Rashad Evans facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rashad Evans
Evans in December 2009
Born	(1979-09-25) September 25, 1979 (age 45) Niagara Falls, New York, U.S.
Other names	Suga
Height	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight	205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb)
Division	Middleweight (2017) Light Heavyweight (2004–2016, 2018, 2022) Heavyweight (2005)
Reach	75 in (191 cm)
Style	Wrestling
Fighting out of	Boca Raton, Florida, U.S.
Team	Jackson Wink MMA Academy (until 2011) Blackzilians (2011–2017) Kill Cliff FC (2017–2022)
Rank	Black belt in No-Gi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Rolles Gracie Black belt in Gaidojutsu
Wrestling	NCAA Division I Wrestling
Years active	2003–2018, 2022
Mixed martial arts record
Total	29
Wins	20
By knockout	8
By submission	1
By decision	11
Losses	8
By knockout	3
By decision	5
Draws	1
Other information
Occupation	MMA fighter
University	Michigan State University Niagara County C.C.
Children	5
Medal record Collegiate Wrestling Representing the Michigan State Spartans Big Ten Championships Bronze 2003 Madison 174 lb
last updated on: July 22, 2011

Rashad Evans (born September 25, 1979) is an American retired mixed martial artist. He mostly competed in the Light Heavyweight division. Evans began his professional MMA career in 2003. He won The Ultimate Fighter 2 as a Heavyweight in 2005. In 2008, Evans became the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. In 2019, he was honored by being inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.

Today, Rashad Evans works as a desk analyst for the UFC broadcasting team. He also promotes healthy living through his company, Umbo. He started this company with former NFL quarterback Jake Plummer.

Wrestling Career

Rashad Evans was a talented wrestler in high school. He wrestled for Niagara-Wheatfield High School in Sanborn, New York. He reached the New York state finals tournament twice. He earned "All-State" honors both times. In 1997, he finished 4th in the state at 145 pounds. The next year, in 1998, he placed 4th at 171 pounds.

College Wrestling Achievements

In 1999, Evans competed in the National Junior College Athletic Association National Championships. He finished 4th in the 165-pound weight class. The following year, in 2000, he became the champion of the 165-pound weight class at the same tournament.

Evans then moved on to NCAA Division I wrestling. He competed for Michigan State in the Big Ten conference. In 2002, he placed 4th in the conference championships. In 2003, he earned 3rd place in the Big Ten Championships. He finished his college wrestling career with 48 wins and 34 losses.

Mixed Martial Arts

Starting His MMA Journey

In 2004, Rashad Evans began his professional mixed martial arts career. He trained under the guidance of UFC Hall of Famer Dan Severn. Evans won all five of his first professional fights. This success led him to be chosen for The Ultimate Fighter 2. This was a reality TV show on Spike. The show started airing on August 22, 2005. It ended with a live finale on November 5, 2005. Rashad Evans also holds black belts in Gaidojutsu and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He even studied karate when he was a child.

Becoming The Ultimate Fighter Champion

Evans was one of the smaller heavyweights on The Ultimate Fighter 2. Many people thought he was the underdog in his fights. But he made it to the finals by winning against Tom Murphy, Mike Whitehead, and Keith Jardine. He won all these fights by decision. In the finale, Evans defeated Brad Imes. He won by a split decision. This victory earned him a three-year contract with the UFC and a new car. After the show, Evans joined Greg Jackson's Submission Fighting team.

Fighting in the UFC

An Amazing Undefeated Run

After The Ultimate Fighter, Evans decided to compete in the light heavyweight division. He believed he would have more success there. His first fight under his new contract was on April 6, 2006. He fought Sam Hoger and won by split decision.

Evans continued his winning streak. He defeated Stephan Bonnar on June 28, 2006. He controlled the fight with many takedowns. Three months later, Evans faced Jason Lambert at UFC 63. Lambert had won eight fights in a row. Evans won this fight by knockout in the second round. This was his first knockout win in over two years.

