Rashad Evans: Reformed Fan Favorite or Scorned Pariah?

For all the talk, and leading questions, of how the tenth season of The Ultimate Fighter reformed the image of Rashad Evans that narrative fell flat on its face from the boos directed at the former light heavyweight champion this Saturday night.

What happened?

If we are to believe Franklin McNeil and Dana White's video bogs fans had embraced Evans as the tool to wrestle sweet vindication from the cocky actor otherwise known as "Rampage" Jackson. But Rashad wasn't fighting Quinton this weekend, he was fighting Thiago Silva and during the final round of their fight the tide of public opinion appeared to turn on Rashad one more time.

While far from scientific polling, it was clear on television that the majority of boos were directed at Evans and there were far more chants of 'Silva!' that night. Whether Thiago partisans or Rashad haters out numbered Evans' fans at the MGM Grand Garden Arena is unknown but it was clear who the more vocal supporters were.

It could be that Evans image had changed and fans were embracing him but they quickly abandoned him as things got dicey in the final round of the Silva fight. If this as indeed the case then I guess Machiavelli was right.

So, the question remains: is Rashad Evans a people's champion who will garner satisfaction from offended UFC fans for Rampage's recent antics or is he just a fighter that fans will never be able to fully embrace?

As of this moment it appears that the story is trending towards the latter, though it could easily switch with one knockout...