Rashad Evans UFC Fighter Profile

Rashad Evans was once referenced by Dana White as the single fighter he overlooked more than anybody else. That holds true for many fans of the UFC, as Rashad Evans slowly rose to big fights against big names, toppling them all on his way to the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship.

Competing on the second season of The Ultimate Fighter, Rashad was fighting at a major disadvantage against men much larger than he was. Fighting with natural heavyweights, Rashad though was still able to use his wrestling background and superior athleticism to make his way through the other fighters on the show. However, it wasn't a completely smooth ride.

Along the way he managed to get a bad reputation for being both a show off in the ring, taunting his opponents, and a lackadaisical fighter who only did just enough to get the victory and didn't exert or apply himself. Matt Hughes lambasted Evans for showboating his fighter during their fight.

However, as with most other people, it didn't take long for Hughes to change his mind about Rashad. With two members of Rich Franklin's team facing each other to advance to the heavyweight finale, Hughes coached Evans. Along the way he came to terms with Rashad and respected his character, his work ethic and his ability.

After winning The Ultimate Fighter 2 against Brad Imes, Rashad Evans was still an afterthought in the MMA community. However, he dropped down to light heavyweight, a much more natural weight class and he began to round out his entire MMA game. No longer would he just be a wrestler and no longer would he settle for the decision win.

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Since his time on the show, Rashad has improved his stand up game tremendously and is now as much of a knockout artist and finisher as he is a collegiate wrestler. Nowhere was this more apparent than in his devastating KO of UFC and MMA icon Chuck Liddell.

Following a controversial draw against Tito Ortiz (the only blemish on his undefeated MMA record) and a narrow split decision victory over Michael Bisping, Evans landed the Liddell fight with a title fight on the horizon for the winner. Evans wouldn't let this opportunity pass him by, and he wouldn’t be intimidated by one of the hardest and most feared strikers in MMA history.

Clearly the quicker man in the ring, in only took until the second round for Evans to land a monster right hand that sent Liddell unconscious to the canvas. Next up for Rashad was finally a chance at the title belt, against another TUF winner, and a fan favorite, Forrest Griffin.

When Griffin stepped into the ring against Evans he found out what 17 other opponents found out before him. That Evans was not only faster and stronger than he expected, but that he was faster and stronger than he was. Evans has rounded out his MMA skills to include hard hitting strikes, submissions, ground and pound skills and of course take downs and take down defense. If he sees an opportunity he jumps on it—and you.

And that's exactly what happened in capturing the light heavyweight crown. He pounced on top of Griffin and didn't stop fighting until the referee called a TKO victory for the new Light Heavyweight Champion, Rashad Evans.

Can Rashad Evans continue his reign atop of one of the most talented divisions in the UFC? There will be no easy fights in his future, but then again, there hasn't been an easy fight for Rashad for quite some time, at least not on paper. Evans has been matched hard from the beginning of his time in the UFC and his proved himself each and every time.

The possibilities are endless for future opponents, a fight against Rampage Jackson, a fight against his TUF coach Rich Franklin should he defeat Dan Henderson, and even a battle against MMA pound for pound king Anderson Silva are all great opportunities. And if any of us have learned anything, it's to stop counting out Sugar Rashad Evans, he has a pretty good tendency of getting his hand raised at the end of another tough contest.

Recent Rashad Evans MMA News:

• Defeated Thiago Silva by Unanimous Decision at UFC 108 on January 2, 2010 - UFC 108 results

By Jake Emen
ProFighting-fans.com Staff Writer
Published January 2009

Photo courtesy of the UFC