Mike Chiappetta • E-mail

Four-and-a-half years into his MMA career, Rashad Evans has still yet to sample the bitter taste of defeat. Through his wrestling background, athleticism and hard work, Evans has always found a way to overcome any shortcomings and systematically build himself into a championship-caliber fighter.

Now, the 29-year-old gets the chance to find out if he has what it takes to sit atop the throne as king of the 205-pounders when he tries to slay current crown-holder Forrest Griffin in the main event of UFC 92.

The matchup has the distinction of being the first time a championship bout has pitted alumni of The Ultimate Fighter against each other (Griffin was the season one champion; Evans won season two).

The former Michigan State Spartan has certainly earned his way into the No. 1 contender position, going unbeaten in eight UFC contests (seven wins, and one draw against Tito Ortiz). But just as impressive as his record is the growth he’s exhibited as a fully rounded fighter.

When he debuted on TUF, Evans was almost exclusively a wrestler, scoring takedowns but then doing little to improve his position or damage his opponent. He won all four of his TUF matches by decision, then after winning the contract, won his first two UFC matches by decision as well. At the time, Evans was derided as a typical “lay-and-pray” fighter – lay on top of your opponent, pray for the win. But Evans joined forces with MMA training guru Greg Jackson, and the two worked diligently to re-tool his game. In three of his last five fights, he’s won by KO, including a pair of finishes that are considered among the best in UFC history.

In January 2007, he scored a one-shot headkick to Sean Salmon that knocked Salmon cold. This past September, he crumpled ex-champ Chuck Liddell with an overhand right. That resounding impact took him straight into a title match.

“It’s very important to have that complete game, so your opponent has to worry about all kinds of different attacks from different angles, whether it be elbows, knees, punches, or kicks,” he said. “To be well-rounded is hard to develop. To flow through different strikes smoothly and seamlessly is the biggest challenge… If it’s not seamless, you’ll get caught and knocked out.”

Because Evans has become so multi-layered as a fighter, he actually presents a more complex puzzle to Griffin than Rampage Jackson did when Griffin captured the belt at UFC 86. Jackson, who has never been a big fan of groundwork, became almost exclusively a power puncher that never looked for a takedown, and virtually abandoned kicks (according to CompuStrike stats, Jackson threw just four kicks in the five-round fight; Griffin threw 99). Evans is more than capable of power strikes, but also has strong defensive skills with his head movement and elusiveness, and is capable of stealing a close round with his takedown ability.

On top of it all, Evans has the fairly significant psychological edge of training with a teammate who has already defeated Griffin: Keith Jardine.

Griffin and Jardine fought two years ago, and Jardine won with a first-round TKO.

“That’s gotta help him, saying, ‘this is how I got him,’” Griffin said of the advantage. “It helps to have a good game plan. And me and Keith are stylistically similar, too, so he’s a good guy to have around.”

But Evans dismisses the talk saying, “As far as having a blueprint goes, there are things Keith does well and things I do well. But the way he moves is different than what I do. The game plan is set around what we do best. We’re not going to have me doing something totally out of my range.”

While Evans has transformed himself into a dynamic striker, Griffin is more of a blue-collar scrapper who claws for everything. Some people thought Griffin stole the decision against Jackson, but his activity was the key. He threw 441 strikes, while Jackson threw just 173. Griffin has to outwork his opponents; just three of his 16 wins are TKO’s, and one of those is due to a cut.

Griffin is a classic overachiever, working obsessively on his own perceived weaknesses, and working obsessively in general. He is known as a gym rat who works out multiple times a day and is constantly searching for ways to improve. As a result of his hard work, he has very few holes in his game. His striking, while lacking KO power, is precise and effective. He’s not a superb wrestler, but has very good takedown defense. And his jiu-jitsu game may lack the creativity of a Demian Maia, but it’s also been strong enough to submit Shogun Rua.

Finally, Griffin seemingly has an endless reservoir of energy that he has used to push the pace and wear down opponents in the past. Evans has never had a problem with conditioning, but then again, he’s never had to fight five rounds, either.

“Ever since I came off the show, I’ve been trying to keep up with Forrest,” Evans said.

Now he has a chance to surpass him.

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