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Rashad Evans contemplated retirement before UFC 192

Evans takes new outlook to Houston for comeback fight against Ryan Bader

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Sam Morris

Rashad Evans waits for the start of the Frankie Edgar vs. B.J. Penn fight at “The Ultimate Fighter” 19 finale Sunday, July 6, 2014 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

Wed, Sep 30, 2015 (2 a.m.)

UFC President Dana White has always regarded “The Ultimate Fighter” series as a place to unearth stars and potential champions.

The latest domestic season may have succeeded indirectly. Although no competitor on “The Ultimate Fighter: American Top Team vs. Blackzilians” has reached contender status, the reality show cemented the octagon return of one of the coaches on the 21st season.

Former light heavyweight champion and Blackzilians pillar Rashad Evans was “wavering” on making a comeback after two ACL surgeries earlier this year before a role on “TUF” inspired him.

“Every time I get a chance to go through that experience, it kind of reminds me why I started fighting,” Evans said. “I started to do a bit of soul-searching and started to think about the reasons why I enjoy fighting and the reasons why I started this journey in the first place. It was the simplicity of challenging myself again.”

The 36-year-old Evans fights for the first time since November 2013 on Saturday, taking on Ryan Bader in a main-card bout at UFC 192 in Houston. The victor could set himself up for a title fight against the winner of the UFC 192 main event between light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier and Alexander Gustafsson.

Most assumed Evans, who’s on a two-fight streak, was bound to return as soon as he was healthy. But Evans, who rose to prominence in 2004 off winning the second season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” said that wasn’t the case.

Having to pull out of a bout against Glover Teixeira scheduled for February when Evans’ body rejected the cadaver tissue from a knee procedure last year was damaging both mentally and physically. It made Evans question his future.

“I didn’t know if I was going to be able to do it again after the second surgery,” Evans said. “I didn’t know where it was going to put me — as far as my body was concerned was one thing but just the desire to keep training and putting my body through it was another thing entirely. Sometimes, I would want do it, and sometimes, I’d be like, ‘I’m done. I don’t feel like doing this anymore.’”

In addition to coaching on “TUF”, training sessions also motivated Evans. He responded to high-intensity workouts better than expected after the surgery.

He had ballooned to 255 pounds but saw the weight dropping quickly once he got back in the gym. Evans said Bader made a major mistake by posting a picture of him and alluding to his weight on Twitter.

“He should know one thing: I would never get into the cage looking fat,” Evans said. “But he should hope for that version of me because by him doing that, he’s messed up. He’s going to get the Rashad Evans that showed up and whipped Chael (Sonnen). Too bad for Bader.”

Bader has since eased off coming after Evans, saying he’s focused on winning a fifth fight in a row to get the championship bout he believes he already deserves. But it’s too late for Evans, who laughed off the thought that Bader should be facing Cormier in the main event.

“I don’t think he has the high-level wins consistently to warrant a title shot,” Evans said. “He’s shown he has become a little bit smarter fighter, but honestly speaking, Bader used to be the dumbest damn fighter in the UFC.”

Evans sounds in his element when he’s needling opponents. He won’t deny that he enjoys pre-fight banter as much as the actual competition.

“It’s part of the process,” he said. “I love the trash talking and everything else. It’s just a part of the sport and I laugh about it because, when it’s all said and done, these are the memories I’ll remember the most.”

That’s the type of perspective Evans never had before. In that regard, he’s grateful for the self-examination caused by his injury hardships.

“Having been gone for two years and not being able to do anything was a wake-up call,” Evans said. “It made me refocus and say to myself, 'Listen, I don’t know how long you’re going to be doing this but you’ve got to think about why you want to do this and what you want to get out of it before it’s all said and done, because this will end. That’s a definite.’”

Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.

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