UFC
Dana White says Rashad Evans will be next in line to face winner of Shogun Rua vs. Jon Jones at UFC 128
Mar 18, 2011 - 12:20:50 PM Dana White says Rashad Evans will be next in line to face winner of Shogun Rua vs. Jon Jones at UFC 128

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

If Jon Jones is able to capture the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship bout on Saturday night at UFC 128, a bout that was previously written off will be that much closer to a reality.

Jones and Greg Jackson teammate Rashad Evans for a time were vehement that they would never fight each other, but statements from both over the last several weeks see them both coming around to that fight and, in at least Evans' case, getting a little heated about it.

With both being open to the fight now, Evans is remaining the number one contender in the division, and according to Dana White on ESPN2's MMA Live will be first in line for a title shot following Saturday's bout between Jones and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua.

Of course, his title shot depends upon the winner of Saturday's fight being able to return sometime this summer, as the UFC may look to put him in another fight if there's going to be another long layoff for the Champion. But for now, heading into Saturday, it will be Evans waiting intently to find out whether he'll get his originally scheduled fight, or whether he'll be getting a shake up in his career in fighting a teammate.

Penick's Analysis: Whether Evans and Jones are consciously changing their tunes with eyes on dollar signs or not, the fact remains that if Jones wins on Saturday that will be a huge fight for the UFC. Jones has to go out on Saturday and live up to the hype, first, however, and that's no easy task. If he wins, Evans has to decide if he still wants that belt. The money is likely to be right, he'll just need to pull the trigger.

[Rashad Evans art by Cory Gould (c) MMATorch.com]