Coach: Evans' training needs will be met this time

[Kickass32]

Coach: Evans' training needs will be met this time

July, 16, 2011
By Chuck Mindenhall




Rashad Evans went from being a popular team leader at Greg Jackson’s gym in Albuquerque to a lone wolf with Mike Van Arsdale and loose change in Florida.

Betrayal, as it turns out, is a pretty strong motivator -- Evans has changed his whole approach to fight preparation. As such, when he steps in the cage against Tito Ortiz at UFC 133 in Philadelphia, we’ll be seeing a product of one-on-one, tailor-made training. It’s a departure from what Evans was doing at Jackson’s, where he trained happily as part of a collective.

And it’s the former collegiate wrestler-cum-fighter Van Arsdale -- who used to coach at Jackson’s, as well -- that’s doing the tailoring.

“It’s almost like a little mom and pop restaurant that’s got the best food,” Van Arsdale told ESPN.com of his Imperial Athletics gym in Boca Raton. “That’s what we got going on down here, it’s a mom and pop. We’re small. We’re not big. We’re not some big name with all these UFC fighters.”

Van Arsdale was a teammate of Evans’ going back to 2005, and he’s been coaching him since 2006. He and Evans have maintained a solid rapport over the years, and Van Arsdale was with Evans the first time he fought Ortiz in 2007 at UFC 73. That was a fight that Ortiz would have won had he not been docked a point for holding the fence in the third round. After Phil Davis was forced to back out of the big headlining spot against Evans, the opportunity fell to Ortiz, who declined, thought it over, then signed on.

This was good news for the Evans’ camp, according to Van Arsdale, and he says you can expect a different outcome from the first fight because his charge has a different mentality, a better ideology and the benefit of experience. Oh, and he’s healthy.


Sherdog.comCoach Mike Van Arsdale feels Rashad Evans wasn't properly prepared for Tito Ortiz the first time.



“Every person has different needs,” Van Arsdale says. “I think Rashad at the time was doing the same workout that the team was doing, which I think wasn’t the right prescription for his body type and what he needed to get ready for that particular fight. Instead of running, he probably should have been wrestling; instead of pounding with the legs, he probably should have been practicing some maneuvers with the standup.

“What happened was he got severe shin splints and an injury to his thigh. But, he kept quiet and fought [Ortiz] anyway, without a camp. He might have had two good weeks and the rest of the time he sat around barely making it through practice.”

Though it took a minute to get used to, Van Arsdale says that he likes the idea of Ortiz/Evans II, particularly with the improbable “feel good” vibe that Ortiz has fashioned after beating Ryan Bader a couple of weeks ago. He also appreciates that the “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” has a history of fights that are compelling just for having his name on the marquee.

“We’re happy it’s Ortiz,” he says. “Of course, we would like Phil Davis to still be there, but he’s not, so we had to take what we could get and Ortiz had the nerve and the confidence to put his name on the paper to fight Rashad, so I’m really happy that somebody stepped up to the plate and took the fight on short notice.”

http://espn.go.com/blog/mma/post?id=3121

[CrimsonColts18]

i think this dude is seriously retarded.... im not even joking... to come out and say greg jackson aint running his camp right? you better go check your records... you better go see what greg jacksons fighters records are... and then you better go check rashads record with greg... and then while your at it... go check the bonus' that get handed out and see how many greg jackson fighters won those...

[Kickass32]

i think this dude is seriously retarded.... im not even joking... to come out and say greg jackson aint running his camp right? you better go check your records... you better go see what greg jacksons fighters records are... and then you better go check rashads record with greg... and then while your at it... go check the bonus' that get handed out and see how many greg jackson fighters won those...

That's an interesting question.....I have no idea, but I am willing to bet Jacksons' guys don't win alot of "of the night" bonuses.

[Rich Davie]

via Tracy Lee of Combat Lifestyle

by Tim Burke on Jul 17, 2011 8:00 PM EDT

Mike Van Arsdale was the wrestling coarch at Jackson's MMA for a long time, but now works out of Imperial Athletics in Boca Raton, FL. When Rashad Evans had his big falling out with Team Jackson, he found a new home in Florida with his old wrestling coach. Van Arsdale talked to Chuck Mindenhall of ESPN about the arrangement, and about Rashad's first fight with Tito Ortiz back at UFC 73. First, he described the gym:

"It’s almost like a little mom and pop restaurant that’s got the best food," Van Arsdale told ESPN.com of his Imperial Athletics gym in Boca Raton. "That’s what we got going on down here, it’s a mom and pop. We’re small. We’re not big. We’re not some big name with all these UFC fighters."

Then he jumps right into how Rashad was trained for his first fight with Ortiz at UFC 73, and how this new gym and setup might be more beneficial for him:

"Every person has different needs," Van Arsdale says. "I think Rashad at the time was doing the same workout that the team was doing, which I think wasn’t the right prescription for his body type and what he needed to get ready for that particular fight. Instead of running, he probably should have been wrestling; instead of pounding with the legs, he probably should have been practicing some maneuvers with the standup.

"What happened was he got severe shin splints and an injury to his thigh. But, he kept quiet and fought [Ortiz] anyway, without a camp. He might have had two good weeks and the rest of the time he sat around barely making it through practice."

I had no idea that Rashad was injured going into that fight. I wonder how Rashad himself feels about that info coming out, since fans tend to look down on "excuses", even if they're not made by the fighter himself and might be completely legitimate. Van Arsdale closes with some complimentary talk about Ortiz:

"We’re happy it’s Ortiz," he says. "Of course, we would like Phil Davis to still be there, but he’s not, so we had to take what we could get and Ortiz had the nerve and the confidence to put his name on the paper to fight Rashad, so I’m really happy that somebody stepped up to the plate and took the fight on short notice."

Will Tito latch onto these comments about injuries and try to spin them? That is what the old Ortiz would have done for sure. Is the new Tito still that kind of guy? Time will tell.

http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2011/7/17...ith-tito-ortiz