Quinton "Rampage" Jackson Vs. Rashad Evans II Rumored For UFC 130 (*Update*)

 Outside of avoiding a short training camp, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson's decision to turn down the opportunity to challenge Mauricio "Shogun" Rua for the UFC Light Heavyweight Title may pay off after all.

On Wednesday, multiple sources indicated to MMAWeekly.com that Thiago Silva, who was originally set to challenge Jackson at UFC 130, has been forced to withdraw from the card and former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Rashad Evans has been named as his replacement.

There hasn't been any official word from either side involved, but the rumor mill is buzzing about the possible rematch between these former coaches of "The Ultimate Fighter" season 10.

The pre-fight hype leading up to the first bout was unlike anything ever seen in the sport. At UFC 114, Evans was able to use his wrestling to shut down Jackson's stand-up offense en route to a unanimous decision victory.

If this rematch goes down, the winner will likely get a shot at the winner of the upcoming Light Heavyweight Championship bout between Rua and top contender Jon "Bones" Jones.

Evans was originally scheduled to challenge Rua for the title at UFC 128, but he was forced to withdraw from the bout due to a knee sprain. After Jackson declined the opportunity to step up as a replacement, Jones was awarded the shot after his victory over Ryan Bader at UFC 126.

The bout between Jackson and Evans should serve as the co-main event to the rubber match for the Lightweight Title between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard. UFC 130 will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on May 28.

(Update) Thiago Silva claims to be healthy and ready to fight, but his possible exit from the UFC 130 card could be tied to a pending UFC 125 drug test. Fourteen of the 15 fighters who underwent drug testing at UFC 125 tested clean for banned substances.

Keith Kizer, the executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, confirmed earlier that Silva's sample was among the 15, and the commission was "still processing another athlete's urine sample from the event."

The 14 fighters cleared were: Frankie Edgar, Gray Maynard, Brandon Vera, Clay Guida, Jacob Volkmann, Brian Stann, Chris Leben, Dong Hyun Kim, Phil Baroni, Brad Tavares, Daniel Roberts, Diego Nunes, Dustin Poirier and Jeremy Stephens.

After the list of cleared fighters was released, Kizer confirmed to MMAWeekly.com that the sample still in process was Thiago Silva's. This sheds some light on why the UFC would start looking for a replacement to step in at UFC 130 against Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. If he tests positive, Silva will undergo immediate suspension.

(SportsHaze.com Original)