Jones vs. Evans Official for UFC 145 in Atlanta
MMA
When Rashad Evans defeated Phil Davis at UFC on Fox 2 last week, he earned the right, once again, to challenge former teammate Jon Jones for the UFC light heavyweight championship.
The UFC had already announced that Jones’ next defense would come at UFC 145 in Atlanta on April 21.
The only thing standing in the way of Jones vs. Evans was Evans needing to gain medical clearance following his UFC on Fox 2 bout.
That has apparently happened as the UFC on Monday finally confirmed that Jones vs. Evans will headline UFC 145.
The two have been feuding since the time they were still teammates, early last year, when Jones stepped in to face then-UFC light heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 128 in New Jersey. Evans was initially slated to challenge Shogun, but had to drop out due to injury.
Jones stepping in and capturing the title lead to some hard feelings between the two. The night that Jones won the belt, Evans announced his exodus from their camp with coaches Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn in Albuquerque, N.M.
Evans has since formed the Blackzilians team in Florida and has been training their for his most recent fights.
The UFC has been trying to match Jones and Evans ever since their highly publicized fallout. After several false starts, barring incident, they will finally settle their differences in the Octagon.