Rashad Evans cruised through the first two rounds, showcasing a complete mixed martial arts game full of striking, grappling, and clinching. By round three, a frustrated Thiago Silva began to taunt the former champ in an attempt to bait him into more aggressive engaging. What looked to be a last ditch effort to show any sort of effectiveness led to Silva landing a combination that had Evans wobbled and leaning on the fence.
And then Silva just…stopped. He walked away from Evans, put his hands on his hips, and let the MSU grad recover from the assault. It brought back memories of Heath Herring’s decision to stand up after nearly obliterating Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira with a head kick back at UFC 73. The difference is that Herring had a legitimate concern – Nogueira carried a legend around with him as a fighter who pulled submissions out of the most precarious of positions.
Silva has no excuse. He had a chance to end a fight he was undoubtedly behind on the cards, but for whatever reason couldn’t bring himself to finish.
It’s a tempered victory for Evans. Up until the final exchanges, I was prepared to sing his praises. Evans demonstrated a fantastic ability to use his striking and quickness to set up his takedowns, finally putting together the two strong facets of his game. But his defensive lapse provides that much more support for the criticisms his game has received coming into this fight.
In any event, Evans should be praised for the evolution he DID demonstrate, as well as the ability to compose himself and grind out the victory. We can only hope his next trip into the Octagon involves a date with one Quinton Jackson.