This weekend's UFC on FOX 2 event could set up a title fight at April's UFC 145 event in Atlanta.
Top contenders Phil Davis and Rashad Evans headline Saturday's FOX-televised event, and a shot at UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones is on the line (for Evans, anyway).
And according to Jones, he could be ready to go for the newly announced UFC 145 event.
Jones mentioned the timetable during an interview at this past weekend's UFC on FX 1 event. Specifically, he said he's "hearing rumors" he could headline the April 21 event. As MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) recently reported, the pay-per-view event is expected to take place at Atlanta's Phillips Arena.
While nine fights are already slated for the April card, which recently got the bouts originally planned for a since-canceled March show in Montreal, UFC 145 needs a headliner.
Jones (15-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC), who won nearly every "Fighter of the Year" award after going 4-0 and winning the title in 2011, hasn't fought since a UFC 140 submission win over Lyoto Machida. While he planned to take an extended break from competition following the win (which marked his second straight title defense), UFC president Dana White said Jones grew impatient and said he'd be be ready to go in the spring.
Evans (16-1-1 MMA, 11-1-1 UFC), of course, is all but guaranteed the title shot if he defeats Davis (9-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) and emerges injury-free from Saturday's five-round main event. Davis hasn't been promised a shot, but if he wins convincingly, the youngster certainly is a possibility.
Also possible? If Evans loses or is injured, former Strikeforce champ Dan Henderson (29-8 MMA, 5-2 UFC), who recently topped Mauricio "Shogun" Rua in a UFC 139 barn burner, could get the shot, according to White. Although 41 years old, Henderson has won four straight fights and is 7-1 in his past eight. The streak included a championship run in Strikeforce before his November return to the UFC.
For more on UFC on FOX 2 and UFC 145, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.
