christison (Pictures) under the direction of Greg Jackson at Jackson’s Gaidojutsu Academy. Rashad is 7-0 as a pro in MMA.
MMA CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Submitted Dennis Reed (Pictures) and Danny Anderson at Dangerzone
Cagefighting to win the four-man tournament. It was his second
Dangerzone tournament win. He stopped WEC veteran Bryan Pardoe (Pictures) with strikes at Gladiator
Challenge 26. The day after beating Pardoe, he beat Hector Ramirez (Pictures) and Jamie Jara, both by decision,
to win the four-man tournament at Gladiator Challenge 27.
UFC EXPERIENCE: 2-0. Beat Brad Imes (Pictures) by decision at The Ultimate Fighter 2 season finale to win the heavyweight contract. Beat Sam Hoger (Pictures) by decision at Ultimate Fight Night 4. Rashad beat Tom Murphy (Pictures) by unanimous decision in their elimination fight on TUF 2. He beat Mike Whitehead (Pictures) a month later in his second elimination bout and Keith Jardine (Pictures) in the semifinal three days after that.
ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS: Rashad keeps winning. We know he can wrestle but hopefully the move down to 205 adds some explosion to his fight game. To be undefeated is impressive but improving his stand-up will only compliment the solid ground game he came in with.
BONNAR: 6’ 3”, 205 pounds, 29, Chicago, Ill., known as “The American Psycho”
BACKGROUND: Stephan began wrestling at 10, tae kwon do at 12, Brazilian jiu-jitsu at 20 and boxing and Muay Thai at 24. He trains out of the Carlson Gracie Jr. Academy in Chicago and was a student of the late Carlson Gracie Sr. Bonnar is an Ironheart Crown 205-pound champion, Total Fight Challenge light heavyweight champion and the 2002 and 2004 Chicago Golden Gloves super heavyweight champion. He carries a professional record of 9-2 in MMA.
MMA CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Submitted Brian Ebersole (Pictures) and Josh Kruger to win the 2001 Ironheart Crown 3 four-man tournament. Submitted Jay Massey (Pictures) via guillotine choke at the Ultimate Athlete 1. Was TKO’d via cut stoppage in a bout Ryoto Machida (Pictures) at Jungle Fight 1.
UFC EXPERIENCE: 3-1. Lost a unanimous decision to Forrest Griffin (Pictures) in the final bout of the TUF 1 season finale. Decisioned Sam Hoger (Pictures), submitted James Irvin (Pictures) and won a tight decision over Keith Jardine (Pictures). Stephan beat Bobby Southworth (Pictures) by split decision in their elimination fight on TUF. He submitted Mike Swick (Pictures) to advance to the final.
WHAT HE BRINGS TO THE BOUT: Heart and indomitable spirit. Everyone saw the war with Griffin. He has good striking and knows the submission game so that makes a weakness hard to pinpoint and capitalize on. Stephan is 6-foot-3 so he’s tall for the division and has a good reach.
ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS: The outcome of the fight with Jardine had some scratching their heads. “The American Psycho” needs to close the deal if he’s going to face someone like Tito Ortiz (Pictures) or “Babalu.”
BACKGROUND: Evans was a two-time All-State wrestler at Wheatfield High School. Evans wrestled in East Lansing from 2000-03 after spending a year at Niagara Junior College. He was a two-time NCAA qualifier at Michigan State University. He took fourth at the 2002 Big Ten Championships and third at the Big Ten tournament in 2003. He finished his career there with a 48-34 record. Rashad is best known throughout the collegiate wrestling world for eliminating three-time national champion Greg Jones of West Virginia from the NCAA Championships in 2003. He has trained with Dan Severn (Pictures) and has been training with Diego Sanchez (Pictures), Keith Jardine (Pictures) and Dan Christison (Pictures) under the direction of Greg Jackson at Jackson’s Gaidojutsu Academy. Rashad is 7-0 as a pro in MMA.
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UFC EXPERIENCE: 2-0. Beat Brad Imes (Pictures) by decision at The Ultimate Fighter 2 season finale to win the heavyweight contract. Beat Sam Hoger (Pictures) by decision at Ultimate Fight Night 4. Rashad beat Tom Murphy (Pictures) by unanimous decision in their elimination fight on TUF 2. He beat Mike Whitehead (Pictures) a month later in his second elimination bout and Keith Jardine (Pictures) in the semifinal three days after that.
WHAT HE BRINGS TO THE BOUT: He has a good wrestling background.
High school or college, he’s always been a champion. Rashad is very
durable, having won three four-man tournaments and winning one of
them the day after he fought a single bout. He will also bring huge
confidence in to the fight.
ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS: Rashad keeps winning. We know he can wrestle but hopefully the move down to 205 adds some explosion to his fight game. To be undefeated is impressive but improving his stand-up will only compliment the solid ground game he came in with.
BONNAR: 6’ 3”, 205 pounds, 29, Chicago, Ill., known as “The American Psycho”
BACKGROUND: Stephan began wrestling at 10, tae kwon do at 12, Brazilian jiu-jitsu at 20 and boxing and Muay Thai at 24. He trains out of the Carlson Gracie Jr. Academy in Chicago and was a student of the late Carlson Gracie Sr. Bonnar is an Ironheart Crown 205-pound champion, Total Fight Challenge light heavyweight champion and the 2002 and 2004 Chicago Golden Gloves super heavyweight champion. He carries a professional record of 9-2 in MMA.
MMA CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Submitted Brian Ebersole (Pictures) and Josh Kruger to win the 2001 Ironheart Crown 3 four-man tournament. Submitted Jay Massey (Pictures) via guillotine choke at the Ultimate Athlete 1. Was TKO’d via cut stoppage in a bout Ryoto Machida (Pictures) at Jungle Fight 1.
UFC EXPERIENCE: 3-1. Lost a unanimous decision to Forrest Griffin (Pictures) in the final bout of the TUF 1 season finale. Decisioned Sam Hoger (Pictures), submitted James Irvin (Pictures) and won a tight decision over Keith Jardine (Pictures). Stephan beat Bobby Southworth (Pictures) by split decision in their elimination fight on TUF. He submitted Mike Swick (Pictures) to advance to the final.
WHAT HE BRINGS TO THE BOUT: Heart and indomitable spirit. Everyone saw the war with Griffin. He has good striking and knows the submission game so that makes a weakness hard to pinpoint and capitalize on. Stephan is 6-foot-3 so he’s tall for the division and has a good reach.
ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS: The outcome of the fight with Jardine had some scratching their heads. “The American Psycho” needs to close the deal if he’s going to face someone like Tito Ortiz (Pictures) or “Babalu.”
