Pros react after Rashad Evans defeats Gabriel Checco at Eagle FC 44

Former UFC champion Rashad Evans returned from a three and a half year hiatus to take on Gabriel Checco in tonight’s Eagle FC 44 co-headliner.

Evans (19-8-1 MMA) had retired from mixed martial arts back in June of 2018, this after suffering a first round knockout loss to Anthony Smith. That setback had marked Suga’s fifth in a row, as he had previously suffered losses to Sam Alvey, Daniel Kelly, Glover Teixeira and Ryan Bader inside of the Octagon.

Despite not having won a fight since scoring a TKO victory over Chael Sonnen at UFC 167 in November of 2013, Rashad Evans decided the time was right to make a comeback.

Gabriel Checco, meanwhile, had won two of his past three fights and was coming off a first-round TKO win over Simon Marini.

Tonight’s Eagle FC 44 co-main event went the full fifteen minutes. Rashad Evans utilized a grappling-heavy game plan to smother and control Gabriel Checco for the majority of the fight. After three rounds of action, ‘Suga’ was awarded a unanimous decision win. The victory marked his first in over eight years.

Official Result: Rashad Evans def. Gabriel Checco by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)

Check out how the pros reacted to Evans vs. Checco below:

UFC Hall of Famer Rashad Evans is about to compete for the first time since retiring in June 2018. He takes on Gabriel Checco at #EagleFC44.

— Nick Baldwin (@NickBaldwinMMA) January 29, 2022

"Damn, is this really happening?"@SugaRashadEvans had a moment during his comeback fight at #EagleFC44 pic.twitter.com/VpFed0nLYr

— Eagle FC (@EagleFightClub) January 29, 2022

https://twitter.com/bjpenndotcom/status/1487266311839399936

More reactions to Rashad Evans vs. Gabriel Checco:

https://twitter.com/campbellcombate/status/1487266845539414019

So happy for @SugaRashadEvans winning his fight tonight. Congrats brother.

— michael (@bisping) January 29, 2022

Couldn't be happier with Rashad Evans getting a win. Good for him man. #EagleFC44

— Josh Evanoff (@JoshEvanoff) January 29, 2022

Who would you like to see Rashad Evans fight next following his unanimous decision victory over Gabriel Checco at tonight’s Eagle FC 44 event in Miami? Share your thoughts in the comment section PENN Nation!