(“…and if my damn hand wasn’t in a cast, I’d definitely be grabbing my nuts right now, believe that.” Photo via MMAFighting)
Update: Dana White has denied this report.
Despite Rashad Evans‘s belief that Jon Jones will fake another injury to duck him, it’s looking like the two best frenemies could settle their grudge by the end of the year. MMAFighting reports that the UFC is in the process of setting up a light-heayweight title match between Jones and Evans at UFC 140 (December 10th, Toronto), and the booking could be made official within the next 24-48 hours.
The health of both men has been in question recently. Evans busted up his hand pretty good in his most recent victory over Tito Ortiz, but he’s expected to receive a doctor’s clearance this week to resume training. As for Jones, he caught a somewhat mysterious six-month medical suspension after last month’s UFC 135 title defense against Rampage Jackson. Dana White later confirmed that Jones was uninjured outside of a sore calf.
Jones has already fought three times this year, and a UFC 140 booking would mean just a two-and-a-half month turnaround; wear-and-tear might be a concern for Bones at this point. Still, the UFC was lacking a marquee fight for their return to Toronto, and this is one that fans have been clamoring for. Here’s what the lineup looks like right now…
MAIN CARD
Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Frank Mir
Antônio Rogério Nogueira vs. Tito Ortiz
Brian Ebersole vs. Rory MacDonald
Mark Hominick vs. Chan Sung Jung
PRELIMINARY CARD
Dennis Hallman vs. John Makdessi
Mark Bocek vs. Nik Lentz
Igor Pokrajac vs. Krzysztof Soszynski
Rich Attonito vs. Claude Patrick
Mitch Clarke vs. John Cholish