Jon Jones is out of UFC 133, Rashad Evans will fight Phil Davis instead

where's the funny button. i only see "cool and "poor"

lil biatch gotta weak me like a cowardly punk. you didnt see the irony in jon jones having to pull out. PULL OUT SON!!!!!

lol suga is not going to beat davis

quit while youre ahead

I DIG IT PAPO peo por el culo

We should have seen that one coming!

-Cain Velasquez got an injury before making his first UFC title defense

-Jose Aldo got an injury before making his UFC title defense also

-Dominick Cruz got an injury before making his first UFC title defense

and now newly Crown Jon Jones got an INJURY before making

his first UFC title defense!



could it be a curse to all the new UFC Champions?

i sure hope not , i guess Rashad vs Davis is not that bad

Ya Davis/Evans isnt that bad....ofcourse not as good as Jones/Evans but Davis has some of the best wrestling in MMA better than Evans and his sub's are pretty good and improving striking. we havn't seen Evans fight a pure wrestler in a while its gonna b good to see how he does and it will be good to see how Davis will do if he cant take the other fighter down

Maybe we'll get to see Rashad really go back to TDD and Striking.

A common ploy these days to hang on to titles longer, thus maximising on sponsorships and endorsments. UFC need to start stripping people who don't make 2 mandatory defences per year.

I agree. It is not fair on other fighters to have a belt out of reach for sometimes over a year just because the champ is injured, if they cannot defend it they should give it up, and if they really are champs they will win it back when fit again. As well as the fact the belt loses value when only defended once a year or so.

What a joke. Phil will be murdered by Rashad

lol.... you kinding me ? davis will destroy evans .

rashad must have sucked dana's d^k for this

Rashad will have to wait a little longer to get his A** whipped by Jones.

I kinda like this fight though. Rashad hasn't fought in a long time so he needed a tune up fight before he goes after Jones, and I don't personally feel Davis deserves the hype he's received so even though I'm not an Evans fan I'll enjoy watching him put this kid in his place

Well, Rashad can live to see another day.

Geez calm down....What has Phil Davis ever done to you? The guy is incredibly nice and down to Earth. Just cause he has some hype behind doesn't mean he needs to be put in his place...maybe if he was going out there saying he was the best and how he should be number 1. Well sir, I think you should be put in your place at the moment

I just read my post again and it wasn't supposed to sound how it does. I totally agree he's a down to earth guy, he's said numerous times he needs to improve before he's fully ready for a title shot and all that. I meant put in his place to fans. to many people are already dubbing him the next Jon Jones, I've been trying to say ever since Davis broke on that he'll be good but people like Jones are so amazing because they don't come along very often. Jones is the special case here not Davis and I want Evans to show the fans that. people are so quick to jump on bandwagons, look @ when Brandon Vera came into the UFC people were saying he was going to be 1 of the best ever and this and that and I see that with Davis and he's 100% 1 dimensional and hasn't improved since his UFC debut. people say o well look at the Nog fight he threw all kinds of standing strikes, it doesn't mean he was improved... he was throwing random strikes with no accuracy nothing. the kid has heart drive and wrestling. I didn't mean it as a personal attack on Phil Davis. though

Davis certainly is no Jones, and most the mma community know that fact. he is seen as a potential contender though if he can improve his stand up.



Do not expect Evans to dominate Davis though. he may have holes in his game but I doubt very much Evans is good enough to exploit them. It would not surprise me if this fight was a bit of a snoozefest with a close decision to either fighter, as their wrestling could well cancel each other out. A submission by Davis is a real possibility also. I fancy Davis for the win this time.

Oh ok, but I agree on not jumping on someones hype and saying hes going to be champion because theres always a hyped fighter out there thats supposed to be champion and rarely do any of them even make it to number 1 contender status. They sorta crash and burn

really? you don't think Evans is good enough to expose it? Evans is pretty good. I don't like him but his record says enough for me. I actually don't see this being a snoozefest because I don't see Davis taking Evans down. and since Davis has next to no stand up I think Evans will add a new K.O to his short K.O highleet reel

LHW belt is cursed

Rashad keeps getting shafted kind of makes me feel bad for em..

