- Category:
- Richest Athletes › MMA
- Net Worth:
- $4 Million
- Birthdate:
- Sep 25, 1979 (45 years old)
- Birthplace:
- Niagara Falls
- Gender:
- Male
- Height:
- 5 ft 10 in (1.8 m)
- Profession:
- Wrestler, Mixed Martial Artist, Commentator, Actor
- Nationality:
- United States of America
What is Rashad Evans's Net Worth?
Rashad Evans is an American Mixed Martial Artist who has a net worth of $4 million. Rashad Evans competed in the UFC and EFC. He rose to national prominence in 2005 as the heavyweight winner of the second season of the reality television series "The Ultimate Fighter." Evans went on to become a UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, and in 2019 was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.
Early Life and Wrestling
Rashad Evans was born on September 25, 1979 in Niagara Falls, New York. As a teenager, he went to Niagara-Wheatfield High School in Sanborn, where he was a star wrestler. Evans twice made it to the state finals tournament, and came in fourth place in both 1997 and 1998. Closing out the decade, he competed in the 165-pound weight class in the National Junior College Athletic Association National Championships, where he also came in fourth place. Evans went on to win his weight class the next year.
Evans moved on to NCAA Division I wrestling as a college student at Michigan State University. In 2002, he came in fourth place in the Big Ten Conference Championships, and in 2003 came in third. Evans finished his collegiate career at MSU with a 48-34 record.
The Ultimate Fighter 2
After winning five out of five professional mixed martial arts fights in 2004, Evans was chosen to compete on "The Ultimate Fighter 2," the second season of the Spike TV reality series "The Ultimate Fighter." He competed as a heavyweight alongside such fighters as Keith Jardine, Brad Imes, and Seth Petruzelli. Evans ultimately won the season by defeating Imes in the finale via split decision. His reward was a three-year, six-figure contract with the UFC, as well as a new car.
UFC, 2006-2018
Following "The Ultimate Fighter 2," Evans dropped down to the light heavyweight class. He went on to have his first UFC fight under his new contract in April of 2006, defeating Sam Hoger via submission. Evans next won decisive victories over Stephan Bonnar, Jason Lambert, and Sean Salmon. At UFC 73, he faced Tito Ortiz, who gave him a challenge; the fight ultimately ended in a draw. Unable to secure a rematch right away, Evans made his headliner debut at UFC 78, where he beat "Ultimate Fighter 3" winner Michael Bisping by split decision. A year later, he had one of his most incredible career achievements when he surprised everyone by knocking out UFC legend Chuck Liddell at UFC 88. This set the stage for Evans's appearance at UFC 92, where he faced Forrest Griffin for the UFC Light Heavyweight belt. After struggling in the first two rounds, Evans came back strong in the third to win the match and become the new Light Heavyweight Champion. However, he soon lost the title to Lyoto Machida, who handed him the first loss of his career.
At UFC 108 in early 2010, Evans went up against Thiago Silva, defeating him by unanimous decision. He subsequently faced Quinton Jackson at UFC 114, and again won by a unanimous decision. After defeating Tito Ortiz in a rematch at UFC 133, Evans secured a title shot against Jon Jones to reclaim the Light Heavyweight belt. However, a lingering thumb injury kept him from fighting, and he was replaced by Lyoto Machida. Ultimately, Jones retained the title. Evans finally faced Jones at UFC 145 in 2012, but lost via unanimous decision. He performed better in subsequent matches, including wins over Dan Henderson and Chael Sonnen, before being sidelined for much of 2014 and 2015 due to injuries. Evans made his return at UFC 192, where he lost to Ryan Bader. For most of 2016, he was once again sidelined for health and medical reasons. Returning to the ring in 2017, Evans fell to such fighters as Dan Kelly and Sam Alvey. At UFC 225 in 2018, he lost to Anthony Smith via knockout in the first round. Evans subsequently announced his retirement from MMA.
Eagle Fighting Championship
In 2019, it was reported that Evans had been released by the UFC so he could make a return from retirement for another organization. A couple years later, he announced that he would be competing in Khabib Nurmagomedov's Eagle Fighting Championship promotion. Evans went on to have his comeback fight at Eagle FC 44 in early 2022, where he defeated Gabriel Checco via unanimous decision.
Entrepreneur
Beyond MMA, Evans is an entrepreneur in the health and wellness space. With former NFL quarterback Jake Plummer and educator Del Jolly, he co-founded the company Umbo, which offers health and food products using functional mushrooms.
Personal Life
Evans married his college sweetheart LaToya Brown in 2007. They resided in Lansing, Michigan, and had a son named Rashad Jr. and a daughter named Nia before divorcing in 2013. Evans also has a daughter named Tahja from a prior relationship. He later married his second wife, Celiana, with whom he has a son named Solaris.