(Photo courtesy of The Sun)
Much of Quinton Jackson‘s distaste for Rashad Evans stems from UFC 96, when Rashad entered the cage directly following Rampage’s win over Keith Jardine and started jawing at him. The resulting exchange solidified them as mortal enemies whose mutual hatred is the basis for the next season of TUF — and it seems the UFC wants to replicate that drama in their lightweight division. Here’s Diego Sanchez talking about the immediate title shot he was recently promised by the UFC:
Oh God, not this shit again. While we’re discussing WWE-style antics, we might as well add the "post-fight confrontation" bit to the list of things that probably shouldn’t have a place in MMA competition. At the very least, you’re placing unnecessary stress on the winner (meaning, the guy who’s actually supposed to be in the cage at that moment), who’s riding the thrill of victory, and usually exhausted, and now has to compose himself enough to mean-mug his next opponent. And sometimes, this happens.
If BJ Penn beats Kenny Florian on August 8th, the potential post-fight face-off with Sanchez could be very reserved, if it goes down at all. The two have no personal history, and nothing to really get mad at each other about. If Florian wins, it’s a different story. Sanchez wrecked Florian to become the middleweight winner of TUF 1, and Florian has been itching to show the world that he’s a much different fighter than he was four years ago. Sanchez, on the other hand, doesn’t agree with that assessment:
I have a feeling that if these two go nose-to-nose in the cage after UFC 101, it won’t be an "agree to disagree" kind of situation. We can expect major heat — manufactured and cheesy as it may be. And who knows, maybe it’ll be enough to score them coaching spots on TUF 11…
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I think even if Florian wins and then Diego comes into the ring and gets into his face, Kenny will display the intelligence and composure that he’s always shown. He will do something like smile, shake his hand, and essentially say, “Good luck to you then”.