Rashad Evans is free of injury and ready to return to action with a fight against Ryan Bader at UFC 192.
As reported by Thomas Gerbasi of the UFC’s official website, Suga will step into the Octagon for the first time since his November 2013 victory over Chael Sonnen to take on an in-form Bader, who is currently ranked third in the organisation’s light heavyweight standings.
Houston’s Toyota Center will host the bout on Saturday, October 3, a day former heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez is also eyeing for his return, per UFC Tonight (h/t MMA Fighting). Velasquez surrendered his title to Fabricio Werdum at UFC 188 in June, finding no answer to the Brazilian’s third-round guillotine choke.
“Sources close to Velasquez told Ariel Helwani that he wanted to compete on that particular card because that’s the same one his training partner—and current light heavyweight champion—Daniel Cormier is hoping to fight on,” noted MMA Fighting.
Helwani believes the potential line-up is looking good:
Although Cain is yet to outline an opponent, UFC 192 is shaping up to be one of the year’s best-stacked cards. Velasquez’s only other loss came against Junior dos Santos in 2011, a defeat he has since avenged with two victories in the three-fight series. He will be itching to land another opportunity at Werdum.
Cormier will headline the card if he’s to be included, providing an excellent opportunity for Rashad or Bader to underline their credentials for his belt prior to the main event. He’d likely face Alexander Gustafsson after beating Anthony “Rumble” Johnson for the light heavyweight belt in May.
Evans’ record stands at 19-3-1 heading into a challenging bout with Bader. Wins over Dan Henderson and Sonnen allowed him to gain momentum after Jon Jones and Antonio Nogueira inflicted back-to-back defeats, the first of which was for the title.
Rashad has struggled with knee injuries since stopping Sonnen, having battles against Cormier and Glover Teixeira cancelled over the last 15 months. Bader has gained traction in that time, beating Anthony Perosh, Rafael Cavalcante, Ovince Saint Preux and Phil Davis since December 2013.
Darth’s record stands similar to Evans’ at 19-4, but he is yet to experience the light heavyweight gold. The 2008 Ultimate Fighter winner has typically come unstuck against the best—his defeats have arrived against Jones, Tito Ortiz, Lyoto Machida and Teixeira—so he’ll be hoping to slay Evans before his opponent can regain his composure in the Octagon.
UFC 192 promises to be a memorable night, even before the main event and complete card is announced.
Evans’ return is big news and may allow the 35-year-old one final run to recapture the belt. The light heavyweight division is stacked with quality, so defeat for Rashad or Bader will set them back considerably.
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