Rashad Evans

Rashad Evans
Born Rashad Anton Evans
September 25, 1979 (1979-09-25) (age 32)
Niagara Falls, New York, United States
Other names Suga,[1] Sugar, Suga Shad[2]
Nationality American
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight 204.4 lb (92.7 kg; 14.6 st)
Division Light Heavyweight (205 lb)
Heavyweight (265 lb) (The Ultimate Fighter)
Reach 75 in (191 cm)
Style Wrestling, Boxing
Stance Orthodox
Fighting out of Boca Raton, Florida, United States
Team Imperial Athletics
Rank

Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu[3]

Black belt in Gaidojutsu[4]
Wrestling NCAA Division I Wrestling
Years active 2004–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total 18
Wins 16
By knockout 6
By submission 2
By decision 8
Losses 1
By knockout 1
Draws 1
Amateur career
Total 2
Wins 2
By submission 1
Other information
Occupation Professional Mixed martial arts Fighter
University Michigan State University
Niagara County C.C.
Spouse LaToya
Children 3
Notable relatives Lance Evans, brother
Notable school(s) Niagara-Wheatfield High School
Website http://www.rashadevans.tv/
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
last updated on: July 22, 2011

Rashad Anton Evans (born September 25, 1979)[5] is an American mixed martial artist from Niagara Falls, New York, currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship where he is a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. Evans won the heavyweight division of The Ultimate Fighter 2. Evans lost the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship to then undefeated Lyoto Machida at UFC 98.[1] As of November 2011, Evans is currently ranked as the #4 Light Heavyweight fighter in the world by Sherdog[6] and Yahoo! Sports.

Contents

Early life

One of eight children,[7] Evans was a two-time All-State wrestler at Niagara Wheatfield High School (Niagara-Wheatfield Central School District) in Sanborn, New York.[8] He was also a two-way player on the school's football team,[9] playing running back when on offense and safety on defense.

After graduating from high school in the year 1998, Evans went on to attend Niagara County Community College, where he entered the wrestling program and won the National Junior College championship 165 lb (75 kg) in 2000. He then transferred to Michigan State University, competing in the 174 lb (79 kg) weight class. He started at Michigan State for three years and amassed a 48–34 record during that time. Evans was also one of only three people to ever defeat wrestling legend Greg Jones.[10] Since graduating from Michigan State and earning a degree in psychology, he has remained a resident of Lansing, Michigan. In 2005, he became an assistant coach for the Michigan State wrestling program.[11]

Mixed martial arts

Early career

In 2004, under the tutelage of veteran wrestler and MMA fighter Dan Severn,[12] Evans competed in five professional mixed martial arts fights, winning all five. This led to his selection as one of the nine heavyweights to compete on The Ultimate Fighter 2, a reality TV series on Spike. The season began airing on August 22, 2005, culminating in a live finale between the final two fighters of each weight division, held in Las Vegas, Nevada on November 5, 2005.

The Ultimate Fighter

At 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) and 225 pounds (102 kg), Evans was the shortest and the second-lightest of the nine heavyweight competitors.[13] He was considered the underdog in each of his fights, but made it to the finals by defeating Tom Murphy, Mike Whitehead, and Keith Jardine all by decision. During his tenure on the show, Evans was criticized by opposing coach Matt Hughes for his showboating during fights, but the two eventually settled their differences, and Hughes even cornered Evans for his semifinal bout. In the finale, Evans defeated 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) Brad Imes by split decision, thus winning a three-year, six-figure contract with the UFC and a brand new car. After The Ultimate Fighter, Evans joined Greg Jackson's Submission Fighting camp along with fellow competitor Keith Jardine, who would eventually become his training partner and good friend.

