The UFC has seen many amazing fighters pass through the ranks in its nearly three-decade run. Even a glance at UFC odds shows just how incredible the talent is.
One fighter who stands out is Rashad Evans.
Rashad Evans, or “Suga”, is an American MMA artist best known for clinching the UFC Light Heavyweight title in 2008.
Before his rise to fame and during his time with the UFC, the Niagara Falls native defied all expectations. He saw major (and sometimes surprising) success in the UFC and faced off against some of his fiercest competitors without losing his determination.
Read on to find out more!
Before the UFC
Early Life
Evans began his career by wrestling straight out of Niagara-Wheatfield High School in New York. He was extremely successful, winning his weight class for his region and receiving All-State honors.
In 1999 he entered the National Junior College Athletic Association National Championships in the 165-pound weight class. He came in 4th place but would go on to win the title in 2000.
He entered the Division I championships competing for Michigan State after a third-place finish in the Big Ten Championships and won his opening match before losing a close 3-0 decision to Robbie Waller. He ended his Michigan State career with an impressive record consisting of 48 wins and 34 losses.
The Ultimate Fighter
In 2004, with the guidance of Dan Severn, a future UFC Hall of Famer, Rashad Evans competed in five professional mixed martial arts fights. He won all five, leading to his near-immediate selection as a competitor on the Spike reality TV show, The Ultimate Fighter 2.
Some may say that this is where Evans’ career really began.
He was the second-lightest competitor and was generally viewed as the underdog in every fight. However, after defeating Tom Murphy, Keith Jardine, and Mike Whitehead (all by decision) made it to the finals. He won a brand-new car and a three-year, six-figure contract with the UFC.
UFC Career
Immediate Winning Streak
Evans dropped down to light heavyweight after The Ultimate Fighter, deciding he would have a better chance of success in a lower weight class due to the extreme stress of the UFC.
This would prove to be true in his first fight against Sam Hoger, which took place in April 2006.
Evans would maintain a winning streak over his next few fights, beating the likes of Stephan Bonnar and Jason Lambert in the following months. But it was his bout with Sean Salmon in UFC Fight Night: Evans vs Salmon that allowed him to shine.
Evans performed a head kick early in the second round and beat fan expectations by establishing himself as more than a one-dimensional fighter.
Evans vs Bisping and Liddell
He also squared off against Tito Ortiz at UFC 73, with a rematch scheduled for four years later at UFC 133. Evans was also established as a headliner of UFC 78 against Michael Bisping, the winner of The Ultimate Fighter 3, and came out on top. He would go on to drastically change his fighting style.
In UFC 88, Evans debuted his new approach to fighting against UFC Legend Chuck Liddell. He astonished fans everywhere and made a name for himself after brutally knocking out Liddel. It was so great that it scored the title of knockout of the year for 2008!
Light Heavyweight Championship
With the victory over Forrest Griffin in 2008, Evans became the new UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. It ended a brilliant year that saw Evans win Fighter of the Year honors. However, this didn’t last long as his first defense of the title against Lyoto Machida ended in a knockout.
This was the first loss of his career and the 15th straight win of Lyoto Machida’s career. Despite this, He would go on to perform well for the next couple of years.
Injuries and Retirement
Evans was knocked off the card a few days before UFC 170 in February 2014. The injury was so severe that Evans was sidelined indefinitely!
He underwent knee surgery with the hopes of returning to the championship by the end of 2015. However, as it so often happens, Evans’ meteoric rise to fame eventually crashed back down.
He had a disappointing 2015 return and was unable to make medical clearance for several of these fights, stemming into 2016. He went on to lose every fight in 2017 and 2018.
With five consecutive losses to UFC fighters including Ryan Bader, Glover Teixeira, Dan Kelly, Sam Alvey, and Anthony Smith (from 2015 to 2018), Evans decided to retire from MMA after 13 years of fighting.
Present Situation and the Future
Evans was a 2019 inductee of the UFC Hall of Fame for his contribution to the industry. He currently serves as a desk analyst on the UFC broadcasting team.
He also returned from retirement to fight for Khabib Nurmagomedov’s promotion, the Eagle Fighting Championship. A comeback event on January 28 2022 saw Evans achieve his first victory in many years.
We can only imagine where his career will take him in the future!