More Changes To UFC 85

by Robert Sargent

The changes keep coming to the shell-shocked UFC 85 card, after James Irvin has been forced to withdraw from his scheduled bout with Rashad Evans. A potential Evans vs Luis Cane match has also been shelved, with Evans now out entirely.

The nickname for the event, "Bedlam," now more accurately describes the disaster of the card itself, which has suffered over half a dozen changes since its initial announcement.

Originally scheduled to feature a Chuck Liddell vs Mauricio "Shogun" Rua match, that was cancelled when Rua injured his knee in training. Subsequently, a Liddell vs Evans bout was also cancelled after Liddell was injured. Now, Irvin's broken foot has forced him to withdraw from the make-up fight pitting him against Evans.

The UFC initially announced that Evans would then face Luis Cane, who was previously scheduled to battle Jason Lambert on the UFC 85 undercard. However, that has changed and Evans will not compete at UFC 85 at all. Cane will face Lambert and the middleweight fight between Nate Marquardt and Thales Leites will now air on the main card.

Hopefully, the event itself will turn out better than the compilation of the card.