UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans (13-0-1 MMA, 8-0-1) will meet undefeated Lyoto Machida (14-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC), not Quinton Jackson (30-7 MMA, 5-1 UFC), in a title fight at UFC 98.
Evans, who was originally scheduled to defend his title at July's UFC 100 event, was instead moved into a UFC 98 slot vacated when UFC interim heavyweight champion Frank Mir underwent a recent knee surgery to remove bone chips. Mir was slated to fight UFC heavyweight champ Brock Lesnar in a title-unification bout, but that fight will now take place at UFC 100.
Jackson had been promised a title after defeating Keith Jardine this past weekend at UFC 96, but an array of ailments won't allow him ample time to train for UFC 98, which takes place Mat 23 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
A source close to Machida today told MMAjunkie.com (
www.mmajunkie.com) that Machida has instead accepted the bout with Evans.
While UFC President Dana White was optimistic the Evans vs. Jackson fight would take place at UFC 98, he cautioned in a UFC 96 post-event press conference that Jackson would first need to receive medical clearance. It would have been the former champ's third fight in less than five months.
According to Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports, Jackson was examined on Tuesday, and a doctor discovered the fighter had torn ligaments in his jaw and a hyperextension of his left elbow. According to the report, Jackson will have surgery next week and will meet the Evans vs. Machida winner later this year.
Evans, a former Michigan State wrestler who first joined the UFC after winning "The Ultimate Fighter 2," had defeated the likes of Chuck Liddell, Michael Bisping and Stephan Bonnar to earn a title shot. He then defeated then-champ Forrest Griffin to win the 205-pound title at UFC 92.
He'll make his first title defense when he meets Machida, a fighter long dogged for his propensity to take fights to decision. However, the Brazilian fighter scored his most meaningful knockout in UFC 94's co-main event. Not only did the TKO prove his ability to finish fights (against a quality opponent in Thiago Silva), but he also picked up a $65,000 Fight of the Night bonus in the process.
However, Machida hasn't posted back-to-back stoppages since the second and third fights of his career, when he defeated former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin and "The Ultimate Fighter 1" runner-up Stephan Bonnar early in their careers.
For the latest on UFC 98, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.
