Rashad Evans

American UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and the first African American winner of The Ultimate Fighter, who won the title with a knockout of Forrest Griffin at UFC 92.

Born in Niagara Falls, New York, Rashad Evans made his UFC debut in 2005 as a heavyweight contestant on the second season of The Ultimate Fighter, becoming the first African American to win the show. He remained undefeated through his first 18 professional bouts. At UFC 92 in December 2008, Evans challenged Forrest Griffin for the Light Heavyweight Championship. After a competitive opening two rounds, Evans rallied in the third, dropping Griffin with a straight right and finishing him with ground strikes to become champion. He surrendered the title in his first defense attempt, losing to then-undefeated Lyoto Machida six months later. Despite not regaining the belt, Evans remained one of the sport's biggest stars through pay-per-view headlining wins over former champions Chuck Liddell and Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson. His career also included a highly anticipated bout with Jon Jones, his former training partner, at UFC 145. Evans retired in 2018 after a 14-year professional career and was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2019. He has remained closely involved in the sport as a UFC analyst and mentor to active fighters, including former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.

Explosive wrestler with sharp boxing and one-punch power

A pioneering figure in the sport's diversity and one of its biggest stars of the late 2000s