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UFC fans will have to wait even longer for the promised Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans UFC light heavyweight title match. Evans will step aside due to injury and will be replaced by Lyoto Machida whill fight Bones at UFC 140.

“Alright Toronto!!! Dec 10th UFC 140 tix go on sale next weekend and ur main event is Bones Jones vs Machida!!!” – @DanaWhite

This is a bit of a shocker after reading reports as recently as yesterday that the Jones vs. Evans fight was scheduled for UFC 140. Evans will continue to be sidelined by a hand injury, the same injury he had when he faced off with Bones after Jones’ win at UFC 135. At this rate, we may not see that fight until next summer.

Lyoto Machida is certainly an odd choice for the fight. Machida has only one win since losing the UFC light heavyweight title to Shogun Rua at UFC 113. Even less impressive, that win came against an aging Randy Couture who went into the fight already announcing his retirement. My hunch is that Evans’ injury must be pretty bad for the UFC to thrust Machida into this position.

Some may argue that Machida will be Jones’ toughest opponent. The unorthodox style of Machida would present problems for anyone. However, I think people are a bit clouded by the past. Machida hasn’t looked great or even that good since he won the title at UFC 98 (remember the “Machida Era” beginning?). That was five fights and over three years ago. If a slower Rampage Jackson can take Machida the distance, I really don’t think that Jones will have much trouble.

Jones is coming off his one-sided domination over Rampage at UFC 135. Jones continues to look simply unbeatable in recent fights against Jackson and Shogun Rua. I would call Jones a big favorite going into this fight. His reach is going to make it very difficult for Machida to pop in and out with strikes which is something he did regularly before Rua took him the distance and exposed him.

I think they jumped the gun a bit by making the Dan Henderson vs. Shogun Rua fight at UFC 139. I really think that Henderson should have came in for the immediate title shot. The UFC could have made a third Rua vs. Machida fight with the winner getting Jones. It just feels a bit undeserved once again to see Machida get the title shot off of one win over Randy Couture.

This will also mark Jones’ fourth fight in 2011. I can’t recall a UFC champion fighting that many times in one year in recent memory. I would imagine that the champ would have a nice layoff following the fight win, lose, or draw before we hear anything about the impending Evans vs. Jones title fight.

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