Rashad Evans vs. Thiago Silva

Rashad Evans vs. Thiago Silva
Round 1
Rashad closes the distance and goes to the clinch against the fence. Silva, with his back to the fence, controls Evans right arm with an underhook. Evans drops levels for a takedown and he gets it. Silva uses his back to crawl up the fencing, but Evans picks him high into the air and slams him to the floor. Evans mounts his opponent, and then ends up standing after getting greedy from the dominant position. Evans uses fluid head movement to weave in and out of Silva’s punching combinations. Silva throws a knee to the head and Evans takes him down. Silva quickly gets to his feet and gets hit with a sharp low kick. Evans is stalking Silva around the cage. Silva lands a left hook lead and Evans ties him up against the cage. Evans goes to Silva’s body with power punches before dragging Silva to the canvas. He can’t hold the Brazilian down.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Evans
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Evans
Mike Fridley scores the round 10-9 Evans

Round 2

Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com

Evans vs. Silva.
Evans bombs away with his right hand and then closes the distance quickly. He is back in the clinch, pressing Silva into the fencing. Silva gets off the cage and is taken down by a quick single. Evans escapes a Silva armbar. Silva works to get to his feet, only to be slammed back down. The theme of the fight continues to play out, as Evans can’t hold his opponent down. Silva jabs and sprawls unnecessarily, wasting energy. Silva clips his foe with a right hand. And another. Silva is breathing heavy as Evans scores another takedown. Evans holds the waist and Silva pops back up. The round ends in the clinch, with referee Yves Lavigne asking the fighters to work.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Evans
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Evans
Mike Fridley scores the round 10-9 Evans

Round 3
Silva stuffs his first legitimate takedown of the fight. Silva winds up for a right hand and Evans moves under it to get an easy single-leg takedown. Silva stands and taunts Evans, trying to draw him into a slug fest. Evans circles away and Silva taunts him again. Evans is weary of trading as he moves away. Silva is fighting with his hands down and he levels Evans with a right. Evans falls backwards and he’s in trouble. Silva unloads with both hands and Evans is barely standing. Silva, breathing heavily earlier in the round, is now spent. He has to take a breather, which allows Evans to clear his head. It is a huge round for Silva, but will it be enough to take the decision?

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Silva (29-28 Evans)
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Silva (29-28 Evans)
Mike Fridley scores the round 10-9 Silva (29-28 Evans)

All three official judges see the bout the same, and award Rashad Evans with the unanimous decision with scores of 29-28 across the board.

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