Rashad Evans Announces Retirement from MMA After 13-Year Career

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans announced his retirement from MMA on Monday.

ESPN's Brett Okamoto confirmed the new after Evans, 38, told Ariel Helwani of his decision:

The American bows out with a professional MMA record of 19-8-1.

His first-round defeat to Anthony Smith at UFC 225 on June 9 was his fifth loss in a row and proved to be his final clash after 13 years in the Octagon.

Evans debuted as a professional fighter in 2004 and maintained an unbeaten record in his first 13 bouts.

He won the UFC light heavyweight title with a third-round knockout victory over Forrest Griffin at UFC 92 in 2008 before losing the belt in his next clash to Lyoto Machida.

Four wins later, Evans received his chance to win back the title when he took on Jon Jones at UFC 145 in 2012.

His unanimous-decision defeat began a disappointing run of just two wins in nine that culminated with the loss earlier this month in Chicago.