The UFC’s light heavyweight division has been home to some of the greatest rivalries in the sport.
Jon Jones’ seemingly eternal feud with Daniel Cormier may take the top spot but there are plenty of other great examples.
With light heavyweight featuring some of the best and most iconic fighters in UFC history, the division was instrumental in helping to put the sport on the map.
Rashad Evans was a big part of that as a UFC Hall of Famer who faced off with many other legends.
Evans’ fight with Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson may have broken UFC records, but it isn’t the only classic rivalry that he had in his career.
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Rashad Evans reflects on the first rivalry of his career with Tito Ortiz
During a recent appearance on the Pound 4 Pound podcast, Rashad Evans was asked to name his favorite rivalries from his career.
For many fans, his feud with Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson will come to mind, which culminated in a huge main event at UFC 114 following an incredibly entertaining season of ‘The Ultimate Fighter‘.
Two years after this showdown, Evans challenged his former teammate Jon Jones for the light heavyweight title in another grudge match for the ages.
However, alongside these two fairly obvious picks, there is another feud that Evans highlighted when reflecting on his career.
‘Suga’ shared the Octagon with Tito Ortiz twice, with ‘The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’ also having his fair share of memorable rivalries.
Evans highlighted this one because while it may not be his biggest feud, it was his first.
“That one was a good one. The Jon one was a good one. Tito Ortiz was a fun rivalry because it was my first one. It was my first one, when I was first birthed into the game of s— talking. I was at a UFC event and I was just chilling and lo and behold, here comes Tito Ortiz. This big-headed m———– walk up to me man and I’m like, ‘What’s up?’ And he pushes me like he’s ready to fight right here and there.
“That was really the first time that I felt like a fight was a fight because before then, it was just like a competition but that was the first time it felt like a fight.”
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Rashad Evans names his favorite fight of his career
Despite having several rivalries to choose from when looking back at his career, there is one clear answer for Rashad Evans when being asked about his favorite fight.
Jon Jones and Tito Ortiz may have been great adversaries for ‘Suga’ but his feud with Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson made for must-watch viewing.
At UFC 114, they finally collided inside the Octagon in what remains Evans’ favorite fight.
“That was my favorite fight because going into that fight, the trash talk was so deep… He was talking so much trash and stakes were so high and everybody was talking about that fight.”
Along with getting the win, Evans had to overcome some adversity in this fight, which only makes him look back on it with fonder memories.
“I end up getting up and pulling it off, but that was fun.”