It didn’t take Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight contender Glover Teixeira long to finish former divisional titleholder Rashad Evans at UFC on FOX 19.
The Brazilian starched “Suga” in just under two minutes into the first round by landing a vicious knockout blow along the cage. It was just the second time in Evans’ long and storied UFC career that he’s been finished, previously losing to Lyoto Machida at UFC 98 via second-round knockout, seeing his 205-pound title leave in the process.
Well, at 36 years of age and with a recent knee injury evidently sapping his athletic prowess, Evans is at a true crossroads at this point in his career. But during his analysis on FOX Sports 1 for tonight’s (Fri., April 22, 2016) UFC 197 weigh ins, Evans stated that he has no plans of retiring, hinting towards a possible move to the UFC’s Middleweight division.
Rashad Evans just said on FS1 he’s gonna figure out his next step with his team but he is not retiring. Mentioned 185 lbs. as an option.
— Jon Anik (@Jon_Anik) April 22, 2016
While nothing is set in stone, a change in scenery could certainly aid Evans’ attempt to rejuvenate his once world-class game. And with the current veterans like Anderson Silva, Vitor Belfort, and Michael Bisping scattered throughout the 185-pound ranks, someone as popular as Evans wouldn’t have trouble finding some good matchups.