After TUF

Evans dropped down to light heavyweight after the show, deciding he would have a better chance of success in a lower weight class.[14] His first fight under the contract took place on April 6, 2006 against Sam Hoger, who had been a semi-finalist on The Ultimate Fighter 1. Evans defeated Hoger via split decision despite nearly falling victim to a kimura submission at the end of the second round.[15]

Evans followed with a victory by majority decision over The Ultimate Fighter 1 finalist Stephan Bonnar on June 28, 2006. Evans maintained control throughout the fight with repeated take downs, including a number of slams in the center of the cage and went on to secure the victory.[16] Three months later, Evans faced Jason Lambert at UFC 63. Lambert, riding an eight-fight win streak, was seen as Evans's first real test at 205 pounds. Evans controlled the fight from early on, and knocked Lambert out with punches from the mount in the second round.[17] It was his first stoppage victory in over two years.

Evans next headlined UFC Fight Night: Evans vs Salmon against UFC newcomer Sean Salmon, a highly decorated collegiate wrestler who held a 9–1 professional record. Though Salmon had won the first round by scoring two takedowns, Evans came back with a head kick knockout early in the second round. Salmon remained motionless for several minutes after the fight and was eventually carried out on a stretcher to a local hospital. The kick came to the surprise of many fans who had previously considered Evans a one-dimensional wrestler.[18]

At UFC 73, Evans squared off against former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Tito Ortiz. The two competitors fought to a draw as all three judges scored the bout 28–28. Ortiz had won two out of three rounds on all scorecards, but was deducted a point for holding the cage fence to defend against a takedown by Evans.[19] Immediately after the fight, Ortiz asked for a rematch. At a press conference following UFC 73, UFC President Dana White promised a rematch, but it never materialized. Instead, Evans made his debut as a headliner on a pay-per-view event at UFC 78 against fellow undefeated fighter and The Ultimate Fighter 3 winner Michael Bisping. After three close rounds, Evans came out on top on two of the judgess' scorecards, winning by split decision. This fight marked Bisping's first loss and his final bout in the light heavyweight division. After his win over Bisping, Evans drastically changed his fighting style, which he kept secret until his fight against UFC Legend Chuck Liddell.

Evans vs. Liddell

Entering the fight as a very heavy underdog, Evans shocked the world by knocking out former light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell in brutal fashion at UFC 88. Liddell threw an uppercut that Evans countered with an overhand right, landing flush. Liddell remained unconscious for several minutes before finally walking out of the cage under his own power. The knockout was awarded knockout of the year by Sherdog for 2008. Evans had previously been scheduled to face Liddell at UFC 85 as a replacement for the injured Mauricio Rua. When Liddell pulled out of the event due to an injured hamstring,[20] Evans was matched with James Irvin. When Irvin pulled out after breaking his foot, the fight was removed from the card altogether.[21] After the fight, UFC President Dana White confirmed in the post-event press conference that Evans's next fight would be a title shot against newly crowned light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin at UFC 92.[22]

Winning the Light Heavyweight Championship

On December 27, 2008 at UFC 92, Evans faced champion Forrest Griffin for the UFC light heavyweight belt.[23] Griffin controlled most of the first two rounds with effective striking and low kicks. In the third round, however, Evans caught a low kick and countered with a straight right hand that dropped Griffin. Evans followed Griffin to the ground and eventually managed to finish the stunned champion with punches inside Griffin's guard. With the victory, Evans became the new UFC Light-Heavyweight Champion. It capped off a year in which Evans won Fighter of the Year honors from Sherdog.com.

Losing the Title

Evans' first defense of the UFC Light-Heavyweight title against challenger Lyoto Machida ended in a knockout. During a flurry of punches from Machida, Rashad started trash talking Machida telling him 'his hands were made of pillows'. Machida continued his onslaught, knocking Rashad out. This was the first loss of his career and the 15th straight win of Lyoto Machida's career.[24][25] Then, Evans went on to coach against Rampage Jackson in The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights. Evans was scheduled to fight Jackson on December 12, 2009, at UFC 107, but this was canceled due to Jackson being cast for the A-Team movie.[26] On September 22, 2009, Jackson wrote in a blog on his website that he is "done fighting" because of events that occurred between Jackson and Dana White, the president of the UFC. Thiago Silva was named as Evans' next opponent at UFC 108.

