"A setup to truly cement your legacy amongst the greats" - Rashad Evans pens heartwarming post for Kamaru Usman after "small setback" 

Former UFC champion Rashad Evans sent out an encouraging message to the recently ousted welterweight king, Kamaru Usman.

Evans, who Usman has referred to as a mentor and big brother figure, spoke up for the first time since Usman's devastating knockout loss at UFC 278. 'Suga' took to Twitter, writing:

"From the moment I met him, I knew that he had something special. I watched him hone his skills from being a decorated wrestler on TUF, to watching him break jaws with his jab while headlining a PPV. MMA is a sport where we experience the highest of highs, and the lowest of lows, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. I truly believe in my heart that this was only a small setback, and a setup to truly cement your legacy amongst the greats… and I’ll be there with you, as always, every step of the way, my brother."

Check out Rashad Evans' message to Kamaru Usman:

As devastating as the loss was, Evans believes the "small setback" will turn out to be a positive for Usman. Evans, of course, can deeply empathize with Usman's situation as he lost his UFC title after getting KO'd in spectacular fashion.

However, Usman's situation is quite different as 'The Nigerian Nightmare' came so close to retaining his belt. Unfortunately for him, then-challenger Leon Edwards connected with a perfect head kick with a minute remaining in the bout.

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Rashad Evans details experience "sitting right next to" Kamaru Usman's family at UFC 278

As one of the former welterweight champ's closest friends, Rashad Evans was sitting cageside next to Kamaru Usman's family at UFC 278.

During the Morning Kombat UFC 278 Recap Show, Evans described how tough it was to witness the raw reactions from Usman's relatives. The former UFC light heavyweight champion remarked:

"Being there was unbelievable because I'm sitting there right next to his family and his daughter's sitting right there next to me and when that whole thing happens, you just hear this scream. It was just kind of very traumatic for me, just being a brother to Kamaru, watching him go down like that, man. It just made me feel real sick."

Watch Rashad Evans' interview in the clip below:

'The Nigerian Nightmare' has been bringing his family members to his fights since his championship bout against Tyron Woodley in 2019. His past several fights have been heartwarming family affairs, but his most recent outing proved to be disastrous.