It’s finally over.
Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans has been in the makings for over a year, with both fighters regularly taking shots at each other through the media, and at UFC 145 they buried the hatchet.
Jones and Evans met in the main event, and the champion was able to defeat Evans handily, racking up his third straight title defense.
It wasn’t Jones’ most dominant performance, but he was able to keep Evans at bay throughout the fight by using his unorthodox striking and reach advantage. It was clear Evans felt uncomfortable striking with Jones and, as a result, Evans ended up in “defense mode” for much of the fight.
Without a doubt, this is the toughest loss of Rashad’s career, as he failed to recapture the UFC light heavyweight championship and was bested by a fighter he used to mentor.
Despite the loss, Evans can take some solace in that he is the only man to go all five rounds with Jones and that he also landed some big right hands throughout the fight.
So, coming off the biggest loss of his career, what’s next for Rashad Evans?
Ryan Bader is a possibility. Bader is coming off the biggest victory of his career against Quinton Jackson at UFC 144.
Another possibility is Alexander Gustafsson, who recently defeated Thiago Silva.
Both of these men are budding contenders in the light heavyweight division, and halting their momentum would be a great way for Evans to get himself back into the title picture.
Andrew Barr is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and stand-up comedian. Check him out on Twitter @AndrewBarr8.
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