Back into Title contention

Evans fought Thiago Silva in the main event of UFC 108 on January 2, 2010.[27] Dana White was quoted as saying that if Evans could defeat Thiago Silva at UFC 108, then he would go on to face Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.[28] During the Spike TV broadcast of the UFC 108 preliminary card, Evans confirmed that he received his Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under Rolles Gracie that morning.[29][30] Evans would go on to defeat Thiago Silva – another BJJ black belt – by unanimous decision. Deviating from his usual standing and striking, Evans displayed his grappling skills with numerous takedowns that frustrated Silva throughout the match, but Evans failed to damage Silva substantially while on the ground.[31] In the third round, after severely mocking his opponent's fighting style with various taunts, Silva connected with a right hook to Evans' jaw, rocking him. Silva hesitated in finishing Evans off in order to return the taunting, however, and Evans was able to recover leading to a UD win.

[32][33]

Evans was expected to finally face rival Quinton Jackson at UFC 113,[32] but the bout took place on May 29, 2010 at UFC 114.[33]

Evans caught Rampage with a right hand early in the first round and throughout the rest of the fight tried to take Rampage down, succeeding three times out of nine. In the third round Rashad was hurt by Rampage but recovered and ended the final round with another takedown and strikes on the ground. The judges scored the bout 30–27, 30–27, 29–28 giving Rashad the unanimous decision. Afterwards UFC President Dana White then officially confirmed that Rashad Evans would square off against Maurício Rua for the UFC Light Heavyweight title,[34] but not until mid-Spring or early-Summer of 2011 as Rua recovered from knee surgery.[35] The fight was then booked for the main event of UFC 128 when the UFC returned to Newark, New Jersey.[36]

Following Rashad's training partner Jon Jones' victory over Ryan Bader at UFC 126, it was announced that Evans injured his knee during training. Jones was then told in his post-fight interview that the UFC wanted him to replace Evans in his fight against Mauricio Rua for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. Jones accepted and the fight was set for UFC 128.[37] It was then expected that if Jones won, he would face Evans in his first title defense.[38]

During a UFC 128 post-fight interview with Ariel Helwani, Evans stated that he was done training at Jackson's Submission Fighting in preparation for his fight with Jon Jones.[39] He then commenced training at Imperial Athletics in Boca Raton, Florida, at a new camp co-founded by Evans and several Brazilian fighters who had concomitantly left American Top Team due to a dispute over management services; these were later joined by some African-American fighters, and as a result the camp's members became known colloquially as the "Blackzilians," especially on twitter. Evans gave further insight to MMAWeekly about his leaving Jackson's Submission Fighting, “When you get to a certain point, you really need a lot of time (with the coaches)… make sure you get the one-on-one, and you just need different things,” he explained. “After being at Jackson’s for a while, with so many people at the gym, it just got harder and harder for me to get that time."[40]

Evans/Jones was expected to take place on August 6, 2011 at UFC 133, but Jones was sidelined with a hand injury. Evans was expected to face rising prospect Phil Davis at the event instead.[41][42] A title fight between Jose Aldo and Chad Mendes was delayed, so the UFC promoted Evans vs. Davis to serve as the main event. However, with less than four weeks until the event, Davis pulled out of the bout citing a knee injury. A rematch with Tito Ortiz was scheduled to headline the event.[43] Evans defeated Ortiz at UFC 133 via TKO in the second round. The victory secured Evans a title shot against Jones.

Evans and Jones were rumoured to finally clash on December 10, 2011 at UFC 140.[44] However, a lingering thumb injury cost Evans another title opportunity, and he was replaced by Lyoto Machida to fight Jon Jones for the belt at (UFC 140).[45] Jones retained the Light Heavyweight belt, defeating the challenger Machida, leaving open the possibility of a future fight between Evans and Jones for the title.

