Here is a timeline of the history between UFC 145 main event competitors Jon Jones and Rashad Evans and their ongoing feud, which looks to be settled on Saturday in Atlanta:
NOV. 5, 2005
An undersized
Rashad Evans wins
The Ultimate Fighter
season 2 heavyweight
tournament. He then
drops to 205 lbs. and
joins Greg Jackson’s
Submission Fighting
camp in Albuquerque,
New Mexico.
AUG. 9, 2008
21-year-old Jon Jones makes his UFC debut with a
unanimous decision victory against Andre Gusmao,
after only eight months of training.
SEPT. 6, 2008
Evans earns a UFC title shot
with a one-punch knockout of
UFC legend Chuck ‘The Iceman’
Liddell at UFC 88.
DEC. 27, 2008
Driven by momentum, Evans knocks out Forrest
Griffin in the third round to lift the UFC world light
heavyweight title.
JAN. 31, 2009
Jones defeats fellow
contender Stephan
Bonnar at UFC 94.
His spinning elbows
and suplexes make
him the talk of the
MMA community.
MAY 23, 2009
Evans loses his UFC
world championship
to Lyoto Machida
in a second-round
knockout defeat,
which was the lone
reversal of his career.
AUG. 22, 2009
After promising not
to fight any of his
new teammates in
the Octagon, Jones
joins Jackson’s gym.
SEPT. 30, 2009
Evans predicts new
teammate Jones
will be champion
some day. The pair
comes to regard one
another as brothers.
MAY 29, 2010
Evans wins a grudge
match against
Rampage Jackson
and becomes the
No. 1 contender
to champion
Shogun Rua.
JUNE 10, 2010
Rua suffers a serious
knee injury. Rather
than take an interim
bout, Evans decides
to wait for his title
shot. The fight is
eventually set for
March 2011.
FEB. 4-10, 2011
News breaks that Evans is injured and will be
unable to challenge the healed Rua for the UFC
light heavyweight belt. The next day, Jones defeats
contender Ryan Bader with surprising ease and—with
Evans’ blessing—is offered the title fight against
Rua. Evans predicts Jones will “destroy” Rua in the
first round. Asked repeatedly, Evans claims he would
change divisions before he would face Jones, should his
“brother” win.
MARCH 3-4, 2011
During the
broadcast of UFC
Live: Sanchez vs.
Kampmann, Jones
said, “I respect
(UFC President)
Dana White a lot.
If (the Rashad
fight is) what he
absolutely wanted
to happen, then I
guess that’s what
would have to
happen.”
Asked to
respond on MMA
Live, a visibly
upset Evans said,
“I am no punk. If
Jon wins the (title),
I have to sit down
with the team and
decide what to do.”
MARCH 19-22, 2011:
Jones becomes the youngest
UFC world champion in history,
destroying Rua, before a intense
meeting with Evans in the Octagon.
Speaking with MMA Fighting,
Evans stunningly announces he
has left Team Jackson. “I’m done
with Jacksons. And, I know how to
fight Jon. I trained with him.” Evans
then relocates his training camp to
Imperial Athletics in Boca Raton,
Florida to form the soon-to-be
feared ‘Blackzilians’ camp.
APRIL 25-27, 2011
It is announced that Jones has torn a ligament in his right
hand, forcing him to withdraw from a proposed title defence
against Evans. This time, Evans does not want to wait for the
champion, and accepts a fight with replacement Phil Davis.
MAY 12 & 15, 2011
Evans and Jones nearly come to blows at a Las Vegas
nightclub and they are separated by Georges St-Pierre. Evans
questions the legitimacy of Jones’ hand injury. “Jon doesn’t
need surgery,” he said. “No doctor will operate on him. They
say he doesn’t need it.”
JULY 13, 2011
Another bitter
pill goes down for
‘Suga,’ as Davis
pulls out of his
fight with Evans
with a knee injury.
AUG. 6, 2011
Eager to fight somebody—anybody—
Evans eventually goes on to defeat
Tito Ortiz inside two rounds,
looking better than ever.
SEPT. 24, 2011
Jones submits
Rampage in the
fourth round of
his first UFC world
championship
defence.
OCT. 5, 2011
Evans is forced to cancel another date with Jones
because of a dislocated thumb
injury sustained against Ortiz. Jones accuses Evans of ducking him.
DEC. 10, 2011
Jones caps off an incredible 2011
with a second successful title
defence—this time against former
champion Lyoto Machida.
JAN. 28, 2012
Evans easily defeats
the previously
unbeaten Davis over
five rounds in an
eliminator bout to
determine the next
UFC title challenger.
FEB. 6, 2012
Jon Jones vs Rashad
Evans—perhaps the
biggest 205-lbs.
title fight since
Liddell vs Ortiz II—is
on. The fight is set
for Atlanta in April.
FEB. 16, 2012
The former friends
exchange insults at
the official UFC 145
press conference.
Jones accuses Evans
of jealousy while
‘Suga’ said ‘Bones’
is “all fake.”
FEB. 18, 2012
After months of
saying he will not
coach against his
former star pupil,
Greg Jackson
confirms that he
will corner Jones
against Evans.
APRIL 21, 2012
Jon Jones and
Rashad Evans will
finally settle their
feud, once and for
all, at UFC 145 in
Atlanta.
