“Suga” Rashad Evans (19-8) announced his retirement on the debut episode of Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show on ESPN today. Visibly emotional about coming to the decision Evans let fans know he is done fighting professionally. The former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion said he loves “the release” fighting gave him every time he entered the cage but compared his recent run to trying to “squeeze that last bit of toothpaste out of the tube.”
Evans said the most significant win of his career was his win over Chuck Liddell at UFC 88 because that was when he silenced his doubters. He would then face Forrest Griffin at UFC 192 where he won the light heavyweight title. When asked about his plans for retirement Evans said he would like to do charity work in Chicago and also work with Justin Wren in some of the charity work he does. He also said he would not stop training and that if anything he would likely train more since there is nothing in his way.
Evans’ last win was at UFC 167 when he defeated Chael Sonnen via first-round TKO. After that, he would be plagued with injuries that would keep him away from competition for nearly two years. Evans returned at UFC 192 where he faced Ryan Bader and lost a decision. He lost his next four fights after that with the most recent one being a knock out loss to Anthony Smith at UFC 225.
Helwani said to Evans at the close of the interview, “you are a gold standard in this sport” and expects to see him as an analyst and coach in the near future. Evans began his MMA career in 2004 before the gained fame as a competitor in season two of The Ultimate Fighter and became one of the more well-known light heavyweights in the UFC.
Evans said his favorite moment in his fighting career was the crouch just before entering the cage in his matches, something Jon Jones adopted from him when they used to train together.
- Discussion: What’s your favorite Rashad Evans fight?
