Rashad Evans (17-0-1), considered by most to be merely a stepping stone for Chuck Liddell (21-6) on the way back to a Liddell title shot, stunned a capacity crowd in Atlanta's Phillips Arena on Saturday night, knocking out the former Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight title holder 1:51 into the second round of the main event at UFC 88: Breakthrough - an aptly-named title for the pay-per-view card, as Evans posted the biggest breakthrough of his career and one of the biggest upsets in recent UFC history.Evans, who won the heavyweight division in Season 2 of The Ultimate Fighter reality TV show before moving down to the light heavyweight division, hung with Liddell through the first round, in the process lasting longer than many prognosticators felt he would. Evans spent much of the round circling and dancing, giving Liddell different looks and scoring with a few leg kicks, while Liddell was always looking for a knockout opportunity.
Following a few exchanges early in the second round, the finish came in spectacular fashion and was eerily reminiscent of Liddell's loss last year to Quinton Jackson: Liddell was loading a right uppercut but before he could land it he got caught with a vicious Evans right hand that sent Liddell crashing face-first to the mat, his body going limp before he hit the ground.
In that one moment - a highlight-reel knockout that will be replayed for years to come - an anticipated light-heavyweight title bout between Liddell and current champ Forrest Griffin was wiped out, and Evans shot up the ranks in the highly-competitive division.
Liddell has now lost three of his last four bouts, while Evans remains undefeated, his lone blemish a draw with ex-UFC light heavyweight champ Tito Ortiz.
