Rashad Evans: A Worrying Trend Continues

Rashad Evans: A Worrying Trend Continues

Should age be a barrier in sport, normally I would say no. In nearly every case it should be about your ability to compete, age, young or old shouldn’t be the preventive yardstick to stop you doing what you so desire.

But should combat sports be that rare exception. Fighters suffer different and more serious types of trauma to the vast majority of other sports. The effects of repeated head shots are only now being fully known, and as they continue to pursue their love, I at least worry what lies ahead for them.

Thankfully BJ Penn will no longer compete in the UFC, he was ‘cut’ not for the reasons he should have been, but at least his painful and sad end to his UFC career is no more.

Even a fighter like Donald Cerrone who is still somewhere near his prime, I am struggling to watch his fights in the same way I used to.

The decline of any great sports star is sad, but in combat sports it carries far more serious consequences.

Some fighters clearly need protecting from themselves. But it’s difficult to regulate, how would you even begin to start to form any sort of unified stance.

Just because the UFC have finally shown Penn the door, there will be another organisation more than willing to have him on their roster.

News broke yesterday that Rashad Evans is planning a comeback. Evans is now free of his UFC obligations, and with the UFC apparently happy for him to go elsewhere, the former light heavyweight champion will shortly be ending his retirement.

Evans (19-8-1) ended his UFC run with 5 straight defeats and was last seen losing in 53 seconds to Anthony Smith at UFC 225.

Like many before him Evans probably misses the spotlight and just can’t let go, but should he be allowed to return.

Unfortunately, until there are stricter guidelines in place, Evans and many others will continue to fight long after they should have stopped, or be made to stop.

It’s nothing new of course and many fighters have paid a very heavy price for not stopping. But with so much science, knowledge and evidence now around, surely there should be more urgency to actually do something about it.

It’s not just about promotions or commissions doing more to protect fighters, more help is needed to prepare fighters for life after their time in the spotlight ends.

It’s not easy, but a start would be nice, everyone knows the danger, but nobody seems willing to reduce the risks.