Rashad Evans reflects on consoling Michelle Waterson-Gomez following heartbreaking UFC Vegas 79 loss

Rashad Evans has detailed the emotional moment he had with Michelle Waterson-Gomez during the UFC Vegas 79 card.

Waterson-Gomez shared the Octagon with Marina Rodriguez on the main card of UFC Vegas 79 inside the UFC Apex on September 23. It was a rough and bloody night for Waterson-Gomez, who was battered en route to a second-round TKO loss. Fan footage captured an emotional Waterson-Gomez being consoled by her close friend Rashad Evans.

Rashad Evans consoling his long time friend Michelle Waterson-Gomez#UFCVegas79 pic.twitter.com/YIqIeq23XG

— MMA Mania (@mmamania) September 24, 2023

Rashad Evans On Consoling Michelle Waterson-Gomez

During the UFC Vegas 79 post-fight show, Rashad Evans discussed the moment he embraced Waterson-Gomez during her emotional moment (h/t MMAFighting).

“It was tough,” Evans said during the UFC Vegas 79 post-fight show. “Because at the end of the night, when she came to me, she said, ‘I didn’t want him to stop it. I wanted to come back. I wanted to come back and I know could come back.’”

Evans then discussed knowing Waterson-Gomez for as long as he has.

“I’ve known Michelle for the longest time,” Evans said. “We go back to Jackson’s and when she was named ‘Peanut.’ She was one of the guys on the team and she was just always there, just going through the workouts we did.

“It was hard for me see her in that moment because I know what it’s like to want to keep going, but you just can’t.”

With the loss to Rodriguez, Waters0n-Gomez has now lost four fights in a row. She hasn’t earned a victory since September 2020. Her pro MMA record has now fallen to 18-12.

Fight fans are now left to wonder what the future holds for Waterson-Gomez. Having fallen behind as of late, some have questioned “The Karate Hottie’s” future with the UFC, and whether or not a cut is on the way. Some have even suggested that Waterson-Gomez should retire, but that remains to be seen.