Rashad Evans
205-pound champ headlines April 21 in Atlanta
The UFC 145 card in Atlanta has been looking for a main event. Now it has half of one.
Jon Jones, the UFC’s light heavyweight champion, will defend his title on the April 21 card at Philips Arena. The UFC announced the long-rumored inclusion of Jones in the main event Saturday night.
Jones’ opponent, though, is still to be determined – and hinges on the main event of the UFC on Fox card that was happening as the UFC made the announcement. In the main event in Chicago, Rashad Evans fights Phil Davis – and an Evans win (and one he comes out of with no major injuries) will mean he gets to face his nemesis. An Evans loss, or win with an injury, and Dan Henderson is likely to get the call ahead of Davis.
“Fans in Atlanta have been tweeting me and telling me over and over again to bring the UFC back to their city,” UFC president Dana White said in an official release from the promotion. “Well guess what Atlanta? The UFC is coming back to Atlanta with the sport’s fastest-rising star, Jon Jones, defending his light heavyweight title.”
The UFC last visited Georgia’s largest city in September 2008 for UFC 88 – where Evans knocked out UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell and advanced to a title fight with Forrest Griffin, a fight he won to claim the 205-pound title.
“We are thrilled to welcome the Ultimate Fighting Championship organization back to Philips Arena for UFC 145,” said Trey Feazell, senior vice president and general manager of Philips Arena. “The 2008 UFC 88 event featuring Chuck Liddell and Rashad Evans was an incredible night and remains a high point in Philips Arena’s 13-year history.”