Monday Morning Hangover: What's next for Rashad Evans after knockout loss to Glover Teixeira?

Another weekend of fisticuffs has come and gone, as UFC on FOX 19 blew the roof off Amalie Arena this past weekend (Sat., April 16, 2016) in Tampa, Florida.

For complete coverage of the entire UFC on FOX 19 card click here.

Plenty of fighters were left licking their wounds, including Tecia Torres, who was outworked by Rose Namajunas in the co-main event of the evening (see it again here). And Darrel Horcher, who received a rude welcome to the Octagon thanks to Khabib Nurmagomedov's ruthless ground-and-pound attack (video replay here).

But which fighter is suffering from the worst post-fight hangover now 48 hours removed from the show?

Rashad Evans.

The former light heavyweight champion of the world looked to get back on the winning track after suffering a unanimous decision loss to Ryan Bader back at UFC 192 last October in what was his first fight back following a lengthy layoff due to injury.

In doing so, the 36-year-old veteran looked to prove that father time had not gotten the best of him, and that he still has what it takes to compete at the highest level in what is still a very crowded 205-pound division.

Unfortunately for "Suga," he is now the owner of a two-fight losing streak, the second of his career, as Glover Teixeira put hands on the ex-titleholder early in round one to lay him out for the count thanks to a perfectly placed left punch followed by three consecutive rights.

See it again here.

While there wasn't much tape to dissect, Evans was simply outgunned from the start, failing to put up any offense through the 90-second affair. In all fairness, most fighters don't offer up much offense that early into the bout, usually.

Others do (like Glover) and the results sometimes just speak for themselves. It's easy to say he "got caught," or he simply lost to a better fighter. Whatever the case may be, one thing you won't here Rashad say is that he was injured, distracted, or even ill-prepared for a late switch in opponent.

To hear "Suga" tell it, he simply lost "that thing" that used to make fighting comes so natural and easy for him. What "that thing" is will have many guessing for days, as Rashad himself doesn't exactly know what he's lacking.

Maybe it's the injuries coupled with the lengthy layoffs, or simply his battles against himself. Whatever it is, Evans is determined to get it back, as he is adamant retirement is still not on his mind. And it's a good thing, too, as I strongly believe he can turn it back around.

Over his 12-year career, he only has five losses on his record, with only two knockout losses. Sure, he may have taken damage in some fights, but he hasn't seen the lights go out very often.

That said, if and when he does return, perhaps a fight against the loser of the upcoming bout between Mauricio Rua and Corey Anderson is in order. Neither of the three men are exactly in title contention at the moment, so giving Evans a high-ranked fighter doesn't make much sense.

Unless, of course, you have a better idea?