Rashad got what he deserves - an actual fight to prove he's number one contender. He came off two wins against Silva and Rampage and was almost KTFO in the third round of both, and wrestle****ed the first two rounds of both to simply secure the win. Then when Rua was injured, instead of doing the Pettis-type thing and saying "**** waiting, I'm going to take a fight in the mean time", he took a year off waiting for Rua to get better. I don't even think he is number one contender at all, so this fight is what he needs to prove he is.



Having said that, I don't think Davis' hands are good enough for Rashad yet. Rashad has worked his boxing a lot in the last few years, he's improved leaps and bounds. Davis better work nothing but striking the next couple months or he's in for it. I think their wrestling will more or less negate eachother's and this should be decided mostly on the feet. But Davis held his own on the feet against Lil Nog, and Nog is a FAR better boxer than Rashad. Really hard to say...

Its true... Furthermore, him saying that "Rashad was nearly KO'ed in the third round" of the Rampage fight makes little sense. If you look at it that way, then Rampage was "nearly KO'ed" within the first 10-15 seconds of the fight...

Rashad destroyed the legend that is Chuck Liddell and quite easily dec. out Ramage.... Davis is being fed to the sharks in my mind, even though the UFC seem to really like him.

yeah but towards the end of his career destroying Chuck wasn't that hard cos of his chin. It happens, look at Arlovski.



I think it is a tough fight for Davis but counting him out is stupid. Rashad's wrestling hasn't looked THAT good really in the last few fights and Davis has the perfect physique to neutralise him. He's still the underdog but I wouldn't see this thing as a done deal.

Fed to the sharks, or fast track to stardom? Awin puts him in line for a shot at the belt. may come too soon for Davis, but ya gotta take ya chances when they come your way. No point being in it unless ya want the belt.

That hurts man..that hurts :-| ...That hurts more than when Rampage had to pull out for the A-Team. Oh well..Also, I think they're rushing Phil and throwing him in with the wolves. Real bad matchup for him.

Haha I guess refusing all those fights paid off Rashad now you've got your title sh...



oh wait no you don't all you've done is lost face.

This could very well be one of the most boring main events in recent history. Good for Evans though, hes gonna finally be able to get rid of that ring rust but very bad for Davis. Its just soon in his career to be fighting a guy like Evans in the main event.

Although I agree with alot of what you say I dont quiet agree here, if you look at the two, rashads got phenominal wrestling and has out-wrestled nation champions before, hes also got great hands. Not the best but very very good and fast, and although phil davis is a great wrestler, he looked very unconfident and uncomfortable standing up with little nog. I believe his lack in the stand up will be exposed in this fight with the much more experienced rashad and well final be able to see him stand and bang. I think if you look at it the gap between davis's wrestling isnt as great as the gap between their standup so I dont think it will be a wrestlefest

I hope your right. There have been some great wrestler match ups obviously edgar maynard 2, Munoz, Simpson so hopefully this is gonna be one of them especially since its the headliner

no one is giving davis a chance

he hasnt even lost a round of competition

5 straight in the octagon, thats impressive

Supposedly Rashad is a black belt in BJJ, but I can't remember him tapping anyone. Phil Davis certainly has. I think the only area Rashad has a clear advantage is standing. It's going to be a close fight, I hope Davis can pull it out but I wouldn't bet on it.

guy can't catch a break with all these injuries haha

definitely needed this to be legit #1contender, the win on lidell is somewhat blunted by the fact that he was on his way out into retirement, and the win on rampage wasn't a finish and was a long time ago



i thought they were trying to build davis up and make him marketable, bit of a lose-lose, one of their up and coming stars tastes defeat or their contender is shown up

What a bummer.. First he waited for Shogun... And now this...

