Rashad Evans: “At a Crossroads” at UFC 108

On January 2nd, 2010, Rashad Evans, winner of The Ultimate Fighter 2 and the former UFC 205-pound champ, faces the first major crossroad of his six-year professional career. It took “Sugar” eight fights in the UFC light-heavyweight division before getting his first title opportunity at UFC 92. Now, after winning the title and losing his first defense, Evans’ future could go either direction based on his performance in this UFC 108 bout against a very dangerous opponent—Thiago Silva.

His run on TUF 2 was impressive; he defeated four legitimate opponents as an undersized heavyweight, and earned a three-year six-figure contract with the organization. However, immediately after defeating 6’7” Brad Imes at the finale, Evans immediately dropped to his natural weight and began fighting in the 205-pound division. He became an instant prospect after winning four consecutive light-heavyweight bouts that included a decision win over TUF 1 runner-up Stephan Bonnar, and a highlight-reel head kick (KO) victory over Sean Salmon at UFC Fight Night 8 in Jan. 2007.

He fought Tito Ortiz to a draw at UFC 73, and even though Ortiz was deducted a point for grabbing the fence, proved that he had what it took to hang with the divisions’ best. He then defeated Michael Bisping via split decision at UFC 78 and Chuck Liddell with a brutal 2nd round KO at UFC 88 to earn a shot at then-champion Forrest Griffin. The bout was set for Dec. 2008 at UFC 92, and it pitted Griffin against Evans for the Light Heavyweight title. Rashad wore down Griffin with his striking, and finished him off in the 3rd round for the TKO victory to become the new 205-pound champion.

His reign lasted only five months until UFC 98 when karate-specialist Lyoto Machida knocked him out midway through the 2nd round to take the belt home with him. Soon after losing the LHW belt, it was announced that Evans would oppose Quinton Jackson as coaches on the tenth season of TUF and then fight at the conclusion of the show. Evans proved to be an excellent coach, however when Jackson came to odds with the organization, the bout was called off and Thiago Silva emerged as his new opponent.

UFC 108 holds a great deal of importance as to whether Evans will receive another title opportunity in the near future. After being finished fairly easy against Machida, Evans has taken close to eight months off while filming for TUF 10. And while the fight with Jackson is off for now, Evans had to switch gears in training for his fight with Silva. While Silva, a dangerous Brazilian striker who also fell to Machida, is a formidable opponent, the fight lacks any build up compared to the “Jackson vs. Evans” bout that had an entire season of TUF to help in promotion.

A win is a win and a victory over Silva would help, but it will not get him an immediate title fight. The UFC 108 main event does have some fan appeal, as two competent strikers go at it in what should be a stand up war. With that being said, a victory over Silva, convincing or not, will do nothing more than earn him a shot at a returning Quinton Jackson. Although Jackson’s actions are beyond Evans’ control, the fact is he gets little benefit from a victory over Thiago Silva.

A loss at UFC 108 stands to hurt Evans more than a win would benefit him. If Silva were to defeat Evans, his stock would plummet in the UFC, and in particular, the light heavyweight division. He would also forfeit any chance for a future bout with top 5 light heavyweight Jackson. While his position within the organization remains solid with either outcome, the truth is a loss would surely drop him out of any meaningful bouts. Evans is a veteran fighter and not somebody that will sit around and wait for fights, so one has to understand his thought process behind taking the fight. Unfortunately, a loss probably means that he gets lost in the ever-evolving shuffle of the UFC LHW division.

His name holds some weight within the organization; and it looks as if the UFC 108 main event with Rashad Evans vs Thiago Silva is yet another motivating factor for Evans to get that fight with Rampage.