Rashad Evans Talks Anthony Smith’s Upcoming Fight Against Shogun Rua at UFC Hamburg

Rashad Evans recently spoke with MMA Junkie about the Anthony Smith (28-14 MMA, 5-3 UFC) vs. Mauricio Rua (25-10 MMA, 9-8 UFC) at UFC Hamburg. Here are the highlights…

On Being an Analyst For The Event: “When I got this gig I had no idea the first gig back would be against the guy who just recently beat me,” Evans said on the UFC Fight Night 134 weigh-in show on FS2. “Awkward, huh? It wasn’t (planned) that way.”

On Smith’s Keys to Victory: “One thing I watched in his game, I was seeing the fact that when he starts out fast he tends to fade a little bit later on in the fight,” Evans said. “Against a guy like ‘Shogun’ who gets better as the fight goes on, who gets better as more damage is put on him, he’s going to have to be careful like that and not rest on his haunches once he starts to take a lead on him and really try to finish ‘Shogun.’ Because ‘Shogun’ is the Terminator in many ways. Anthony Smith is very big for the weight class, even at 205,” Evans said. “The thing about this kid is that he’s just super, super hungry. He’s got the focus, he’s got the drive. … Use his size. Be the bigger fighter in there. Use the clinch, use those knees and work the knees like he caught me with.”

On What The Win Would mean For Smith: “This would be huge for him,” Florian said. “To get a win over a legend like ‘Shogun’ Rua, a former champion in this division, would be massive and would create a lot of momentum and a lot of hype.”