UFC 205, for the most part, has stayed pretty much intact from conception to completion – not the usual rash of training injuries and USADA suspensions messing up the card. That is, until now. A key fighter from the event has been pulled from the card as of today. Rashad Evans will no longer be fighting Tim Kennedy on the undercard at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night.
Evans explained to MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani that he was notified by the New York State Athletic Commission that he won’t be granted a license for the event stemming from an “irregular finding” on an MRI taken on October 19th. Evans took followup tests, as requested by the commission, after the original MRI, which he says he passed. But the commission still has decided not to let him fight on the UFC maiden voyage in the Empire State.
“I’m disappointed,” Evans admitted to Helwani. “I’m healthy. I don’t want anyone worrying about me. I’m fine, physically speaking. Never felt better. It’s just the commission and their rules. I guess they have a zero tolerance policy when it comes to this.”
It is not known at this time if the UFC is trying to find a replacement for Kennedy or if he’ll just be pulled from the card.
UPDATE: The UFC has announced that this fight will not be replaced on the card, but both Evans and Kennedy will still receive their show money. You can see the updated fight card here.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
