• UFC 161

Rashad might drop to 185 with defeat to Henderson

ESPN staff
April 3, 2013
Rashad Evans is looking for smooth transitions when he fights Dan Henderson at UFC 161 © Getty Images
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Rashad Evans has added a new angle to his forthcoming fight with Dan Henderson by revealing he could drop to middleweight if he loses.

Evans is suffering from the worst spell of his career, losing back-to-back bouts to Jon Jones and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. It is a streak he must correct against Henderson on June 15 at UFC 161.

The former light-heavyweight champion has been quoted as saying he fears the cut if he loses to Henderson. It appears those quotes were misrepresented, but Evans does admit he would consider a drop to middleweight if beaten again.

"I'm not worried about losing my job. I put in a lot of good fights at the UFC and I'm confident that I'm not going to lose my next fight," he told UFC Tonight.

"If I lose my next fight, I would consider dropping down a weight class. If I drop down to 185 and things weren't going right, then I would think about retiring."

A drop to middleweight would throw up the potential for a meeting with champion Anderson Silva, in what on paper would seem a highly intriguing style match-up. However, for now, Evans is only focusing on Henderson.

"Dan Henderson is no secret," he said. "The power of Dan Henderson is in his huge right hand. He has great takedown offence, he has a wrestling background and he will get you on the ground and do ground-and-pound.

"For me, what I need to do is fight my fight. I need to have my transitions, from my punches to my takedowns, and they need to be sharp. No lazy half-shots. No pitty-pat punching. I need hard punching and hard takedowns."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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