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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Following a victory over Phil Davis at UFC on Fox 2, Rashad Evans will meet Jon Jones this April for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship.
The organization announced during the Fox broadcast that Jones' next title defense would come at UFC 145 in Atlanta, Georgia, on April 21, and Evans' victory on the card put him into that matchup.
Jones and Evans were former teammates before an injury took Evans out of a shot at Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and plugged Jones in. After Jones captured the belt and expressed he'd be open to fighting Evans, the former friendship dissolved and the two began trading barbs.
The fight was planned twice in 2011, only to fall through due to injuries to each fighter on each occasion. However, with Evans coming out injury free, he'll turn around and attempt to regain the belt on April 21.
"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 a release this evening. "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!”
"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 highpoint in Philips Arena's 13 year history."
Penick's Analysis: This is a big fight for the UFC with the rivalry between the two fighters bringing out a lot of animosity. Jones has looked incredible in his three Championship fights, and Evans will need to have a career best performance to reclaim the belt he lost in 2009. With how the fight with Davis went, that may be a tall task.
[Jon Jones art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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