Monday Morning Hangover: Whats next for Rashad Evans after suffering fourth straight loss at UFC Mexico?

Another weekend of fisticuffs has come and gone, as UFC Fight Night 114 blew the roof of Mexico City Arena last weekend (Sat., Aug. 5, 2017) in Mexico City, Mexico.

Plenty of fighters were left licking their wounds, including Brandon Moreno, who suffered his first defeat inside the Octagon after coming up short against Sergio Pettis (see it again here).

And Randa Markos, who came up on the wrong end of a questionable decision loss to Alexa Grasso in the co-main event of the evening (recap). But which fighter is suffering from the worst post-fight hangover, now 48 hours removed from the show?

Rashad Evans.

The former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight champion of the world walked into Mexico City riding a three-fight win streak, hoping to end his skid against Sam Alvey in what was “Suga’s” second fight at Middleweight.

Instead, Evans left with his head hanging low with his fourth straight loss, and a bag full of questions regarding his fighting future. What stood out to me, personally, in this fight was how Rashad simply couldn’t pop off anything. Many are quick to point to the high altitude, but Evans has never been known for having bad cardio.

There was no offense, from either side, which made for a rather luckluster fight that would make Tyron Woodley’s last performance seem impeccable. It’s a rather confusing fall from the top for Evans, that somehow seemed to happen overnight, though his last win came back in 2013 against Chael Sonnen.

It’s hard to pinpoint where it has gone wrong for Evans, as not even a drop down to Middleweight has helped his woes. In his first fight at 185 pounds, Evans came up short against Dan Kelly. Now, no disrespect to Alvey and Kelly, but they aren’t exactly the cream of the crop when it comes to middleweights and a far stretch from the likes of Ryan Bader and Glover Teixiera, the two men who had previously defeated Evans.

Still, the last few years haven’t exactly been rainbows and sunshine for “Suga,” as he was pulled from UFC 205 in 2016 after an MRI spotted “irregular findings,” though Rashad was quick to say he was in good health and was ultimately scratched from UFC 206, as well.

Plus, his Blackzilians fight team slowly started drifting apart due to constant drama inside the gym. Whether or not all of these factors have played in his skid, is unknown.

At the end of the day, Evans now has many things to ponder moving forward. Will he continue fighting? If so, will he stay at middleweight or he will he attempt to go back home to 205 pounds? Or, will the ex-champ call it a day?

No one wants to leave on a sour note, but hanging around too long isn’t always the best thing. Sure, of his four losses, only one saw him get knocked out, but at some point Evans is going to have to decide whether or not the paychecks are worth it with the losses piling up.