Anthony Smith is hoping to see Rashad Evans end his mixed martial arts career sooner than later.
The featured UFC Fight Pass bout on the UFC 225 preliminaries was contested in the light heavyweight division. It only took Smith 53 seconds to knock out Evans with a clean knee to the noggin. As he previously told MMA News’ own Tim Thompson, Smith followed through on his promise and expressed interest in a bout on the UFC Lincoln card.
This was Evans’ five straight loss. He hasn’t won a bout since Nov. 2013. UFC president Dana White claimed that Evans told him he’d be retiring after the knockout loss.
Speaking to the media during his post-fight scrum, Smith said he wouldn’t be opposed to seeing “Suga” stick with being an analyst (via MMAJunkie.com):
“I try not to make that decision for people or put that on people, but if you look at the way he’s performing, it’s about what’s left. I don’t think Rashad’s got a whole lot left to prove. I would hate for him to continue taking fights and continue losing, and not only do physical damage as he goes, but taint the things he’s already done. He’s accomplished a lot, and I hope he just enjoys sitting behind the analysts’ desk and contributing that way, because he’s got a lot to contribute there.”
Evans is a former UFC light heavyweight champion. In his prime, Evans was competing at the highest levels against the likes of Quinton Jackson, Forrest Griffin, Chuck Liddell, Michael Bisping, and Phil Davis just to name a few. His two key losses were to Lyoto Machida and Jon Jones, which at one point were his only defeats. Now he finds himself with a record of 19-8-1.
Do you agree with Anthony Smith on Rashad Evans calling it a career?
