‘You cannot beat father time’: Fans criticize retired UFC champs who will return for comeback fight
Two former light heavyweight UFC champions will come out of retirement to box each other, one of the fighters revealed.
Rashad Evans announced that he will compete in a boxing match with Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, saying that he’s “jumped into training camp” for a bout in early 2025.
“We’re looking to do it potentially at the end of February, and it’s most likely going to be here in Florida. We’re going to do a boxing match,” Evans said.
Evans explained that while he could be “done with it all” and enjoy his life, he would “always wonder” if he should have had a boxing match.
Now 45, Evan last fought in mixed martial arts in 2022 but hasn’t consistently competed since 2018.
Jackson, 46, hasn’t had an MMA fight since 2019.
Upon hearing the announcement, fans reacted poorly, especially given how Jackson has looked in his most recent fights. For his 2019 fight against Fedor Emelianenko, fans felt Jackson looked sluggish and out of shape on his way to receiving a first round TKO loss.
Reactions were even worse this time around across social media platforms.
“I understand you need some money but the young fighters put on the best show. You cannot beat father time,” a fan wrote on YouTube.
“I’m tired of watching the elderly fight,” another viewer wrote.
On X, readers responded to ab article on the topic with comments like “Please don’t” and “no one wants this.”
“I have less than zero interest in this fight,” another reader said.
Some referenced the recent Mike Tyson boxing fight, who, at 58 years old, was clearly too old to fight competitively.
“Please stop old guys from fighting. Tyson should have been the straw that broke the camels back.”
‘There’s nothing better than getting another chance to fight “Rampage.”’
Evans continued, saying that his opponent Jackson is in good shape and ready for a fight.
“Boxing is something I’m a huge fan of and there’s nothing better than getting another chance to fight ‘Rampage.’ [He] is in pretty good shape right now,” Evans told MMA Fighting. “He was getting ready for Shannon ‘The Cannon’ [Briggs] so he’s in pretty good shape. I want to get a chance to do it again with [him].”
Jackson also participated in a gimmick fight in 2023, where he had a tandem two-on-two boxing match alongside UFC legend Bob Sapp.
Evans too has kept himself in good shape and has been noticeably trim while working as an MMA broadcaster.
The two fighters had one match against each other in the UFC in 2010. Evans won the fight by unanimous decision.
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