Hahaha

What is it that everytime a guy becomes champion he gets injured? Happens a lot.

looks to me i couldnt see this fight happening anyway cover up from the start, i see phil winning this, and jones making his first defence against winner rampage v hamil or couture if he beats machida and then retire on a title bout win or lose

randy likes a big test and to work out opponents so if he beats lyoto i see the ufc offering him the bones jones puzzle on a bow out fight, and he will take it.

if lyoto wins he wont get the shot and then bones will fight rampage after he beats hamil, if you ask me the LHW division is not as stacked as it used to be, outside the top 8 there all long termers with the same strategies every time

Randy Couture is not that stupid. He will not fight Jon Jones even IF he beats Machida.

rashad has had some good victories but he ko chuck at the end of his career, outpointed rampage and silva but came very close to going to sleep in both not a definitive performance in my eyes in either.



over rated a little and lyoto proved that relatively easy!!

long long lay off, phil davies undefeated which you cannot under estimate anyone who is, win over lil nog, very athletic and strong, good wrestling base.



davies by decision

i didnt even no jones was ment to be fighting at this event

suck that hes not now

**** phil davis

Rashad will whoop that ass... Davis is not ready for Rashad, he's a great guy and very skilled but lets be real here. Rashad's striking is too much for Davis. Unless Rashad makes a real stupid mistake and gets caught he should take this pretty easy. Davis hands looked WACKKKKKKKKKK when he faced Lil Nog i mean really..his striking was horrible.. this will not go to the judges.... Rashad by KO/TKO probably in the second round.

True but his wrestling and sub game look great and he might not need his hands to put Rashad away. Davis isn't an easy man to finish, he's big and lean which means it'll be tough to get on the inside and avoid a clinch or takedown. Jake Shield's and GSP's striking used to be horrible and look at them now. The boy's young and trains hard and i've got no doubt his camp will have him on a muay thai and boxing masterclass leading up to this fight. Don't rule him out man I think this could be a tougher match for Rashad than people think!

You cant become a "great" striker in 3 months. Rashads hands are SHARP and HEAVY.. great combo's, great defense and i honestly believe he's more explosive than Davis when it comes to the takedowns. Davis wrestling is great, sweet technique and really nice throws but he's not dominate Rashad on the ground cause he won't be able to keep him down (if he even manages to get him there). the only way i see Davis winning this is by "luck" (read: A **** up by Rashad).

The sad thing is, Evans waited to fight because he didn't want to risk losing his title shot. Now he has no choice.

Does that mean if Davis wins, he'll be next in line for the title shot?

Let's hope not. I would think if Rampage were to win, and if Evans were to lose, then the shot would probably go to Rampage. BUT that's just wishful thinking.

Man, a lot of people seem to be doubting Evans (for the Jones match up). Jeez, can Jones defend the title once before we declare him as 'invincible'? Like I've stated numerous times, it's been three years (most likely going to be four years now) since the champion of the LHW division has defended his title successfully.



I tend to think that wrestlers with fast hands could be a bad match up for Jones. Granted, he's not Machida but Evans is a very solid wrestler.

Rashad vs Davis as a headliner...I probably would only tune in on that if it was on Spike.



Keep feeding Davis fights, the guys got a lot to learn before he steps in with a top 5. His striking vs lil Nog was exceptionally bad for a guy who does this for a living. He looks very uncomfortable on his feet. His wrestling may be his only option, and hes gonna be using that option against a guy who has shown that wrestling is his "easy" button

i would be really suprised if evans loses this one davis is a better pure wrestler but evans is better in everything else

Evans must of been relieved to get Davis instead of Jones on his comeback fight. I know he wasnt really looking forward to that Jones fight

...sounds like a good fight

i think it sucks man..........i was looking forward to seeing Jones and Evans go at it after the breakdown of their friendship and Evans leaving Jacksons 'cos he wasn't the number 1 guy any more etc etc. Now, we'll get to see what i think will amount to a wrestling/grappling match with a bit of striking thrown in. I think Rashad is definately the better striker and even though he also has good wrestling i think Davis will prove to be better...........

I like this match-up--very interesting. It's a big step up for Phil Davis, but he has to go for it, ready or not.



Since both are powerful wrestlers, I wonder if they will cancel each other out--good wrestlers usually have a good take-down defense. If that happens, Rashad will have the edge on striking and probably speed. I can't remember seeing either one of them on their backs for long.



I wonder about all these injuries occurring just befrore key fights--but I really don't care, this fight will be good--I am only sorry that I won't see Jones fight for a while.