UFC 128 Fight Card: Rashad Evans Gets Winner of Jon Jones Vs. Mauricio Rua
Despite previously stating that he would not be willing to fight fellow Greg Jackson trainee Jon Jones, Rashad Evans has been named the next opponent for the winner of UFC 128's main event between Jones and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua.
The announcement that Evans would remain the top contender in the light heavyweight division was made by UFC President Dana White on ESPN's MMA Live on Thursday.
After White was critical of his reluctance to fight Jones, Evans seems to have retracted his earlier statements and is now open to the idea of fighting Jones.
However, Evans also acknowledged that accepting a fight with Jones would mean a necessary change in scenery:
"If we gotta fight, then we gotta get away from each other. I just have to sit down and decide, 'What's it gonna be?' because there's never gonna be no going back.
"There's no making it better or going back to the team after it's done. If (Jones and I) agree to fight, if we say we're gonna fight, it's over. I would divorce myself from Jackson's."
If Evans does leave Jackson's camp, it seems probable that Evans would prepare for a fight with Jones at Grudge Training Center, where Evans has already trained for multiple fights in the past.
Grudge Training Center is home to other UFC fighters, such as Nate Marquardt and Brendan Schaub.
Before Jones accepted the title fight with Rua on short notice, Evans had been scheduled to fight for the belt at UFC 128.
However, Evans suffered a knee injury during training only weeks before the scheduled fight against Rua.
Sean Smith is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. For the latest insight and updates on everything MMA, you can follow Sean on Twitter @BR_Sean_Smith
