Rashad Evans tries to fuel Quinton "Rampage" Jackson war
by Natalia Baage on April 10, 2010

Rashad Evans is talking some trash, and hopefully it's fueling a fire under Quinton Jackson's butt.

Evans started a one-sided Twitter war, using his tweets to poke fun at his upcoming opponent.

"I decided that I'm gonna leave @Rampage4real aka Quitting Jackson (lol) alone cuz I don't want @Danawhite 2 call me saying he quit again!" Evans wrote most recently.

That tweet came on the heels of the following, which were spread out over the past few days.

"4 those that don't know @rampage4real was suppose 2 fight me Dec 12th 2009 but decided it was it not in his best interest (scared)!"
"@Rampage4real no matter what May 29th brings I promise u I won't hate it as much as u hated Dec 12th cuz I ain't neva' scared!!!"
"@rampage4real whatever the reason is (fight) we gonna c how much heart u really got! U need 2 c The Wiz cuz u got no heart (Tin Man)!!"

Rampage only had a single response:

"I find it very funny that @sugarashadevans thinks me not fighting Dec 12 had anything to do with him."

Rampage and Evans began their hatred for each other at UFC 96, after Rampage defeated Evans' teammate, Keith Jardine, via unanimous decision. They were then assigned to be opposing coached on The Ultimate Fighter 10. While the show's fights between the heavyweight contestants were not overly entertaining, fans found themselves tuning in to the show to watch the two former light-heavyweight champions engaging in intense verbal wars.

Evans and Rampage were then supposed to face each other in the Octagon, after the season concluded. But Rampage had other ideas. The Wolfslair product took a role in "The A-Team" remake and later declared that he had retired from MMA.

After shooting most of the film, he re-emerged, saying that he would return to fighting in order to finish out his UFC contract and battle Evans. UFC President Dana White set a date: May 29 at UFC 114.

At the end of March, Rampage renewed his contract, signing a six-fight contract with the organization. However, there are some concerns about Rampage. First: ring rust. When it comes time to face Evans, Rampage will have been out of the Octagon for nearly 15 months. Concurrently, the movie he just filmed caused him to gain weight, and it was also reported and photographed that he had started smoking.

While these are fixable problems, some fans are questioning Rampage's heart, dedication and commitment to the sport. His coaching on The Ultimate Fighter was heavily criticized, as was his decision to take a movie role that interfered with the timing of his fight against Evans. The most shocking revelation, however, came last September when Rampage announced his retirement. While many thought that he would return, which he did, it set off some alarm bells.

So even though The Ultimate Fighter 11 will almost be finished by the time Rampage and Evans fight, we will all soon find out who comes out on top in The Ultimate Fighter 10 coaches battle.

Make sure to check back with us the day of the event for free, live, round-by-round coverage of UFC 114 right here at FiveKnuckles.com! Join expert analyst Mike Williams as he takes you through the entire fight card blow-by-blow and then keep it right here for all the post-fight news and notes you can handle!

HOW WILL THE THIAGO ALVES VS. MARTIN KAMPMANN FIGHT END AT UFC ON FX 2?
Alves def. Kampmann via TKO/KO
Alves def. Kampmann via submission
Alves def. Kampmann via decision
Kampmann def. Alves via TKO/KO
Kampmann def. Alves via submission
Kampmann def. Alves via decision
TAKE ANOTHER POLL!