The year 2011 hasn’t gone exactly the way Rashad Evans planned.
Multiple injuries have caused the former light heavyweight champion to pull out of two proposed title bouts. The first occurred a month out from his scheduled title bout with Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 128.
Evans injured his knee during training and was forced to withdraw from the fight. Jon Jones, Evans’ teammate, took his place and defeated Rua to become the new UFC champion.
After Jones’ win, he and Evans had a huge falling out, which ended in Evans leaving Jackson’s MMA and longtime mentor Greg Jackson.
Evans made his long-awaited return after over a year of hiatus against MMA legend Tito Ortiz. It looked like it was just another day at the office for Evans, who dominated and stopped Ortiz with strikes in the second round.
The win made him the No. 1 contender for the UFC title, but unfortunately for Evans, he injured his right thumb in the bout.
When the UFC came calling for the championship fight against Jones to take place on December 10, Evans’ response was disappointing to say the least.
“After my last fight against Tito Ortiz, I dislocated my right thumb, which required it to be set back in place and held with pins. 24 hours ago, my physician removed the pins. At that time, I learned that it would require another three weeks of rehabilitation before engaging in any exercise or training that would require the use of my hand,” Evans told MMAWeekly on Thursday.
With Evans unable to take the fight, UFC President Dana White made the decision to give the title shot to another former light heavyweight champion Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida.
“Dana White and I spoke earlier today, and I fully understand his decision to put Machida against Jones for the title at UFC 140. Given the rehabilitation time I require for my dislocated thumb, I would not be 100 percent ready by December 10,” said Evans.
UFC 140 will take place at Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Even though he won’t be able to compete, Evans will be watching closely as two of the most unorthodox fighters in the sport vie for the world title.
“The UFC has to keep making fights that entertain the fans. I would have done the same thing as Dana in his position. I’m asking for the fans to support me as I rehabilitate my hand, and I promise I will be back fighting very quickly,” Evans said.
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