Manager says Rashad Evans' recovery timetable will be known Monday
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans will get an idea of how long he’ll be shelved on Monday when he undergoes surgery, his manager told MMAjunkie.
Authentic Sports Management head Glenn Robinson said it’s certain Evans (21-3-1 MMA, 14-3-1 UFC) needs the procedure, but after a “freak training accident†caused the injury, it’s unclear how long the layoff will be.
“(I’m) not sure how in depth (the process will be) until they start the work,†Robinson wrote via text. “Very unfortunate. It’s a sad week here.â€
Evans, who is one of the ASM-repped Blackzilians camp’s biggest names, was set to fight Daniel Cormier next week at UFC 170 before hurting his knee. Cormier (13-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) is now set to take on Patrick Cummins (4-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) on the Feb. 22 pay-per-view card at Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay Events Center.
The UFC initially thought Evans would need four weeks of rehabilitation in order to be healthy enough to train and fight. But that timetable was extended after news of his needed surgery, said UFC President Dana White.
White initially heard that Evans had hurt his knee, but wanted to fight Cormier. He was at his son’s basketball game on Thursday night when he heard Evans definitely couldn’t fight, but would only be out for a limited time.
The news only got worse. Evans, White said, was working with Cezar Ferreira at the Blackzilians’ gym in Delray Beach, Fla., when his knee got caught in the mat and badly twisted.
“Rashad’s screwed,†White said on Thursday. “Rashad’s not going to be (out) four weeks, he needs f—ing surgery. Rashad’s out for a while.â€
Evans was set to make a quick turnaround after a dominant win over fellow “UFC Tonight†analyst and former two-division title challenger Chael Sonnen at UFC 167, which followed a decision over Dan Henderson that snapped a two-fight skid.
Evans briefly flirted with the idea of moving to middleweight, but decided to focus on 205 pounds and another run at the title, which he lost to Lyoto Machida at UFC 98 and failed to regain against former training partner Jon Jones at UFC 145.
