5 Things You Might Not Know About Rashad Evans

Rashad Evans could be nearing his last hurrah.

The former Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight titleholder will carry a career-worst three-fight losing streak into his three-round clash with Sam Alvey on the UFC Fight Night 114 main card this Saturday at Mexico City Arena in Mexico City. Their encounter serves as one of the appetizers to the Sergio Pettis-Brandon Moreno headliner. Evans has suffered back-to-back-to-back defeats to Ryan Bader, Glover Teixeira and Daniel Kelly since returning from recurring knee injuries in 2015. Now training out of Henri Hooft’s Combat Club, the 37-year-old Niagara Falls, New York, native’s resume includes victories over Dan Henderson, Phil Davis, Chael Sonnen and Thiago Silva, along with wins over five current or former UFC champions: Tito Ortiz, Quinton Jackson, Forrest Griffin, Chuck Liddell and Michael Bisping. Evans burst on the scene at the age of 26 in 2005, when he won Season 2 of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series.

As he approaches his high-stakes battle with the knockout-minded Alvey, here are five things you might not know about Evans:

1. His time at the top was short-lived.

Evans is one of 12 men who have captured the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight title. Ortiz, Liddell, Jackson, Griffin, Frank Shamrock, Lyoto Machida, Randy Couture, Vitor Belfort, Mauricio Rua, Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier are the others. At 147 days, his reign ranks as the second-shortest in history behind only Couture (127).

2. Like so many others in MMA, he connected to combat sports through amateur wrestling.

A standout wrestler at Niagara-Wheatfield High School in Sanborn, New York, Evans won a national championship at Niagara County Community College before becoming an NCAA All-American at Michigan State University. There, he recorded 48 victories as a Spartan, one of them against three-time national champion Greg Jones, who finished his career with a 126-4 record. Jones went on to coach Evans with the Blackzilians.

3. He has lost only to high-caliber opposition.

The six fighters who have defeated Evans -- Jones, Machida, Bader, Teixeira, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Daniel Kelly -- own a cumulative record of 129-29. That equates to a .816 winning percentage.

4. Wins have been few and far between in the twilight of his career.

When Evans steps into the Octagon against Alvey, a total of 1,358 days will have passed since he posted a victory. His last win came against Sonnen at UFC 167 on Nov. 16, 2013. Worse yet, Evans has gone 2-5 across his past seven appearances dating back to 2012.

5. He has grown accustomed to the spotlight.

Evans fought 21 times under the UFC banner. In 18 of those bouts, he has competed either in the main event or co-main event.