MrPerfect
MuscleChemistry Guru
UFC 140 may have a main event, but UFC president Dana White insists it's not the one everybody is talking about.
UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones (14-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) and top contender Rashad Evans (16-1-1 MMA, 11-1-1 UFC) were expected to headline the December event in Toronto, but White today told MMAjunkie.com the proposed matchup simply isn't taking place at UFC 140.
MMAFighting.com first reported the planned booking, and MMAjunkie.com subsequently confirmed that discussions were underway. However, the bout will not take place at UFC 140, according to White.
UFC 140 takes place Dec. 10 at Air Canada Centre in Toronto. The night's main card airs on pay-per-view. White said he hopes to officially announce the main event as soon as today.
Multiple sources have indicated to MMAjunkie.com that discussions were in place for Toronto to host the event. It wasn't initially clear why the bout won't take place at the event, but the health of both competitors may have played a role.
This past weekend, White told MMAjunkie.com that despite Jones entering a post-UFC 135 conference wrapped in ice packs and hobbling, he was good to go (though he planned to give the fighters some rest).
"He's good," White, who recently met with the 24-year-old champ, said. "He's 100 percent. I talked to him [on Saturday], and he said he feels great. The only thing that's sore on him is his calf. It's a little sore."
Meanwhile, Evans has been sporting a cast in recent months following an operation to place pins in his thumb.
Evans, who scored a TKO victory over Tito Ortiz on Aug. 6, was brought into the cage at UFC 135 to hype his upcoming title fight with the champ.
With a budding rivalry with Quinton Jackson, Jones' UFC 135 fight did big business. The event drew the third-largest attendance of the year and also scored a healthy $2.1 million gate. Jones and Jackson's real-life rivalry provided plenty of storylines and brought significant media attention to the pay-per-view event.
But the buzz could see new heights with Evans, a former training partner who had a high-profile split with Team Jackson-Winkeljohn and head trainer Greg Jackson because of Jones. The fighters have bickered in the media, and their rivalry has been one of the year's biggest stories.
Jones enters the grudge match with five straight victories, including a title win over Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and the successful title defense against Jackson. In fact, his only career loss came early in his UFC career to Matt Hamill after Jones' was questionably disqualified due to illegal "12-to-6" elbow strikes. Jones otherwise dominated the December 2009 fight.
Evans, a former champ, is 3-0 since losing his title to Lyoto Machida in 2009. The recent wins have come over Thiago Silva, Jackson and Ortiz. A planned bout with Jones earlier this year fell apart due to the champ's uncertain health status. Evans went on to defeat Ortiz (a replacement for injured Phil Davis) while Jones ultimately was booked against Jackson.
UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones (14-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) and top contender Rashad Evans (16-1-1 MMA, 11-1-1 UFC) were expected to headline the December event in Toronto, but White today told MMAjunkie.com the proposed matchup simply isn't taking place at UFC 140.
MMAFighting.com first reported the planned booking, and MMAjunkie.com subsequently confirmed that discussions were underway. However, the bout will not take place at UFC 140, according to White.
UFC 140 takes place Dec. 10 at Air Canada Centre in Toronto. The night's main card airs on pay-per-view. White said he hopes to officially announce the main event as soon as today.
Multiple sources have indicated to MMAjunkie.com that discussions were in place for Toronto to host the event. It wasn't initially clear why the bout won't take place at the event, but the health of both competitors may have played a role.
This past weekend, White told MMAjunkie.com that despite Jones entering a post-UFC 135 conference wrapped in ice packs and hobbling, he was good to go (though he planned to give the fighters some rest).
"He's good," White, who recently met with the 24-year-old champ, said. "He's 100 percent. I talked to him [on Saturday], and he said he feels great. The only thing that's sore on him is his calf. It's a little sore."
Meanwhile, Evans has been sporting a cast in recent months following an operation to place pins in his thumb.
Evans, who scored a TKO victory over Tito Ortiz on Aug. 6, was brought into the cage at UFC 135 to hype his upcoming title fight with the champ.
With a budding rivalry with Quinton Jackson, Jones' UFC 135 fight did big business. The event drew the third-largest attendance of the year and also scored a healthy $2.1 million gate. Jones and Jackson's real-life rivalry provided plenty of storylines and brought significant media attention to the pay-per-view event.
But the buzz could see new heights with Evans, a former training partner who had a high-profile split with Team Jackson-Winkeljohn and head trainer Greg Jackson because of Jones. The fighters have bickered in the media, and their rivalry has been one of the year's biggest stories.
Jones enters the grudge match with five straight victories, including a title win over Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and the successful title defense against Jackson. In fact, his only career loss came early in his UFC career to Matt Hamill after Jones' was questionably disqualified due to illegal "12-to-6" elbow strikes. Jones otherwise dominated the December 2009 fight.
Evans, a former champ, is 3-0 since losing his title to Lyoto Machida in 2009. The recent wins have come over Thiago Silva, Jackson and Ortiz. A planned bout with Jones earlier this year fell apart due to the champ's uncertain health status. Evans went on to defeat Ortiz (a replacement for injured Phil Davis) while Jones ultimately was booked against Jackson.
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