Jon Jones vs Rashad Evans Confirmed For UFC 145 In AprilA long-awaited grudge match between UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon “Bones” Jones and former training partner “Suga” Rashad Evans is now official for UFC 145 on April 21st in Atlanta, Georgia. UFC officials confirmed the fight on Monday evening. Eleven bouts are now in place for the card.

Jones and Evans have been on a collision course since early last year, but injuries to both fighters postponed plans for the pair to face off inside the cage. Currently riding a four-fight winning streak, Evans will finally receive his shot at former stablemate Jones and the young phenom’s title in April.

Jones (15-1-0) has enjoyed a rapid ascent to stardom over the past two years with dominant wins over some of the sport’s biggest names. The 24-year-old has won six straight fights since his lone defeat, a contentious disqualification loss, in late 2009. Jones has maintained an extremely active schedule throughout his career and his four victories in 2011, including his title-winning effort against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in March, formed one of the most impressive one-year campaigns of any mixed martial artist in history. However, Jones’s former Jackson’s MMA teammate, Evans, now stands in his way and will look to reclaim the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship at Jones’s expense.

Evans (17-1-1) rose to prominence as the winner of The Ultimate Fighter 2, but it was his one-punch knockout of UFC Hall of Famer Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell in 2008 that elevated Evans from prospect to top contender status. He captured the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship from Forrest Griffin at the end of 2008, but lost the belt five months later to Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida. Evans then posted back-to-back wins to earn another shot at the title, but when an injury forced him out of his title fight, Jones stepped in and captured the championship from Rua. Evans most recently earned a five-round decision victory over the previously unbeaten Phil “Mr. Wonderful” Davis in January and now has eyes on reclaiming his title from Jones.

UFC 145 takes place on April 21st at the Phillips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.

 

UFC 145 Fight Card (to date; subject to change):

– Jon “Bones” Jones vs “Suga” Rashad Evans [UFC Light Heavyweight Championship]
– Rory “Ares” MacDonald vs “Beautiful” Che Mills
– Michael “Mayday” McDonald vs Miguel Torres
– Travis “Hapa” Browne vs Chad “The Gravedigger” Griggs
– Mark Bocek vs “Handsome” Matt Wiman
– Mark “The Machine” Hominick vs Eddie “The Filipino Phenom” Yagin
– Maximo “Maxi” Blanco vs Marcus “The Bama Beast” Brimage
– Brendan “The Hybrid” Schaub vs “Big” Ben Rothwell
– John “The Bull” Makdessi vs Anthony “The Assassin” Njokuani
– Mac Danzig vs Efrain “Hecho en México” Escudero
– Chris “The Menace” Clements vs Keith “The Polish Connection” Wisniewski

 

 

(Photo Credit: Sherdog.com)