Daniel Kelly doesn’t agree with those who say his UFC 209 opponent Rashad Evans should consider retirement.
Last night (March 4) Kelly welcomed Evans to the middleweight division. With Evans being a former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) light heavyweight title holder, he was Kelly’s highest profile fight. It was Kelly who walked out of the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada with a split decision victory.
“Suga” hasn’t won a bout since 2013 against Chael Sonnen. To the surprise of many, Evans had moments where he was outmatched on the feet. In fact, it wasn’t until the third round where he landed a significant amount of clean strikes.
In his chat with the media (via MMAJunkie.com), Kelly said Evans shouldn’t hang up his gloves:
“No, no – he doesn’t need to be done yet. It was his first cut down to 185. He’s still fit and strong. If I can get through the first two or three minutes against anyone, I think I’ve proven that it’s going to be a nightmare match-up (for my opponent). Because Rashad is so explosive and such a great athlete, it’s going to be hard for him. I got very tired fighting him. I was so tired, and so was he. If he wants to keep going, he should. I don’t think it’s the end for him.”
