Rashad Evans News

Thomas Taylor - June 27, 2018

Earlier this week, on the debut episode of Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show, former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans announced his retirement from the sport of MMA. On Wednesday afternoon, the former champ and UFC legend issued a lengthy and thoughtful statement to Instagram, detailing his decision-making process, and looking back on his time in the sport.

Tom Taylor - June 27, 2018

In honor of his retirement, we count down the Top 5️⃣ @SugaRashadEvans moments. ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/Gkk2TXiOMd — UFC (@ufc) June 26, 2018

Thomas Taylor - June 25, 2018

Former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Rashad Evans has elected to hang up the gloves. The former champ and UFC legend announced his retirement on the inaugural edition of Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show on ESPN. Rashad Evans on next! I think you'll want to watch this one.https://t.co/7XuKPHzxSZ

Tom Taylor - June 11, 2018

Shortly after Rashad Evans was knocked out by Anthony Smith on the undercard of UFC 225, UFC President Dana White summoned him backstage to talk. White considers Evans an MMA legend, but felt a conversation was in order. “When he lost, I had him come back to my room,” White said at Saturday’s UFC 225 post-fight press conference (via MMA Fighting). “We hung out and talked, and yeah, it’s sad. Rashad was on season two of The Ultimate Fighter, so he was around through the whole building of this company. We all get old, man, and this is a young man’s sport. But if you look at what he [did], he won The Ultimate Fighter, he became a world champion, he [built] this team where he was like the guy and built all these young up-and-coming fighters. He’s been in big, huge fights.

Chris Taylor - June 9, 2018

A light heavyweight scrap between Anthony Smith and former division champion Rashad Evans served as the featured bout of tonight’s UFC 225 fight pass prelims from Chicago. Rashad Evans entered tonight’s contest on a four fight losing streak and sported a record of 19-7-1 overall.

Drake Riggs - June 7, 2018

It’s been quite the career for The Ultimate Fighter season 2 winner, Rashad Evans. Evans won TUF 2 as a heavyweight in 2005 to begin his UFC journey. Eight fights later, he would be hoisting up light heavyweight gold after TKOing the champion and TUF 1 winner, Forrest Griffin.

Tom Taylor - March 12, 2018

After an unsuccessful, two-fight run in the UFC middleweight division, former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans will return to the light heavyweight division. Though the former champ was briefly linked to a showdown with former UFC middleweight champ Michael Bisping, he will instead welcome former middleweight Anthony Smith to the light heavyweight division at UFC 225, on June 9 in Chicago. This bout was first reported by ESPN’s Brett Okamoto. In his two fights in the UFC middleweight division, Evans lost controversial split decisions to Sam Alvey and Dan Kelly. His two next most recent bouts, which occurred at light heavyweight, also resulted in losses, as he was knocked out by Glover Teixeira and decisioned by current Bellator champ Ryan Bader. Evans’s last win occurred in November of 2013, when he defeated current Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix competitor Chael Sonnen by first-round TKO. Evans is 19-7-1 overall.

Tom Taylor - February 15, 2018

For a few months, it looked as though former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping would partake in the final fight of his illustrious career in the main event of the UFC’s March 17 stop in London, England. At the time, it looked as though his opponent would be a fellow veteran and long-time friend in former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans. Eventually, however, this plan fell through. Bisping’s retirement plans were moved to the back burner, and Evans was left without an opponent.

Justin Golightly - February 6, 2018

With Michael Bisping’s career coming to a close, it’s been difficult to say the least to find an opponent for his swan song. With tons of big names at middleweight locked up or ineligible, it looked like the UFC finally had it all put together with Rashad Evans at UFC London. To our surprise — as well as Evans — it didn’t work out. The former UFC light heavyweight champion recently opened up about how he’s not sure why the fight isn’t happening, but doesn’t blame Bisping one bit. “I thought [the fight with Michael Bisping was going to happen] too, man. I got the call and I thought it was going to happen, but then things didn’t work out on the negotiation side between the UFC and Bisping. I don’t exactly know what it was about, but I guess the talks just broke down after the agreement happened. I think it was contract stuff. I think Bisping is getting to the end of his contract and that he’s been talking about retirement. I’m not too exactly 100-percent sure about what they were talking about.”

