Rashad Evans’ Latest Comeback Attempt Set For UFC 209

Rashad Evans‘ latest comeback attempt is set for March 4’s UFC 209 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

News came last night from ESPN that Evans will return to face former Olympic judoka Dan Kelly at the rapidly developing card. Evans’ third attempt at a middleweight debut will take place pending clearance from the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC).

Former light heavyweight champion Evans was set to take on Tim Kennedy in his original middleweight debut at last November’s UFC 205, but some reported irregularities with his pre-fight MRI led the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) to deny him a license to fight. The bout was rescheduled for December 10’s UFC 206 from Toronto, Ontario, but once again the presiding athletic commission decided to deny him a chance to fight after following the precedent set by New York.

He’s insisted that everything was fine with his medical records and that there was a mistake made that lead to him being denied. Evans affirmed he had visited multiple specialists for the issue and had passed all tests with “flying colors.” For their part, an NSAC official told ESPN that Evans would go through all “normal medical procedures” in order to be licensed for the fight.

Long one of the UFC’s most recognizable stars, Evans finally decided to make the cut down to 185 pounds after two consecutive losses, a brutal knockout to Glover Teixeira and a one-sided decision to Ryan Bader, following nearly two years off to recover from a serious knee injury prior to his scheduled UFC 170 showdown with current champion Daniel Cormier in early 2014.

‘Suga’ will return to face a largely unknown competitor who has quietly racked up a three-fight win streak in Kelly, who was most recently seen outlasting veteran Chris Camozzi by decision at November’s UFC Fight Night 101. The 39-year-old Australian has won five out of his six total UFC bouts, with the one loss a technical knockout at the hands of Sam Alvey. Boasting a 12-1 overall record, Kelly was called out by name by rising middleweight Eric Spicely following his submission win at last weekend’s UFC on FOX 23, but received a much more high-profile opponent instead.

The fight joins a card featuring the awaited welterweight title rematch between Tyron Woodley and Stephen Thompson in the main event, while Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson are set to finally go to war for the interim lightweight title in the co-main event.