His next fight was against Sean Salmon at UFC Fight Night: Evans vs Salmon. Salmon was a skilled collegiate wrestler. Evans surprised everyone by knocking Salmon out with a head kick in the second round. This kick earned him a "Knockout of the Night" award.

At UFC 73, Evans fought former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Tito Ortiz. The fight ended in a draw. Ortiz lost a point for holding the cage. UFC President Dana White promised a rematch. This rematch finally happened four years later at UFC 133.

Evans then headlined UFC 78 against Michael Bisping. Bisping was also undefeated at the time. Evans won by split decision after three close rounds. This was Bisping's first loss. After this win, Evans changed his fighting style. He kept it a secret until his fight against UFC legend Chuck Liddell.

The Big Fight Against Chuck Liddell

At UFC 88, Evans was considered a huge underdog against Chuck Liddell. But he shocked the world by knocking Liddell out. Liddell threw an uppercut, and Evans countered with a powerful overhand right. Liddell was unconscious for a few minutes. This knockout earned Evans another "Knockout of the Night" award. It was also named "Knockout of the Year" by Sherdog in 2008. After this fight, UFC President Dana White confirmed that Evans would get a title shot.

Becoming the Light Heavyweight Champion

On December 27, 2008, at UFC 92, Evans fought champion Forrest Griffin for the UFC Light Heavyweight belt. Griffin controlled the first two rounds with his strikes. But in the third round, Evans caught a kick and landed a right hand that dropped Griffin. Evans then finished Griffin with punches. With this victory, Evans became the new UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. This amazing year earned him "Fighter of the Year" honors from Sherdog.com. This fight also won him a "Fight of the Night" award.

Losing the Title

Evans's first title defense was against Lyoto Machida. Machida knocked him out in the second round. This was the first loss of Evans's career. After this, Evans became a coach on The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights. He was supposed to fight Rampage Jackson, but the fight was canceled. Thiago Silva became Evans's next opponent at UFC 108.

Working His Way Back to a Title Shot

Evans fought Thiago Silva at UFC 108 on January 2, 2010. Evans won by unanimous decision. He showed off his grappling skills with many takedowns. During the fight, Evans received his Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt.

Evans finally faced his rival Quinton Jackson at UFC 114 on May 29, 2010. Evans won the fight by unanimous decision. After this win, UFC President Dana White confirmed that Evans would fight Maurício Rua for the UFC Light Heavyweight title. This fight was set for UFC 128.

However, Evans injured his knee during training. His training partner Jon Jones replaced him in the title fight against Mauricio Rua. It was expected that if Jones won, he would face Evans next.

Evans decided to leave his training camp, Jackson's Martial Arts. He started training at Imperial Athletics in Boca Raton, Florida. This new camp became known as the "Blackzilians."

Evans was then scheduled to fight Phil Davis at UFC 133. But Davis also pulled out due to a knee injury. A rematch with Tito Ortiz was then scheduled to headline the event. Evans defeated Ortiz at UFC 133 by TKO in the second round. This win earned him another "Fight of the Night" award. It also secured him a title shot against Jon Jones.

Evans faced Phil Davis on January 28, 2012, at UFC on Fox 2. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Evans showed his strong wrestling skills, landing many takedowns.

In his second title shot, Evans faced UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones on April 21, 2012, at UFC 145. Evans lost to Jones by unanimous decision.

After his title shot, Evans fought Antônio Rogério Nogueira at UFC 156 on February 2, 2013. Nogueira won by unanimous decision.

Evans then faced Dan Henderson on June 15, 2013, at UFC 161. He won the fight by split decision.

Evans fought Chael Sonnen at UFC 167 on November 16, 2013. He won the fight by TKO in the first round.

Dealing with Injuries

Evans faced a period of injuries. He was supposed to fight Daniel Cormier in February 2014. But a leg injury forced him out of the fight. He was sidelined for a long time.

He also had to pull out of fights against Alexander Gustafsson and Glover Teixeira due to knee injuries. In mid-2015, Evans announced he would be out for several more months after another knee surgery.