Evans is currently expected to face Phil Davis on January 28, 2012 at UFC on Fox 2.[46]

Personal life

Evans and his wife have one son, Rashad Jr, and a daughter, Nia.[47] He also has a daughter, Tahja, from a previous relationship.[48] Evans's brother Lance made a brief appearance on The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs Team Mir, but was eliminated by Vinicius Magalhaes due to a rib injury and did not join the cast.[49]

Evans has appeared in a Microsoft commercial, where he says the lines, "You got a problem with that!" and "I'm a PC!", while sparring with an unidentified opponent.[50]

Evans is also a frequent commentator on the ESPN show MMA Live. Evans also made an appearance on Spike TV's show, Deadliest Warrior. In this episode, Evans easily pierces a pig carcass with the xyston similar to one used by Alexander the Great, and crushed a gel torso's throat with an elbow.[48]

Championships and awards

Amateur wrestling

Mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts record

The UFC counts two amateur bouts in the The Dangerzone MMA promotion,[57] as well as Evans' three victories in The Ultimate Fighter 2, resulting in a record of 21–1–1[58] for Evans according to the UFC; however, the N.S.A.C. has instructed record keepers that all fights on The Ultimate Fighter are considered exhibition matches; therefore, Evans' official professional MMA record is currently 16–1–1.[59]

Result Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Phil Davis UFC on Fox: Evans vs. Davis 02012-01-28 January 28, 2012 Chicago, Illinois, United States
Win 16–1–1 Tito Ortiz TKO (knee to the body and punches) UFC 133 02011-08-06 August 6, 2011 2 4:48 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States Fight of the Night.
Win 15–1–1 Quinton Jackson Decision (unanimous) UFC 114 02010-05-29 May 29, 2010 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 14–1–1 Thiago Silva Decision (unanimous) UFC 108 02010-01-02 January 2, 2010 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 13–1–1 Lyoto Machida KO (punches) UFC 98 02009-05-23 May 23, 2009 2 3:57 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Lost the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship.
Win 13–0–1 Forrest Griffin TKO (punches) UFC 92 02008-12-27 December 27, 2008 3 2:46 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Won the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship; Fight of the Night.
Win 12–0–1 Chuck Liddell KO (punch) UFC 88 02008-09-06 September 6, 2008 2 1:51 Atlanta, Georgia, United States Knockout of the Night; Won MMA Awards Knockout of the Year (2008).
Win 11–0–1 Michael Bisping Decision (split) UFC 78 02007-11-17 November 17, 2007 3 5:00 Newark, New Jersey, United States
vDraw 10–0–1 Tito Ortiz Draw (unanimous) UFC 73 02007-07-07 July 7, 2007 3 5:00 Sacramento, California, United States Tito Ortiz was deducted a point for grabbing the fence.
Win 10–0 Sean Salmon KO (head kick) UFC Fight Night: Evans vs Salmon 02007-01-25 January 25, 2007 2 1:06 Hollywood, Florida, United States Knockout of the Night.
Win 9–0 Jason Lambert KO (punches) UFC 63 02006-09-23 September 23, 2006 2 2:22 Anaheim, California, United States
Win 8–0 Stephan Bonnar Decision (majority) UFC Ultimate Fight Night 5 02006-06-28 June 28, 2006 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 7–0 Sam Hoger Decision (split) UFC Ultimate Fight Night 4 02006-04-06 April 6, 2006 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Return to Light Heavyweight.
Win 6–0 Brad Imes Decision (split) The Ultimate Fighter 2 Finale 02005-11-05 November 5, 2005 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States UFC Debut. Won the TUF 2 Heavyweight Division.
Win 5–0 Jaime Jara Decision (unanimous) GC 27: FightFest 2 02004-06-03 June 3, 2004 3 5:00 Colusa, California, United States Won Gladiator Challenge Light Heavyweight Tournament.
Win 4–0 Hector Ramirez Decision (unanimous) GC 27: FightFest 2 02004-06-03 June 3, 2004 2 5:00 Colusa, California, United States
Win 3–0 Bryan Pardoe TKO (punches) GC 26: FightFest 1 02004-06-02 June 2, 2004 1 3:24 Colusa, California, United States
Win 2–0 Danny Anderson Submission (punches) Dangerzone: Cage Fighting 02004-04-10 April 10, 2004 1 3:09 Osceola, Iowa, United States
Win 1–0 Dennis Reed Submission Dangerzone: Cage Fighting 02004-04-10 April 10, 2004 1 0:50 Osceola, Iowa, United States

