Rashad Evans remains an underappreciated piece of the MMA puzzle. | Photo: D. Mandel/Sherdog.com
Rashad Evans
“Suga” Dangerzone (2004); Gladiator Challenge (2004); Ultimate Fighting Championship (2005-Current)
***
Throughout his career, Evans has been consistently underappreciated for his success as a fighter and his importance in the sport. His knockout of Chuck Liddell at UFC 88 was a shocking event, the iron-chinned “Iceman” being knocked ice cold like nothing we had ever seen before. From there, Evans was the headliner on the triple main event at UFC 92, where he captured the light heavyweight title from Forrest Griffin and helped draw a million buys on pay-per-view. His feud with Quinton Jackson on “The Ultimate Fighter” produced some of the highest ratings in American MMA history, and their fight again topped the million-buy mark, with Evans coming out on top. His rivalry with Jon Jones produced the biggest buy rate of Jones’ career -- a mark “Bones” has not come close to since. Plus, Evans mixed in wins against the likes of Dan Henderson, Phil Davis and Chael Sonnen. Give “Suga” his due as one of the greats.
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