Just when things were starting to get really good, things just got really bad.
According to a report from MMAWeekly, Jon Jones will be unable to face Rashad Evans this fall due to a torn ligament in his thumb and now Evans will face rising light heavyweight star, Phil Davis, at UFC 133.
A torn ligament in Jones’ thumb has forced the UFC’s light heavyweight champion into surgery, according to sources speaking to MMAWeekly.com on Monday. Instead of waiting, Rashad Evans will take a fight against Phil Davis at UFC 133.
The new bout was also confirmed on Monday, with former NCAA champion Phil Davis being called in to face Evans as part of the August event scheduled for Philadelphia. The Canadian Press initially reported the switch.
The Jones-Evans smack talk had really been picking up since Jones won the title at UFC 128 and now all the drama over Evans leaving Greg Jackson’s camp seems wasted.
For Evans, this is a lose-lose situation because he was fighting for the title and is now taking on a young upstart that he will be favored against. A win won’t get him any closer to the title and a loss could wash away his title dreams forever.
On the other side, this is a big fight for Davis, who can immediately jump into the top contender picture with a win over Evans. This is a fight of two strong wrestlers, so striking may ultimately determine the winner.
