Rashad Evans' first career loss continues to haunt the former UFC light heavyweight champion to this day.
Evans and Machida, both of whom were undefeated at the time, met at UFC 98 for the UFC light heavyweight championship. The outcome of the bout resulted in one of the most brutal knockouts in UFC history.Now, after coming off only his second loss in three years to Jon Jones at UFC 145, Evans intends on returning with a vengeance and hopes to get back into the 205-pound title picture very soon.
And he wants to start with the Brazilian that beat him.
"I would like to avenge my loss to Jones one day, but also to Machida," Evans told Miami radio station, 790AM The Ticket. "Last time he got me pretty good, and all those Internet pictures of me getting knocked out all over the Internet."
Evans isn't going to forget the thought lying on the canvas anytime soon; neither are the fans. Earlier this year, one fan ridiculed Evans over the loss at a UFC Expo by trying to have the fighter sign a picture of the knockout, but he refused. Evans was visibly upset and crumpled the picture before throwing it on the ground.
However, Evans embraces his role as the villain with fans, and he isn't bothered by the negative reaction sent his way. The former 205-pound champion said the fans only see one side of him.
"They just know a character of who they think I might be based on, what they have seen on TV or anything else like that. But, that's not me as a person," he said. "So when they say things to, you know, insulting things or they boo me, I don't get upset about it because they don't know who I am as a person."
A second encounter with "The Dragon" might not happen in the near future, as Machida is slated to face Ryan Bader at UFC on FOX 4 in August.
However, if Evans gets the opportunity to face Machida again, he will have a second crack at trying beat the man who handed him his first knockout loss.
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