Phil Davis has been forced to withdraw from his UFC 133 main event fight against Rashad Evans due to a knee injury, MMA Fighting has learned from sources. No word just yet on who, if anyone, Evans will now fight on the Aug. 6 card.
Evans chose to sit on the sidelines waiting for his title shot against Mauricio Rua while Rua recovered from knee surgery. Evans would then injure his own knee in training for the Rua fight, opening the door for Jon Jones to replace him and win the UFC light heavyweight championship.
Evans and Jones have since engaged in a very public feud having been former training partners. A fight between the two was postponed due to a Jones hand injury which led to Jones choosing to stay busy and fight Davis. Now, Davis is out and Rashad is without an opponent.
A fight between Jones and Quinton Jackson is planned for September, meaning the UFC can't slide Rashad into the title shot that he earned with his win over Jackson.
Looking around, the only available big names would seem to be guys like Lyoto Machida or Tito Ortiz (assuming Tito can make a quick turnaround after a short win).
We will keep you informed as more details on the situation emerge.