UFC Hall of Famer Rashad Evans returned from retirement at Eagle FC 44 and secured his first victory since November 2013.
Evans (20-8-1), a former UFC light heavyweight champion, ended a five-fight losing skid in what was his first fight since he walked away from the sport in June 2018. He used his wrestling to secure a unanimous decision victory over Checco (12-6) in the 205-pound bout on Friday at the FLXcast Arena in Miami. The scores were 30-27, 30-27, 30-27.
Evans was very cautious to begin the fight, allowing Checco to tee off on his legs and body with peppering kicks. He times one of those kicks, however, and used it to scoop Checco and slam him to the mat and into side control. He eventually recovered guard, but Evans was heavy on top and started to establish control and inflict some damage with short shots for the remainder of the round.
