Rashad Evans linked to February fight with Antonio Rogerio Nogueira

UFC light heavyweight Rashad Evans held out hope his next bout would feature either an opportunity to revenge a loss to Lyoto Machida or a dip down to 185 pounds for super-fight with Anderson Silva. Though it appears the former champion will indeed face a Brazilian the when he steps into the Octagon in a few months, it looks like his opponent will only be a teammate of the aforementioned fighters rather than the genuine article.

According to a report from SporTV (that has since been confirmed by other outlets), Evans is set to scrap with Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at the UFC’s annual Super Bowl Weekend event. Given the game’s date, it’s more than likely the show will take place on February 2.

The 17-2-1 Evans has been twiddling his thumbs since an April loss to title-holder Jon Jones. Prior to the stumble he’d won four fights in a row including success against Phil Davis and Quinton Jackson.

By comparison, Nogueira is coming off a TKO victory over Tito Ortiz but will have been out of action for more than a year by the time he locks horns with Evans. “Minotoro” is 20-5 in his career with the bulk of his notable wins coming outside of the UFC such as those against Dan Henderson and Alistair Overeem.

No other bouts have been attached to the February lineup.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Source: http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2012/10/24/rashad-evans-linked-to-february-fight-with-antonio-rogerio-nogueira/

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