By Jody Kohn
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans indicates that he will not fight Vitor Belfort, or any other teammate for that matter.
“I won’t fight Vitor,” said Evans, in an interview with ESPN.com. “I won’t fight Thiago Silva. I won’t fight Cezar “Mutante” Ferreira. I won’t fight anybody who I train with!
“I made that mistake before, and I won’t do that again. I lost a lot of relationships because I did that before.”
The remarks from Evans came after Dana White said that Belfort had been offered a fight with Evans. The offer was made after Belfort apparently rejected an offer to fight Tim Kennedy.
Following the Kennedy rejection, Joana Prado, who is the manager and wife of Belfort, said that Vitor would not accept any fights at middleweight in a non-title situation. She then added that he is open to fighting anyone at light heavyweight or heavyweight, even the previously dismissed Kennedy.
As for Dana White, he expressed disappointment in the stance Vitor Belfort is taking.
“Vitor drives me crazy,” White said. “I’m not dealing with Vitor. [UFC chairman and CEO] Lorenzo [Fertitta] is dealing with Vitor.
“Vitor didn’t want that fight [with Kennedy], Vitor doesn’t like that fight. So I said, ‘Let’s do him and Rashad. He wants to fight at a heavier weight, let’s do him and Rashad.’ I haven’t heard back from [Belfort] on that one yet.”
However, it appears not to matter if Belfort would take that fight, because Rashad Evans is clear in his intentions. Past experiences have shaped his outlook on facing teammates in the future.
Back when Evans trained at Greg Jackson’s, he and current light heavyweight champion Jon Jones were there together. They trained together and became a fairly close relationship. Things turned sour when the pair fought for Jones’ title, in a fight Jones ultimately won. The insults exchanged during the build up strained the relationship that is still not repaired.
Rashad Evans broke a two-fight skid when he took a split decision from Dan Henderson at UFC 161. Belfort has been red hot, and is looking for another chance at the middleweight title. He lost in his last attempt, when he was knocked out by Anderson Silva at UFC 126. Since that loss, he has won four of five fights. His only loss in that span was a loss to Jones by submission at UFC 152.
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