See also

References

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  3. ^ Welcome to Lockerz | Lockerz. Tweetphoto.com. Retrieved on 2011-05-06.
  4. ^ Con, Genghis. (2010-02-10) Rashad Evans Gets Another Black Belt, This Time From Greg Jackson and Mike Winklejohn HT: Leonard.... Bloody Elbow. Retrieved on 2011-05-06.
  5. ^ About, rashadevans.tv
  6. ^ Sherdog Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings Sherdog.com. Retrieved on 2011-05-06.
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  11. ^ Michigan Wrestling Staff. msuwrestling.com
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  26. ^ Parry, Chris (2009-09-04). "Former UFC champ Rampage Jackson in Vancouver, set to star in new A-Team movie as BA Baracus". Vancouversun.com. http://www.slashfilm.com/ufc-fighter-rampage-jackson-is-the-a-teams-new-ba-baracus/. Retrieved 2009-09-08. 
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  42. ^ "Jon “Bones” Jones Injured, Rashad Evans Faces Phil Davis at UFC 133". MMAWeekly.com. April 25, 2011. http://mmaweekly.com/jon-bones-jones-injured-rashad-evans-faces-phil-davis-at-ufc-133. 
  43. ^ "UFC 133: Tito Ortiz accepts fight against Rashad Evans for Aug. 6 in Philadelphia". mmamania.com. July 13, 2011. http://www.mmamania.com/2011/7/13/2274686/ufc-133-tito-ortiz-accepts-fight-against-rashad-evans-for-aug-6-in. 
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  48. ^ a b "UFC fighter Rashad Evans learned about life as hospital security guard". SLAM! Fighting. November 16, 2007. http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Fighting/News/2007/11/16/4661414-cp.html. Retrieved June 10, 2008. 
  49. ^ "Lance Evans". MMA on Tap. http://www.mmaontap.com/mma/category/lance-evans/. Retrieved March 7, 2009. 
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  51. ^ Rashad Evans. The National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum
  52. ^ Rashad Evans – Sherdog’s Fighter of the Year. Sherdog.com. Retrieved on 2011-05-06.
  53. ^ Evans Talks KO – Sherdog’s Knockout of the Year. Sherdog.com. Retrieved on 2011-05-06.
  54. ^ 2008 FIGHT! Awards. FIGHT! Magazine (2008-05-11). Retrieved on 2011-05-06.
  55. ^ MusclePharm signs Rashad Evans to their team of elite althetes. MusclePharm. Retrieved on 2011-05-06.
  56. ^ Jaco Signs Rashad Evans. Retrieved on 2011-09-15.
  57. ^ Rashad Evans "Sugar" (16–1–1) Official Mixed Martial Arts Record. Mixedmartialarts.com. Retrieved on 2011-05-06.
  58. ^ Rashad Evans – Official UFC® Profile. Uk.ufc.com. Retrieved on 2011-05-06.
  59. ^ Rashad "Suga" Evans MMA Stats, Pictures, News, Videos, Biography. Sherdog.com. Retrieved on 2011-05-06.

63. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-btaGHkL-Y

External links

Preceded by
Forrest Griffin		 9th UFC Light Heavyweight Champion
December 27, 2008 – May 23, 2009		 Succeeded by
Lyoto Machida
Josh Burkman · Dan Christison · Luke Cummo · Marcus Davis · Rashad Evans · Melvin Guillard · Jorge Gurgel · Brad Imes · Keith Jardine · Eli Joslin · Rob MacDonald · Sammy Morgan · Tom Murphy · Seth Petruzelli · Kerry Schall · Kenny Stevens · Joe Stevenson · Anthony Torres · Jason Von Flue · Mike Whitehead
Team Rashad
Team Rampage