In the co-main event of UFC 156, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira took advantage of an unusually sluggish Rashad Evans and managed to pick up a unanimous decision win. The bout was certainly slow, with Evans trying to stop Nogueira’s jab by playing pattycake with him and not really initiating his own striking that often. He spent forever setting up his huge right, and when he finally landed it and Nogueira was still there, Evans looked a little helpless.
Evans didn’t bring his vaunted wrestling to the matchup either. He did get one takedown, but most of his five attempts were lethargic at best and easily avoided by Lil Nog. In the end, Rogerio was able to find a home for his jab and landed enough kicks to take two rounds. All three judges had it 29-28 for the Brazilian fighter.
What was the high point of the fight?
There wasn’t one. It was a pretty dreadful bout overall.
Where do they go from here?
Nogueira just beat one of the top light heavyweight fighters in the world, and is probably in the top five now. But can he actually hang with the very top of the division, or did Evans just have a really bad night? With most of the division booked up, the only real option for Lil Nog if he wants to fight again relatively soon is to meet Glover Teixeira.
Evans looked brutal, and it was easily the worst performance of his UFC career. It cost him a possible middleweight title shot, and probably a ton of credibility. Nonetheless, he’s still a draw and should probably meet Mauricio “Shogun” Rua next.
Watch now, later, or never?
Never. Between Evans’ not really fighting, Nogueira being happy to land what he could, and Rogan’s grating commentary, the bout was the definite lowlight of an otherwise entertaining card.
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