Rashad Evans American martial artist, Date of Birth: 25.09.1979 Country: USA

Biography of Rashad Anton Evans

Rashad Anton Evans is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the 'Ultimate Fighting Championship'. He was born in Niagara Falls, New York as one of eight children. Evans showcased his excellent wrestling skills in school, winning state competitions twice. He also had a successful football career during that time. After graduating from high school, Evans attended Niagara County Community College, where he pursued wrestling professionally. He went on to win the National Junior College Championship.

Evans later transferred to Michigan State University, where he competed for the university's team for three years. It was during this time that he achieved one of his most significant accomplishments by defeating Greg Jones, one of the top college wrestling legends of that time. Jones had only lost three times in his entire career, highlighting the magnitude of Evans' achievement. After earning a degree in psychology, Evans settled in Lansing, Michigan. In 2005, he returned to his alma mater as an assistant coach.

On January 2, 2010, just hours before his fight against Thiago Silva, Evans received his black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. In 2004, guided by the legendary fighter and martial arts specialist Dan Severn, Evans participated in five professional mixed martial arts competitions and won all five. He was then selected to be part of the group of nine heavyweights for the reality show 'The Ultimate Fighter 2'. As the lowest and almost the lightest in his weight category, Evans was initially considered an underdog. However, he proved that height and weight are not always determinants of victory. Evans defeated Tom Murphy, Mike Whitehead, and Keith Jardine consecutively.

Evans had a conflict with one of the coaches on the show, Matt Hughes, primarily due to Evans' love for self-promotion. However, they later reconciled, and Hughes even participated in one of Evans' fights. In the show's final match, Evans faced the two-meter-tall Brad Imes. The judges' decision was not unanimous, but Evans was ultimately declared the winner. As a reward, he received a three-year contract with the UFC and a brand new car.

After the show, Evans moved to the light heavyweight division, which promised him better prospects. However, his first fight in the new weight category against Sam Hoger almost ended in defeat when Hoger almost submitted him with one of his favorite techniques in the second round. Nevertheless, Evans continued to fight in the light heavyweight division. On December 27, 2008, he fought Forrest Griffin for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. Griffin dominated the first two rounds, but in the third round, Evans executed a successful counterattack, taking Griffin down and securing victory through technique.

Unfortunately, Evans lost the title in his next fight and had to start from scratch to regain it. Currently, Evans is scheduled to fight Mauricio Rua, but the bout will not take place until Rua recovers from knee surgery.