A fight between Rashad Evans and Tim Kennedy has been scrapped for a second time as concerns about ‘Suga’s’ health continue.
The match-up had originally been scheduled for the stacked UFC 205 show earlier this month, but was then shelved after a pre-fight MRI scan discovered “irregular findings.”
However, Evans went on to pass follow-up tests and the fight cancelation was put down to the New York commission being overly cautious due this being the first major MMA event in NYC.
As such the Evans Vs Kennedy fight was rescheduled for UFC 206 in Toronto, Canada on December 10th, but yesterday it emerged that the Ontario Athletic Commission have also decided not to give Evans a license due to the same medical issue.
“The Office of the Athletics Commissioner is responsible for upholding medical requirements, which are put in place to protect the safety of contestants,” a statement from OAC reads. “In regards to the UFC 206 event on December 10, Mr. Evans has not cleared Ontario’s medical licensing requirements. We can confirm that his proposed bout has not been approved but are unable to comment further on his private and confidential medical information.”
The UFC also issued their own statement on the matter.
“UFC has been notified by the Ontario Athletic Commission that it has declined to approve a license for middleweight Rashad Evans, based on the recent medical issue that prohibited him from competing at UFC 205 in New York City. As a result, Evans’ rescheduled bout against Tim Kennedy, set for UFC 206 in Toronto on Saturday, December 10, has subsequently been canceled.
The UFC organization takes the health and safety of all athletes competing under the UFC banner very seriously and has encouraged Evans to take all the appropriate time to consult with his physicians and properly evaluate his medical status prior to scheduling any future bouts.”
Meanwhile, Evans opponent Kennedy went one stage further and claimed that ‘Suga’ wasn’t getting licensed to fight because he had brain damage.
“I think it’s brain damage,” Kennedy stated on The MMA Hour show. “Welcome to the sport where we punch each other in the head. When you have to back-to-back athletic commissions not issuing you a license, I don’t know what that means for Rashad. It’s a slippery slope moving forward for him.”
However, Evans, who was KO’d by Glover Teixeira back in April, has since wrote on Twitter that there’s nothing to worry about.
“Despite the latest news on not getting a license to fight in Toronto I am 100% healthy,” Evans stated. “I will not retire. Thank yuh for the support.
“The @ufc have been very helpful with making sure I am ok and getting this cleared up. I apologize to @TimKennedyMMA for the inconvenience.”
Evans manager Ali Abdel-Aziz also claimed that the former UFC light-heavyweight champion is healthy and also added that the Ontario Commission “doesn’t even like MMA.”
“He’s fine, guys. Rashad is fine. There’s nothing wrong with him.”