Evans returned to fight Ryan Bader on October 3, 2015, at UFC 192. He lost the fight by unanimous decision.

He was then scheduled to fight Maurício Rua again. But Rua was pulled from the fight. Glover Teixeira replaced him. Evans lost this fight by knockout in the first round.

Changing Weight Classes and Retirement

Evans decided to move down to the middleweight division. He was set to fight Tim Kennedy in November 2016. However, an issue with his medical exam caused him to be pulled from the fight. The fight was rescheduled but again canceled due to medical clearance issues.

Evans finally fought at middleweight against Dan Kelly on March 4, 2017, at UFC 209. He lost the close fight by split decision.

He then faced Sam Alvey on August 5, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 114. He lost this fight by split decision as well.

Evans returned to light heavyweight to fight Anthony Smith on June 9, 2018, at UFC 225. He lost the fight by knockout in the first round.

On June 25, 2018, Rashad Evans announced his retirement from MMA.

On May 18, 2019, it was announced that Evans would be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame on July 5, 2019.

Coming Back to Fight

On September 20, 2019, news came out that Evans was released from the UFC. He wanted to return to fighting in another organization. In December 2021, Evans announced he would fight for Khabib Nurmagomedov's Eagle Fighting Championship. His comeback fight happened at Eagle FC 44 on January 28, 2022. He fought Gabriel Checco and won by unanimous decision.

In December 2024, it was announced that Evans had signed with Global Fight League. However, in April 2025, all GFL events were canceled.

Boxing

Evans was scheduled to have a boxing match against Quinton Jackson on April 12, 2025. This fight was canceled due to problems with their contracts.

Personal Life

Rashad Evans has five children. He has a son and a daughter with his ex-wife. He also has another daughter from a previous relationship. A son was born in 2015, and his wife, Celiana, gave birth to their second son on New Year's Eve 2020.

Rashad's brother, Lance, briefly appeared on The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs Team Mir. However, he had to leave the show due to a rib injury.

In Other Media

Evans has appeared in a Microsoft commercial. He was also a frequent commentator on the ESPN show MMA Live. Evans also made an appearance on Spike TV's show Deadliest Warrior.

Championships and Awards

Mixed Martial Arts

• Gladiator Challenge
  • GC Light Heavyweight Tournament Winner
• Ultimate Fighting Championship
  • UFC Hall of Fame (Modern wing, Class of 2019)
  • UFC Light Heavyweight Championship (One time)
  • The Ultimate Fighter 2 Heavyweight Tournament Winner
  • Fight of the Night (Two times) vs. Forrest Griffin and Tito Ortiz 2
  • Knockout of the Night (Two times) vs. Sean Salmon and Chuck Liddell
  • UFC Encyclopedia Awards
    • Fight of the Night (One time) vs. Brad Imes
  • Tied (Chuck Liddell) for fifth most wins in UFC Light Heavyweight division history (13)
  • Second most takedowns landed in UFC Light Heavyweight division history (50)
  • UFC.com Awards
    • 2005: Ranked #4 Fight of the Year vs. Brad Imes
    • 2007: Ranked #4 Knockout of the Year vs. Sean Salmon
    • 2008: Fighter of the Year, Knockout of the Year vs. Chuck Liddell & Ranked #3 Upset of the Year vs. Chuck Liddell
    • 2010: Ranked #9 Fighter of the Year
• Sherdog
  • 2008 Fighter of the Year
  • 2008 Knockout of the Year against Chuck Liddell
  • Mixed Martial Arts Hall of Fame
• FIGHT! Magazine
  • 2008 Knockout of the Year against Chuck Liddell

Amateur Wrestling

• Niagara Wheatfield High School
  • 4th place New York State High School Wrestling Championships 145 lbs 1997, 171 lbs 1998
• National Junior College Athletic Association
  • Junior College National Champion 165 lb – out of Niagara County Community College (2000)

Mixed martial arts record

Mixed martial arts exhibition record

Pay-per-view bouts

See also

In Spanish: Rashad Evans para niños

• List of male mixed martial artists