Queen of Sports

Rashad Evans: Hot Or Not?

“Suga” Rashad Evans will be stepping into the Octagon this weekend, facing Phil Davis in a light heavyweight bout that will be aired on Fox.

Evans is a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion with six years experience in the UFC. Many know him not only from his fights, but as a frequent host on ESPN’s “MMA Live.”

Evans was born in Niagra Falls, New York where his athletic prowess found him as a two-way player on his high school football team, and as a two-time All-State wrestler. Evans went on to wrestle at Michigan State University where he earned a degree in psychology and later became assistant coach of the school’s wrestling team. His amateur career in MMA started out with five wins and no losses, which he led him to be selected to complete the UFC’s competition reality show, The Ultimate Fighter 2. Evans defeated his opponent on the show’s finale, earning a three-year, six-figure contract with the UFC.

Evans currently holds a record in the UFC of 16 wins, 1 loss, and 1 draw.

Evans is married, with three children. He calls Lansing, Michigan home but fights out of Boca Raton, Florida.

So, what do you think? Rashad Evans…hot or not?

Photo: TitoMedia.com.au / Splash News

Chuck Liddell To Apear In Kia Super Bowl Commercial

Kia will be joining the ranks of automakers ready to dole out $7 million for 60 seconds of airtime during the Super Bowl this year.

What will they do to draw the attention of the audience? They’ve employed retired UFC legend Chuck Liddell, Motley Crue, and supermodel Adriana Lima. The theme of the commercial is a “man’s dream.” The 60-second commercial will debut in movie theaters on February 3, and 15-second teaser ads will air before the Super Bowl. The people at Kia also said they will employ Facebook and Twitter to create a buzz about their brand and the commercial.

We can’t wait to see what commercials the Super Bowl will bring this year. Will anything beat last year’s Darth Vader commercial by the folks at Volkswagen?

Sports Date Of The Week: Haywire

This Friday, action-thriller film Haywire directed by Steven Soderbergh starring MMA star Gina Carano is coming to theaters. We got a chance to catch the film last night, and can vouch for the quality of Carano’s high-adrenaline stunts which were all performed by her.

Carano makes her film debut as Mallory Kane, a former Marine who now works as a covert operative for a government security contractor. Kane performs jobs the government won’t authorize. She travels all over the world, getting into dangerous situations but always finding a way out. After she is betrayed and left for dead, she must attempt to make her way home safely to protect her family and exact revenge on those who betrayed her.

Other stars of the film include Michael Fassbender, Bill Paxton, Michael Douglas, Ewan McGregor, Antonio Banderas and Channing Tatum.

Carano prepared for her role with an intense six-week tactical training course taught by an ex-Israeli special ops fighter. She went to target practice, so handling a gun would feel like second-nature when filming.

Carano was introduced to directer Steven Soderbergh in 2009, shortly after a big loss to Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos. In the film, Soderbergh seeks to reimagine the spy drama by stripping away many of the special effects, stunt doubles, and quick film cuts. He envisioned Carano and her fighting capabilities would make the film look more real.

If you get a chance to check out the film, we want to hear what you thought of it! Let us know in the comments section or hit us up on Twitter at @QueenOfSports.

Photo: Suntzulynn for LE / Splash News

*Special thanks to Jeff Freedman for the invite

Athlete Sighting: Rampage Jackson

UFC star Quinton “Rampage” Jackson ran into some members of the cast and crew of The A-Team while on the red carpet for the premiere of Liam Neeson’s latest starring role in The Grey. Jackson starred alongside Bradley Cooper, and Neeson in the film. Director Joe Carnahan and producer Jules Daly, who were also in attendance, stopped to greet Jackson.

The Grey takes place in Alaska where an oil drilling team becomes stranded. The film is a story of man’s survival and the tests of leadership. The Grey comes out in theaters Jan. 27. To promote the film, FOX is giving away two free tickets to the Daytona 500. NASCAR fans can enter here.

Photo: thanks to Jeff Freedman

Jon Jones: Next MMA Star To Appear In A Movie?

Jon Jones posted the above photo on his twitter, saying, “I could get used to all this acting stuff.” The MMA star was working with action director Joseph Khan, but we’re not sure what for. He retweeted something about shooting the UFC on FOX promo campaign, but we won’t be surprised to see Jones follow in the footsteps of Rampage Jackson and Gina Carano.

Tito Ortiz Making Guest Appearance on CSI:NY Tonight

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UFC veteran Tito Ortiz will be making a guest appearance, playing a cage fighter on tonight’s episode of CSI:NY on CBS. According to the network, Ortiz will play fictional cage fighter Derek Petrov in the episode titled “Clean Sweep.” The plot of the episode? “A charred body turns into a hot mess for the CSIs when it appears a cage fighter has been murdered by his stalker.”

Catch it on CBS tonight at 10 pm PST.

Athlete Sighting: Gina Carano At Haywire Premiere

The face of women’s MMA, Gina Carano, was spotted on the red carpet last night at the premiere of the upcoming Steven Soderbergh movie Haywire. Carano stopped for a photo with her co-star, Channing Tatum, at the Director’s Guild in Los Angeles.

The film also stars Antonio Banderas, Ewan McGregor, and Michael Douglas. Also spotted on the red carpet: Georges St-Pierre, Sasha Grey, Gene Simmons and Shannon Tweed, and Hugh Hefner’s son Cooper.

Photo: Suntzulynn for LE / Splash News

Gina Carano In GQ Magazine

Gina Carano, the face of women’s MMA and star of the action movie Haywire opening in theaters Jan. 20, knows how to kick butt and look good while doing it. We learned in this month’s GQ that combination is what made Steven Soderbergh custom build the starring role in his upcoming movie. He saw her fighting on TV and decided to cast her as the movie’s tough secret agent “to showcase her debutante prettiness and skull-crushing thighs.”

Carano told GQ despite her profession and abilities, “I am not a violent person. I actually don’t like to hurt people.” She said she likes fighting “because it’s honest.”

Carano played up her sex appeal in the photo shoot, sporting a Herve Leger swimsuit in most of the photos. To check out a behind-the-scenes video of the shoot, visit GQ.com.

Photos: GQ

Athlete Sighting: Alistair Overeem Celebrating UFC 141 Victory With Lil Jon

Alistair Overeem defeated Brock Lesnar with a first-round TKO at UFC 141 last Friday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. After the fight, Lesnar announced he would be retiring from fighting.

Overeem celebrated his victory at Surrender Nightclub at the Wynn with resident DJs Lil Jon and Sidney Samson, as well as other UFC fighters including Tito Ortiz and wife Jenna Jameson. Other athletes who partied at Surrender that night included Boston Red Sox outfielder Carl Crawford and champion snowboard Danny Kass. Celebrities from Wilmer Valderrama to Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino were also popping bottles on the eve of New Year’s Eve at Surrender.

Photo: Bryan Schnitzer for the Las Vegas Sun

Jon “Bones” Jones Vists SportsCenter

One of our favorite UFC guys, light heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones stopped by ESPN’s SportsCenter on Tuesday night to talk about his big weekend win over Lyoto Machida.

Check out the interview – and the HUGE belt below:

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Photo: jonnybones.com