One last try
I know I’m going to be alone here, but as brutal as the knockout was this past weekend at UFC on FOX 19, “Suga” Rashad Evans should not retire. Glover Teixeira implemented his game plan on saturday, walking Evans down and scoring what seemed an inevitable knock out, but does this make for Rashad Evans’s last time in the octagon? I think not. “Suga” Rashad Evans has been dazzling us for a while now, winning the the second TUF, knocking out former king Chuck Liddell, and beating Forest Griffin for the light heavyweight title – but after a string of injuries and dropping 4 out of his last 6 bouts, everyone seems to think it’s time for the former champion to call it quits. What people seem to overlooked is that he looked a lot better in this fight than his last, unfortunately he just came up against the wrong opponent. If Rashad would’ve fought Shogun Rua, I believe he would’ve won that fight. That would’ve been the confidence builder needed to go up against a top 5 opponent. After a lackluster loss to Ryan Bader, Rashad was just getting his sea legs back under him, using footwork and striking that resembled his younger days. The real problem was that he didn’t pull the trigger, giving Teixeira no reason to back up. Essentially it was the game plan that was flawed, not so much the fighter. In the post fight press conference Rashad repeatedly said he felt physically fine, he just needed to get back “that thang”, and that “thang” could be a new weight class. Middleweight is definitely a murders row of talent, but as a former lightweight Rashad Evans could definitely make some noise at the new division. With potential matchups against Anderson Silva and Michael Bisping, I could see him raising a few eyebrows, and at 5’11” he might not be the smallest guy in the division anymore. With great wrestling, power in both hands, and a veterans know how, he could throw havoc into an already tumultuous division. Ultimately it would come down to if he could make the weight cut. With the ban on IV’s making things a lot harder, risk of dehydration is high making knockouts more prevalent. Rashad is a man tortured, the physique to make it all happen with the loss of the “it”factor. I’m not saying he should stay in the game as long as Dan Henderson but he’s got his whole life to sit behind an commentator desk. If it’s still in his heart, and he’s still physically gifted, he should fight. There’s no need to hold back or live life with “what ifs”, the man is not happy with his legacy, you can see it in his eyes. Whether he’s a gatekeeper at lightweight or making a run for the middleweight title – he’s an athlete, and he’s not finished just yet. What do you think, is Rashad done or does he have one last stand?
