After opportunely throwing his name into the Rashad Evans sweepstakes, it only took a few days for Gabriel Checco to get a deal signed and delivered.
At Eagle FC 44, Checco will get his first crack at a legend of the sport. Evans, the former UFC light heavyweight champion and UFC Hall of Famer, is returning after years of retirement. It is unclear what type of fighter Evans will return as. There are a lot of questions to be answered.
The Brazilian does not concern himself with the circumstances surrounding his opponent and focuses on his preparations thoroughly.
“Whenever everyone asks me about how do you feel about fighting a legend, I’m like look I always prepare as my opponent is gonna be the best in the world. I’m fighting the best of the best and that’s how I always train, how I always prepare for a fight,” Checco told The AllStar.
“It doesn’t matter who is gonna be there. I always try to be a better version of myself. I can say [this is] the biggest fight of my career until now.”
Checco, who currently lives and owns Zangief Jiu-Jitsu in Las Vegas, decided to return to his roots for training camp. He enlisted an old Chute Boxe teammate, one of UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira‘s main training partners/cornermen, to bring back that old-school mentality.
“I felt since I moved to the United States, I was not that aggressive anymore,” Checco said. “I little bit more passive. It’s been eight years already since I moved to the United States and I was like I gotta bring back that old Gabriel. That old dog that will be inside the cage. Different. you guys are going to see me. It will be a totally different Gabriel. Very close to how I used to be when I started fighting. But the mentality really never changed about marching forward and it’s two things. Kill or be killed. There is no place for second place in my mind. You gotta be the first one.”
‘Zangief’ has the utmost respect for Evans. In the co-main event on January 28, however, he will have no mercy for the UFC legend.
“I guarantee it won’t go to the decision,” Checco predicts. “He is a fighter that maybe 80% of his fights [were] decisions or maybe even more. But this fight won’t go to the decision.
“He’s gonna kill me or I’m gonna kill him. It won’t be any other way different.”
Fighter profile
Gabriel “Zangief” Checco is a 35 year old male fighter from Brazil with 12 pro wins and 5 losses. Checco is scheduled to fight Rashad Evans at EFC 44: Kharitonov vs Spong on Friday January 28, 2022.
Gabriel Checco’s recent form coming into this matchup
Checco has gone 2-3 in the last 5 professional MMA fights.
- Win vs Simon Marini • KO/TKO R1 2:45 • 2021-10-23
- Loss vs Jordan Wright • KO/TKO R2 0:48 • 2020-01-17
- Win vs Angel DeAnda • KO/TKO R1 3:08 • 2019-07-11
- Loss vs Fernando Gonzalez • Decision R3 5:00 • 2019-03-09
- Loss vs Ian Heinisch • KO/TKO R1 3:44 • 2018-05-04
Gabriel Checco’s next opponent: “Suga” Rashad Evans
“Suga” Rashad Evans’s recent form coming into this matchup
“Suga” Rashad Evans is a 42 year old male fighter from United States with 19 pro wins and 8 losses. Evans is scheduled to fight Gabriel Checco at EFC 44: Kharitonov vs Spong on Friday January 28, 2022.
Evans has gone 0-5 in the last 5 professional MMA fights.
- Loss vs Anthony Smith • KO/TKO R1 0:53 • 2018-06-09
- Loss vs Sam Alvey • Decision R3 5:00 • 2017-08-05
- Loss vs Daniel Kelly • Decision R3 5:00 • 2017-03-04
- Loss vs Glover Teixeira • KO/TKO R1 1:48 • 2016-04-16
- Loss vs Ryan Bader • Decision R3 5:00 • 2015-10-03
How to watch and bet on Gabriel Checco vs Rashad Evans
Use the AllStar’s directory to find the best sportsbooks and recommendations on where to place MMA bets online. If you just want to play for fun, head over to our Fantasy MMA picks app to make your fight predictions for Gabriel Checco vs Rashad Evans totally FREE.
The AllStar also has a comprehensive MMA betting guide and MMA Odds Comparison tools to help you find the best online betting opportunities.
