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Rashad Evans
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Rashad Anton Evans (born September 25, 1979 in Niagara Falls, New York) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter from Lansing, MI currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship where he is the promotion's current Light Heavyweight Champion. Evans won the heavyweight division of The Ultimate Fighter 2. He holds notable victories over Stephan Bonnar, Michael Bisping, Chuck Liddell, Forrest Griffin and took Tito Ortiz to a Draw. Evans trains out of Albuquerque, New Mexico with Jackson's Submission Fighting.
of eight children, Evans was a two-time All-State wrestler at Niagara-Wheatfield High School in Sanborn, New York.
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Encyclopedia
Rashad Anton Evans (born September 25, 1979 in Niagara Falls, New York) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter from Lansing, MI currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship where he is the promotion's current Light Heavyweight Champion. Evans won the heavyweight division of The Ultimate Fighter 2. He holds notable victories over Stephan Bonnar, Michael Bisping, Chuck Liddell, Forrest Griffin and took Tito Ortiz to a Draw. Evans trains out of Albuquerque, New Mexico with Jackson's Submission Fighting.
Biography
One of eight children, Evans was a two-time All-State wrestler at Niagara-Wheatfield High School in Sanborn, New York. He was also a two-way player on the school's football team, playing running back when on offense and safety on defense.
After graduating from high school in 1998, Evans went on to attend Niagara County Community College, where he entered the wrestling program and won the National Junior College championship at in 2000. He then transferred to Michigan State University, competing in the 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 four people to ever defeat wrestling legend Greg Jones. 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.
Evans and his wife have one son, Rashad Jr, and a daughter, Nia. He also has a daughter, Tahja, from a previous relationship. 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.
Rashad 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.
Mixed martial arts
Early career
In 2004, under the tutelage of veteran wrestler and MMA fighter 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.
The Ultimate Fighter
At and , 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. 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 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 the show
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. 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. 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 judges's scorecards, winning by split decision. This fight marked Bisping's first loss and his final bout in the light heavyweight division.
Fight with Liddell
Evans made his biggest appearance to date against former light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell at UFC 88. 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, Evans was matched with James Irvin. When Irvin pulled out after breaking his foot, the fight was removed from the card altogether. Though an underdog with a perceived deficite in the stand-up against a noted knockout artist, Evans traded punches with the former champion throughout the first round before finding his range. At 1:51 of the second round, Evans flashed a jab and then landed an overhand right just as Liddell was throwing an uppercut. The punch caught Liddell flush on the chin and knocked him out cold. Evans earned Knockout of the Night and a bonus of $60,000. 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.
Light heavyweight champion
On December 27, 2008 at UFC 92, Evans faced champion Forrest Griffin for the UFC light heavyweight belt. 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 ground and pound. With the victory, Evans became the new UFC light heavyweight champion.
Evans is scheduled to make his first title defense against Quinton Jackson at UFC 98 if doctors clear Jackson to fight. If not, Evans will instead face undefeated karate specialist Lyoto Machida.
Mixed martial arts record
| Result | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
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| Win | 13-0-1 | Forrest Griffin | TKO (Strikes) | UFC 92 - The Ultimate 2008 | | 3 | 2:46 | Las Vegas, Nevada | Won the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship | | Win | 12-0-1 | Chuck Liddell | KO (Punch) | UFC 88 - Breakthrough | | 2 | 1:51 | Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA | Won Knockout of the Night award | | Win | 11-0-1 | Michael Bisping | Decision (Split) | UFC 78 - Validation | | 3 | 5:00 | Prudential Center, Newark, NJ | | zDraw | 10-0-1 | Tito Ortiz | Draw | UFC 73 - Stacked | | 3 | 5:00 | ARCO Arena, Sacramento, Calif. | Tito Ortiz was deducted a point for grabbing the fence | | Win | 10-0 | Sean Salmon | KO (Head Kick) | UFC Fight Night 8 | | 2 | 1:06 | Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, FL | | Win | Jason Lambert | KO (Punches) | UFC 63 - Hughes vs Penn | | 2 | 2:22 | Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim, CA. | | Win | 8-0 | Stephan Bonnar | Decision (Majority) | UFC Ultimate Fight Night 5 | | 3 | 5:00 | Nevada, United States | | Win | 7-0 | Sam Hoger | Decision (Split) | UFC Ultimate Fight Night 4 | | 3 | 5:00 | Nevada, United States | | Win | 6-0 | Brad Imes | Decision (Split) | The Ultimate Fighter 2 Finale | | 3 | 5:00 | Nevada, United States | Wins The Ultimate Fighter 2 heavyweight competition | | Win | 5-0 | Jaime Jara | Decision (Unanimous) | GC 27 - FightFest 2 | | 3 | 5:00 | California, United States | Wins Gladiator Challenge Light Heavyweight Tournament | | Win | 4-0 | Hector Ramirez | Decision (Unanimous) | GC 27 - FightFest 2 | | 2 | 5:00 | California, United States | | Win | 3-0 | Bryan Pardoe | TKO | GC 26 - FightFest 1 | | 1 | 3:24 | California, United States | | Win | 2-0 | Danny Anderson | Submission (Strikes) | Dangerzone - Cage Fighting | | 1 | 3:09 | Iowa, United States | | Win | 1-0 | Dennis Reed | Submission (anaconda choke) | Dangerzone - Cage Fighting | | 1 | 0:50 | Iowa, United States |
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