Rampage Jackson shows ring rust in loss to Rashad Evans

Hollywood will have its effect on Quinton “Rampage” Jackson next month when he appears in “The A-Team,” but he had no silver-screen performance Saturday night in losing to rival Rashad Evans.

Evans (15-1-1) won a unanimous decision in the clash of former Ultimate Fighting Championship light-heavyweight champions at MGM Grand Garden Arena, using a big first-round blow and a two-takedown rally from third-round trouble to claim a 30-27 decision on two scorecards and a 29-28 edge on the other. Evans will get a title shot at champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua later this year, the UFC has said.

Jackson (30-8), who stars in the Mr. T role of B.A. Baracus, was pitying himself as he showed the negative effects of a 14-month layoff to make the movie. He couldn’t respond to Evans’ superior wrestling skills and didn’t engage often enough when the two were standing in striking position.

“I guess ring rust is a factor,” Jackson said. “I looked good, felt good, was strong, but I had a lot of rust.”

Irvine’s Jackson had his best moments early in the third and final round, when he belted Evans with a flurry that knocked him to the canvas and continued pounding until Evans found a position of survival.

“I went down for a little bit, but that’s what happens,” Evans said.

Evans’ resilience included two later takedowns of Jackson, and when the bell rang, Jackson’s pained look revealed his frustration.

Evans greeted Jackson in the first by ducking in and landing a clean right that backed up Jackson to the cage, where Evans pressed and “Rampage” recovered. Referee Herb Dean separated the two, and Evans seconds later scored a takedown.

Jackson said he expected Evans to make the fight a wrestling match, but he couldn’t escape the grasp against the cage, wasting time to unleash something like the late combination that backed up Evans late in the first round.

As Jackson tried to unload more blows in the second, Evans moved in to give a tight hug and pushed Jackson’s back to the cage again, drawing jeers from the sellout crowd. Evans squatted in striking position, then again surged to push Jackson to the cage, hitting his right upper leg. Dean had to interrupt again.

Jackson couldn’t find Evans when they stood to fight, a clear symptom of missed training time. Jackson earned $250,000 for the fight, however, and requested a rematch that he might ultimately get. Evans won $410,000 and the title shot.

In the co-main event, middleweight Michael Bisping of England defeated Dan Miller by unanimous decision in a stand-up fight. Bisping consistently delivered more effective punches, bloodying Miller’s nose in the second round and outworking him in a decisive late exchange in the third.

Bisping (20-3) was desperate for a victory after recent losses to Wanderlei Silva and Dan Henderson. The unpopular Brit delivered a mild head butt to Miller (11-4) just before the opening bell and fulfilled his prefight promise that he was coming off a superb training camp, avoiding Miller’s best attempts and slapping Miller with scoring combinations. The loss was Miller’s third in a row.

A rising welterweight star emerged on the card as England’s John Hathaway improved to 14-0 with a unanimous decision over Diego Sanchez, a former welterweight and lightweight title contender.

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lance.pugmire@latimes.com