Chris Taylor - January 28, 2018

Rampage Jackson and Rashad Evans have a heated staredown inside of night club! Former UFC light heavyweight champions and bitter rivals Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Rashad Evans recently crossed paths inside of a night club.

Justin Golightly - January 27, 2018

Michael Bisping is gearing up to leave the combat sports world in a couple of months, but everyone had their hands up in the air regarding a potential opponent for a myriad of reasons. However, it looks like the UFC is finally settling on a potential match-up for Bisping’s UFC London swan song. As just reported by Ariel Helwani, Bisping could potentially meet Rashad Evans in the last fight of his storied career. A main event fight between Michael Bisping & Rashad Evans is on the table for the London card on March 17. It’s currently being discussed/considered but not finalized yet. A decision will be made soon. Would be a rematch of UFC 78’s headliner, which Evans won via split decision.

Tom Taylor - September 27, 2017

Back in 2008, when he held the UFC light heavyweight title, Rashad Evans was considered the best light heavyweight fighter on the planet. Even after he lost that title, succumbing to punches dealt by the surging Lyoto Machida, he was still regarded as one of the division’s very best. Unfortunately, Evans eventually began to decline. After failing to reclaim the light heavyweight title from his heated rival Jon Jones, the former champ lost a tepid decision to Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, defeated Dan Henderson and Chael Sonnen, and then lost decisively to Ryan Bader and Glover Teixeira. With this diminishing success, he finally made a long-discussed move down to the middleweight division.

bjpenndotcom - March 14, 2017

At UFC 209 earlier this year, former UFC light heavyweight champion Rasahd Evans made his highly anticipated UFC middleweight debut after several setbacks in his drop to middleweight. Entering into the Octagon at UFC 209 against Olympic Judoka Dan Kelly, Rashad Evans was riding a 2-fight skid that saw him drop back to back losses to Ryan Bader and Glover Teixeira, with the second one being a rather vicious knockout loss.

bjpenndotcom - March 9, 2017

This past weekend, former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans stepped into the Octagon on the main card of UFC 209 where he made it his middleweight debut against Olympic Judoka Dan Kelly. Kelly picked up an impressive unanimous decision win over the former champ as he repeatedly landed significant strikes on ‘Suga’, who didn’t really appear to find his groove until the third round. With the disappointing loss to Kelly, many were wondering if Evans would retire from MMA in the midst of his 3-fight skid.

Chris Taylor - March 5, 2017

Middleweight fighter Dan Kelly (13-1 MMA) improved his UFC record to an impressive 6-1 yesterday in Las Vegas by scoring a split-decision victory over former light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans on the UFC 209 main card. Both Evans and Kelly had their own respective moments in the fight, but it seemed that Kelly’s forward pressure and willingness to go after Evans swayed the judges in his favor.

Tom Taylor - March 5, 2017

On Saturday night, on the main card of the stacked UFC 209, former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans made his long-awaited debut in the middleweight division. His opponent in this middleweight debut was Australia’s Dan Kelly – a tough opponent, but certainly a surmountable challenge too. Though Evans enjoyed plenty of success over the course of this three-round middleweight debut, it didn’t go the way he planned, as the judges ultimately gave Kelly a split decision win.

Tom Taylor - February 23, 2017

Last Sunday, on the main card of the UFC’s second trip to Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canadian middleweight Elias Theodorou scored a nice decision win over Brazilian Ultimate Fighter winner Cezar “Mutante” Ferreira. Shortly after this win, Theodorou expressed interest in fighting Rashad Evans, a former UFC light heavyweight champion who will debut in the middleweight division opposite Daniel Kelly at UFC 209.

Tom Taylor - February 15, 2017

In September of 2016, it was announced that former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans would be making a long discussed drop to middleweight for a fight with Strikeforce veteran Tim Kennedy. The two fighters were expected to face off on the undercard of UFC 205. Unfortunately, this fight was scrapped at the last minute when the New York State Athletic Commission opted not to license Evans, citing an issue with his pre-fight medicals. With this development, the bout was then rescheduled for UFC 206 in Toronto, but unfortunately, the Ontario Commission pulled the plug on it for the same reason.