Rashad Evans refocused on UFC career

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans wanted so badly to reclaim the belt and settle a score that he forgot just how much he loves what he does for a living.

For Evans, the journey was always more rewarding than the destination. He just forgot.

Nine months after losing an emotional title bout that left Evans burned out and drained, the 33-year-old insists his competitive fire has been reignited by taking a step back and getting back to basics.

The new phase of his career will start Saturday night when he faces Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at UFC 156 at Mandalay Bay.

"I'm in a very good place right now," Evans said from his hotel room Wednesday. "I feel good in all areas of my life. I'm focused and I'm at peace, and when that's the case, everything else just fades away.

"I definitely feel rejuvenated."

The past few years have been trying for Evans in and out of the cage.

Evans went through a divorce and saw his brother shipped off to Afghanistan early last year. The personal issues came on top of a well-publicized split with his longtime trainer, Greg Jackson, in 2011 and the resulting feud with former friend and training partner Jon Jones.

After more than a year of vitriolic buildup, Evans finally got his shot at Jones and the light heavyweight belt in April only to drop a fairly one-sided unanimous decision.

"I was banged up both physically and emotionally from the Jones fight," Evans said. "I just took some time off to sort out what I wanted to do and where I was headed, just to the point of when I step back in the cage I will have that feeling like I want to be there."

The time away helped Evans realize he was just way too caught up in the belt and the man who currently owns it.

"It was all about getting the title shot and what was going on there and all the emotional baggage with leaving Greg and how close we were and how everything unfolded there and with Jon. It was just a lot," he said. "I spent a year and a half with that whole circus. It became not fun. It made the other side of the sport ugly. I didn't want it to be like that anymore.

"I just want to go out there and allow myself to be free enough to just enjoy what I do."

Two key factors helped Evans get back to his roots. First was his return to the gym, where he was able to help some of his teammates with the so-called "Blackzilians" camp in Florida prepare for fights of their own.

The second was his role as a studio analyst for UFC cards on Fuel TV.

His duties in both jobs helped Evans break the sport back down to its roots.

"I become analytical about it and break down technique and rediscover why things work, then try to be creative and think of new techniques that will work," he said. "Being an analyst helped me look at the sport and become reborn. I get to watch other fighters and watch guys do amazing things and see amazing fights, and that lit the fire back inside of me."

Instead of worrying about working his way back into a title shot, which certainly could be a chance at redemption against Jones, Evans intends to treat each fight from here on as the most important of his career.

"That way it's not all about focusing on and working toward that one big fight. Every single fight is important to get there, so I'm just going to make the party where I'm at," he said. "At the end of the day, you never know how it's going to be sorted out and who gets a chance to fight for the title or whatever the case may be, so instead of walking around with a sad face and heartbroken because I didn't get the chance, I'm just going to enjoy fighting for what it is, and that's me pushing myself to my limits and enjoying every bit of it."

Of course, it's not all doom and gloom for Evans. He is one of the most accomplished light heavyweights in UFC history and has lost just twice in 20 career fights, both times in title bouts.

He's still among the top contenders and is favored to further solidify that standing with a win over Nogueira.

Evans is working on one of the better resumes ever, and while he admits he is starting to think about his legacy, he prefers not to try to analyze just where his career stands at the moment.

"I don't really evaluate it. I just go and see what happens," he said. "When you start evaluating, 'This is where I am or this is where I need to be,' then you have a tendency to worry.

"I don't want to worry about it, man."

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow him on Twitter: @adamhilllvrj.