UFC Hall of Famer Evans cruises past Checco in MMA return

UFC Hall of Famer Rashad Evans was triumphant in his return to mixed martial arts.

Evans defeated Gabriel Checco via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) in the Eagle FC 44 co-main event Friday night in Miami.

It was Evans' first fight since June 2018, when he suffered a knockout loss to Anthony Smith in the UFC. Evans retired two weeks after that bout. He announced he was returning to the sport in June 2021 before joining Eagle FC in December.

The 42-year-old returned to his wrestling roots against Checco, scoring takedowns in all three rounds. He spent large portions of each frame controlling his opponent from top position, advancing to side control and the crucifix position at certain points of the contest.

Evans landed some ground-and-pound in the second round, but he won the fight mostly on control. Checco attempted to secure leg locks at various points in the fight, but the submissions never appeared to be tight and Evans' defense held up.

"Suga" snapped a five-fight losing streak with the victory over Checco. This was his first win since he stopped Chael Sonnen at UFC 167 in November 2013.

Evans, who said in his postfight interview that he wants to fight in Eagle FC again, is a former UFC light heavyweight champion. He's beaten the likes of Chuck Liddell, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Tito Ortiz, Dan Henderson, and Forrest Griffin. The win lifted his professional record to 20-8-1.

Checco, 35, has now alternated wins and losses in his last five outings. He was coming off a TKO victory over Simon Marini at XMMA 3 in October. The grappling veteran fell to 12-6 as a pro.