Rashad Evans, former UFC light heavyweight champion and “The Ultimate Fighter 2” winner, is now a former mixed martial arts fighter.
Evans, a high school and collegiate wrestler who made his pro MMA debut 14 years ago, revealed his decision to retire from MMA on ESPN’s “Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show” Monday.
Just two weeks ago, the 38-year-old Evans was the victim of a knockout in the first minute of the first round to Anthony Smith at UFC 225 at the United Center in Chicago on June 9. It was his fifth straight loss.
In his pro career which he launched in April 2004, Evans compiled a 19-8-1 record competing primarily for the UFC. He joined the promotion as a top prospect after emerging as the heavyweight winner of TUF 2, though he immediately dropped down to light heavyweight (205 pounds) following the conclusion of that tournament. In his first eight UFC fights, Evans came out the victor over some of the top talent in that weight class at the time, including Michael Bisping, Chuck Liddell, and Forrest Griffin.
In fact, it was that third-round TKO of Griffin at UFC 92 in December 2008 that made Evans the UFC light heavyweight champion. Evans lost that title in his first defense against Lyoto Machida but came back with four big-time wins over opponents such as Quinton Jackson and former Penn State champ — and future Bellator titlewinner — Phil Davis.
Prior to entering the Octagon, Evans crafted an impressive amateur wrestling career. He was a two-time New York state wrestling championships finalist for Niagara-Wheatfield High School. Evans then enrolled at Niagara County Community College, where he was a two-time National Junior College Athletic Association All-American, winning the 165-pound title at the 2000 NJCAA Wrestling Championships. Evans then headed west to Michigan State, where he became a two-time NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships qualifier at 174 pounds. One of Evans’ greatest amateur accomplishments: being one of only four wrestlers to defeat Greg Jones, three-time NCAA champ for West Virginia University.
