Rashad Evans: I’m Not Retiring, But I Might Move Down To Middleweight
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans is coming off a crushing first round KO loss to Glover Teixeira at UFC on FOX 19 and recently appeared on Inside MMA on AXS TV to talk about the defeat and his future in the sport.
“There definitely needs to be a change. And the hardest thing about that fight is the fact that it was only a minute and a half. When they’re so short like that, it’s hard to find that black box to see where things went wrong. And who knows what would have happened if it would have gone longer and you have all these questions in your mind that you keep on saying. It’s hard because I felt like I had a great camp. I felt like I was physically strong and my timing was good, and I really have no excuse. I can’t think of one thing to say ‘this is an area to look at that I need to get better [in]’. It’s disappointing and it’s really frustrating for me because this is the second time in my career I’m riding a two-fight losing streak.”
When asked about possible retirement, Evans made it clear that he’s going to fight again.
“I’m definitely gonna come back. The biggest test for me was this. You know, after I lost I was very upset, and I threw a little pity party. Went and hung out with my family. And then about 3 in the morning. 3:30. I had a feeling inside, it was just anxiousness. I got up, put my running shoes on, and I ran for three hours. I just ran, and I ran, and it was just, I needed to kinda just cleanse my mind and just move past it, and that was my sign that I need to continue to keep on fighting.”
Evans hears the talk from fans and understands that he has to make significant changes to not only his training but his fighting style and is considering dropping down from light heavyweight to middleweight.
“After that I was like ‘you know what, I’m gonna make some changes.’ Possibly drop down to 185. I feel like I can compete at 205 of course, but at the end of the day I want to be able to physically be able to dominate if I need to, and I feel like at some point I may have lost that a bit at 205. I just want to do something to kinda switch things up to be a little bit fresh. I’ll still take fights at 205 and whatnot but I might explore the idea of 185 a little bit more.”
“I’m not used to this. It’s something that’s scary but at the end of the day I believe I can overcome.”
Evans (19-5-1) is currently on a two-fight losing streak. In his last six bouts, he’s 3-3.
