Rashad Evans

Rashad Anton Evans (born September 25, 1979) is an American mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Light Heavyweight division of Eagle Fighting Championship.

In 1997 he placed 4th in the state at 145 pounds.

In 1998 he placed 4th in the state at 171 pounds.

In 1999 he entered the National Junior College Athletic Association National Championships for the 165 pound weight class in which he finished in 4th place.

Competing once again at this tournament in 2000, he was the champion of the 165 pound weight class.

Moving on to the NCAA Division I wrestling, Evans competed for Michigan State, in the Big Ten conference.

In 2002 he finished in 4th place in the conference championships, losing a decision to fellow future UFC competitor Jacob Volkmann in the third place match.

In addition to Volkmann, this 174 pound weight class also saw more future UFC competitors with Gerald Harris and Josh Koscheck competing in it this year.

Evans started his professional career in 2003, he was the Heavyweight winner of The Ultimate Fighter 2 and is also a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, and a 2019 inductee of the UFC Hall of Fame.

In present day, he serves on the UFC broadcasting team as a desk analyst while also advocating for the health benefits of functional mushrooms through his company Umbo, co-founded alongside former NFL quarterback, Jake Plummer.

Wrestling out of Niagara-Wheatfield High School in Sanborn, New York, Evans twice made it to the state finals tournament of New York by winning his weight class for his region, in which he received All-State honors both times.

In 2003, Evans again competed in the 174 pound weight class, capturing 3rd place in the Big Ten Championships.

Entering the NCAA Division 1 championships on top of this 3rd-place finish, Evans won his opening match before losing a close 3–0 decision to the eventual national champion, Robbie Waller.

Staying alive through the consolation bracket Evans pinned his next opponent before being matched up with legend Greg Jones, a 3x National Champion who would finish his college career with a record of 126–4.

Evans won the match via 3–2 decision, becoming one of only 4 people to defeat Jones in his college career.

Evans lost his next match to Purdue's Ryan Lange, in which a win would have qualified him for All-American status, in a close 3–2 decision, ending his college career.

He finished his career at Michigan State with a record of 48 wins and 34 losses.

In 2004, under the tutelage of future UFC Hall of Famer Dan Severn, 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.

Rashad Evans is also a black belt in Gaidojutsu and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and studied karate as a child.

At 5 ft and 225 lb, Evans was the shortest and the second-lightest of the nine heavyweight competitors.

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 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.

Evans dropped down to light heavyweight after the show, deciding he would have a better chance of success in a lower weight class.

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.

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.

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.

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.

At UFC 73, Evans squared off against former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Tito Ortiz.