Rashad Evans: The "Other Guy" in the UFC 88 Main Event

At UFC 88 Breakthrough on Sept. 6 the MMA world will witness the return of the sport's biggest star. Chuck Liddell steps back into the Octagon for the first time since his dramatic win over Wanderlei Silva, back in December of 2007.

The former UFC light-heavyweight champion Liddell was scheduled to fight Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 85 on June 7. Rua, however, had to withdraw due to injury. He was replaced by Rashad Evans, but the bout was scrapped when Liddell was forced to withdraw with an injury of his own.

With both fighters healthy, the Liddell/Evans matchup is set for Sept. 6 in Atlanta, Georgia. It will be the state's first UFC event.

Liddell's record speaks for itself. He has 21-5 with victories over some of the biggest names in the sport.

He held the light-heavyweight championship for over a year, defending it four times. He has two wins over Randy Couture and another two over Tito Ortiz. Wanderlei Silva, Kevin Randleman, Vitor Belfort, and Jeremy Horn are also on the list.

Few would argue that Chuck Liddell is the main attraction. There is, however, another guy in this fight: Rashad Evans.

Evans holds a very impressive record of his own. He has victories over Michael Bisping, Jason Lambert, and Stephan Bonner. He won The Ultimate Fighter season two as a heavyweight, and battled former champion Tito Ortiz to a draw.

Many people even thought Evans should have won that fight. The bout was scored 28-28 on all three judges' cards, but Ortiz was penalized a point early on for grabbing the fence to avoid a takedown.

Rashad has one other thing in his bio that even Chuck Liddell does not. He has never lost.

With an overall record of 16-0-1, Rashad is 6-0-1 in the UFC, with four wins coming by decision, and two more by way of knockout. One of those knockouts was a very impressive kick to Sean Salmon's head. Evans also holds a knockout victory over Jason Lambert, who was riding an eight-fight win streak at the time.

In spite of his proven knockout ability, Evans is known primarily as a wrestler. While at Niagara County Community College, he won the 2000 junior college national championship as a freshman in the 165 lbs. class.

He then transferred to Michigan State where he was a three-year starter for the Spartans. In 2005 he became an assistant coach for the school's wrestling program.

He now trains in Albuquerque, New Mexico and will most certainly be in top physical condition for the biggest fight of his career.

Evans will need to be at the top of his game if he hopes to beat Liddell. On the other side of that coin, Liddell will need to be at the top of his game if he hopes to beat "the other guy" in this fight.