The main event for UFC 161 featured two evenly matched fighters going in, and the bout was just as even.
Now that the fight between Dan Henderson and Rashad Evans is over, what’s next for both fighters?
The first round of the fight appeared to go to Henderson. He landed a couple of nice shots, including one that wobbled Evans’ legs a bit.
Other than that, however, things were even until the third round. The second round featured a couple of shots but mostly involved some attempted takedowns by Evans and a bit of time in the clinch.
In the third round, Evans was able to land a nice flurry of blows, along with a few others, to take the final frame.
It was an extremely hard fight to score, but two of the three judges picked Evans, giving him a split-decision win (28-29, 29-28, 29-28).
For Henderson, he could have made a case for a title shot with a win. Now, he has an uphill battle to ever have a chance at UFC gold.
At 42 years old, Henderson likely only has a few more fights in him. He wasn’t able to keep up with the faster Evans inside the Octagon, and he seemed drained in a relatively uneventful fight.
Although he may never get another chance to fight for a title, Henderson has had a tremendous career. He sports a 29-10 record with 13 KO/TKOs and at one point was the Strikeforce light heavyweight champion.
With two straight losses by split decision, “Hendo” has to be frustrated. Unfortunately, there’s not much more he can do except continue to fight until he calls it quits.
On the other hand, Evans is in a good position to move up the rankings. After losses to Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Jon Jones, Evans needed a win to get back into the swing of things and work his way toward another title shot.
The win puts Evans at 18-3-1 in his career. The former UFC light heavyweight champion may not be quite there in terms of challenging Jones again for the belt, but he is getting close.
Evans still has some years left in his career. He is still quick and powerful at 33 years old and has yet to show signs of slowing down.
Both fighters have had great careers, but Evans will be looking to get another shot at the title, while Henderson is starting to wind down.
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