Evans Takes Step In Right Direction With Win Over Henderson At UFC 161
Rashad Evans was facing a must-win situation as he tried to get his career back on the right track at the UFC 161 online sports betting event. It wasn’t pretty, but a split decision win over Dan Henderson could be enough to get him back on the road to a UFC Light Heavyweight title shot. Evans had followed up a unanimous decision loss to the champion Jon “Bones” Jones with a surprising loss to Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, and that raised red flags about the path he was on. A victory over Henderson in the main event at UFC 161 won’t be enough to make Evans a No. 1 contender, but at least he has now taken a step in the right direction.
There is no denying that Evans was facing a must-win situation against Henderson, and there are legitimate questions as to what the next step may have been had he failed to get the job done. Evans is nine years younger than Henderson and was considered to be at a higher point in his career before this sports betting tilt, so coming up short would have been devastating to any hopes he had of earning another title shot somewhere down the line. There are some that feel it was Evans that gave Jones his best challenge to this point in his career, and a rematch may be closer than many believe it to be even though Jones is still recovering from a broken toe.
The fight itself was an entertaining one, as Evans took a more cautious approach as Henderson came out firing shots from the opening bell. Henderson through punch afer punch and nearly knocked Evans off of his feet with a couple of right hooks, but he regained his composure and held on. Evans scored a takedown in the second as the live betting tilt seemed to take a turn, with the younger and more reserved Evans taking control of he older and more fatigued Henderson. Evans would remain cautious in an effort to control the fight without leaving himself exposed to knockout or submission, and he ended up hanging on for a big win.
The split-decision victory has opened the door for another step up the ladder for Evans, and it will be interesting to see whom he is pitted against next. One or two more wins may be enough for another title shot, especially considering how good Evans looked against Jones in their initial meeting. However, this was just a split decision win, and there is a lot of work for Evans to do if he is going to get another victory against tougher competition than Henderson. Online betting fans don’t know anything yet about what the future holds for Evans, but he did take a step in the right direction at the UFC 161 event.
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