Rashad Evans retires at age 38: Other things in life are calling me
Rashad Evans: “I don’t want to go out losing. But at the same time, it’s what I need. It’s what I need to do because I feel like I have other things in life that are calling me …”
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans appeared on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show podcast (for ESPN) and announced his retirement.
“At one point in my life, I felt as if fighting was everything. It was everything. I put life second,” said Evans, as transcribed by Jeff Wagenheim for ESPN. “But now life has taken over. Now fighting has become second. And competing in a sport like mixed martial arts, where you have a lot of guys who haven’t been to the top of the mountain, and haven’t experienced the things that I’ve experienced, they’re really hungry for it. And me, I was just lukewarm.”
Evans, a future Hall of Famer, leaves the sport on a five-fight losing streak, adding a layer of difficulty to his decision.
“I don’t want to go out losing,” said Evans. “But at the same time, it’s what I need. It’s what I need to do because I feel like I have other things in life that are calling me to do, to go to.”
“I’ve thought about how hard it would be for me to say these words, to say it out loud, but this is part of me healing. This is part of me accepting what is. I can’t fool myself any longer.”
Evans said he knew he was done fighting as he exited the Octagon after losing to Anthony Smith via knee KO at UFC 225 on June 9, 2018.
“When I walked out, I knew. I knew,” he said. “But it took me weeks to admit it.”
