Multiple sources are reporting that the UFC on FOX 2 event scheduled to take place on January 28th will be headlined by former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans as he’ll be taking on rising prospect Phil Davis.

Davis was scheduled to face Evans earlier this summer on short notice after Jon Jones was injured, but Davis had to pull out of the bout due to a knee injury as well. The same knee injury that has kept him out of action up until now. Evans went on to blast former UFC champion Tito Ortiz who took the fight on about two weeks notice. That was the first and only bout for Evans in 2011 as he spent much of that time waiting for a title shot that never materialized due to injuries to himself and Jones.

So instead of waiting on the sidelines for an extended period of time again, Evans has decided to stay active and will now face Davis.

Davis(9-0) was last seen in action in March of this year as he won a unanimous decision over PRIDE veteran Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. This fight with Evans will be a jump up in competition for the Penn State wrestling standout. Not only that, but he’ll be facing Evans after being out of action for nearly a year due to the knee injury.

It’s a fight that makes sense in that it would be massive exposure for both fighters as the UFC is looking to create more PPV stars. However, it’s a daunting challenge for Davis to fight someone the caliber of Evans after such a long layoff and while coming off an injury. If Davis is to lose, it is still early enough in his career for him to rebound and be built back up into a legitimate contender. An Evans win means he would be granted a title shot against the winner of Jon Jones and Lyoto Machida who will be fighting in a couple of weeks at UFC 140.

This event will take place in Chicago at the United Center and will be the first official UFC show to air on FOX as part of their historic seven year deal that was reached in August.

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