CHICAGO -- Rashad Evans used the alleged troubles of former Penn State football assistant coach Jerry Sandusky as ammo Wednesday in a "verbal battle" against Phil Davis at the UFC on FOX 2 press conference at the United Center.
When asked by fan on what to expect from him come Jan. 28, Evans replied, "I prefer to bring the knockout [version of myself] because Phil, he needs to get knocked out."
Davis quickly retorted, bringing up a comment UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones made this past Monday on The MMA Hour.
"Glad you mention that cause one of your buddies Jon Jones said you don't have much of a chin."
Not to be outdone, Evans had the final word, referencing the recent scandal that took place at Davis' alma mater.
"I guarantee you'll be the first one to take a shot cause I'm going to put my hands on you worse than that dude did them other kids at Penn State."
Note: The video of the exchange is available here (at 1:08:10).
Evans has never been one to shy away from trash-talking. As a matter of fact, he refers to the time from now until the fight as just another element of the sport.
"Fans don't want to see people fight that like each other," Evans told MMA Fighting after the conference. "And I don't got anything against Phil but at the same time, we signed a contract to do a job. It's a fight. It's not a competition to be friends. And a fight is fought on many levels. The physical fight will be fought on Jan. 28, but until then, it's a mental war.
"... Every single chance I get, I'm going to talk about Phil Davis. I'm going to talk about the ugly thing he got growing out the end of his chin. What is that? What is it? I don't know. It's just hairs that haven't really come together yet," Evans said with an expressive smile on his face. "I don't know if he ain't mature yet to grow it fully, fully thick, but I don't know. It don't look right. I want to shave it."
For Evans, it all boils down to having fun. Because after all, in addition to the competition aspect of MMA, he's there to entertain the audience.
"When it comes down to it, I have respect for him as a fighter. But this is entertainment. People want to be entertained. I want to entertain myself. I have plenty of respect for him as a fighter and as a person. But when it comes to competing with me, I gotta let my mouth go a little bit."
As the two head into a No. 1 contender bout on network television for the opportunity to challenge Jones for the belt; if Evans wants to talk, Davis will oblige.
"At the end of the day, I'm just having fun," Davis told MMA Fighting. "I'm not saying anything disrespectful or too mean or anything. Just have fun."
When asked by fan on what to expect from him come Jan. 28, Evans replied, "I prefer to bring the knockout [version of myself] because Phil, he needs to get knocked out."
Davis quickly retorted, bringing up a comment UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones made this past Monday on The MMA Hour.
"Glad you mention that cause one of your buddies Jon Jones said you don't have much of a chin."
Not to be outdone, Evans had the final word, referencing the recent scandal that took place at Davis' alma mater.
"I guarantee you'll be the first one to take a shot cause I'm going to put my hands on you worse than that dude did them other kids at Penn State."
Note: The video of the exchange is available here (at 1:08:10).
Evans has never been one to shy away from trash-talking. As a matter of fact, he refers to the time from now until the fight as just another element of the sport.
"Fans don't want to see people fight that like each other," Evans told MMA Fighting after the conference. "And I don't got anything against Phil but at the same time, we signed a contract to do a job. It's a fight. It's not a competition to be friends. And a fight is fought on many levels. The physical fight will be fought on Jan. 28, but until then, it's a mental war.
"... Every single chance I get, I'm going to talk about Phil Davis. I'm going to talk about the ugly thing he got growing out the end of his chin. What is that? What is it? I don't know. It's just hairs that haven't really come together yet," Evans said with an expressive smile on his face. "I don't know if he ain't mature yet to grow it fully, fully thick, but I don't know. It don't look right. I want to shave it."
For Evans, it all boils down to having fun. Because after all, in addition to the competition aspect of MMA, he's there to entertain the audience.
"When it comes down to it, I have respect for him as a fighter. But this is entertainment. People want to be entertained. I want to entertain myself. I have plenty of respect for him as a fighter and as a person. But when it comes to competing with me, I gotta let my mouth go a little bit."
As the two head into a No. 1 contender bout on network television for the opportunity to challenge Jones for the belt; if Evans wants to talk, Davis will oblige.
"At the end of the day, I'm just having fun," Davis told MMA Fighting. "I'm not saying anything disrespectful or too mean or anything. Just have fun."