According to a Feb. 3 report from MMA Junkie, UFC President Dana White thinks UFC 156 fighter Rashad Evans has lost the desire and drive to compete.
"To be honest with you, Rashad and I have a good relationship," White said. "I like Rashad a lot. He's a good guy, a smart guy. But he has lost that hunger. He's lost that desire and drive, and he needs to get it back. There's no doubt about it.
"He needs to get hungry again."
Evans was one victory away from earning a UFC title shot against UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva, but he looked slow and sloppy against "Minotauro" Nogueira on Feb. 2 at UFC 156.
"Back in the day, he used to get a little – what's the word I'm looking for? – paranoid," White said of Evans. "He was always a little paranoid. But he always did the right thing. He needs to get that fire back. He doesn't have that fire. He needs to get it.
"Rashad used to train like a beast. Rashad never used to get tired. The only time you saw Rashad get tired was when he first came into the UFC and fought Tito (Ortiz) in that first fight. Then after that he turned into an absolute beast. He's gotta get it back."
No word yet on who Evans fights next, but it likely won't be a top five contender after his dismal performance at UFC 156. White expressed some concerns about Evans even since "Suga" considered retirement.
"If that word even comes out of your mouth in this business, it's a negative," White told MMAjunkie.com after UFC 156. "It's bad. The fact that he even said the 'R' word shows you where his head is at and what he's thinking."
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