Rashad Evans: Rampage Jackson fight won’t happen over ‘contractual obligations’
Rashad Evans and Rampage Jackson won’t fight in a boxing ring next weekend after all.
The former UFC champions were slated to square off in the main event of ICS Mania 1 on April 12 at The Pit in Albuquerque, N.M.
ICS Boxing released a statement, stating “the fight on April 12th is still on. The undercard and co-main is still happening. And Rashad Evans will be fighting a new opponent.”
However, it appears Evans won’t fight at this event either - with or without Jackson. Evans released his own statement as well on the matter.
“This decision was something we did not want to make. We knew how much the fans were looking forward to the event, and we were looking forward to it as well. We’ve encountered some unexpected challenges with the promotion and some key contractual obligations are not met as planned,” Evans said in his statement.
Evans still hopes to box Jackson in the future.
In their first meeting, Evans was victorious at UFC 114 in May 2010 via unanimous decision in a non-title main event after coaching against one another on season 10 of The Ultimate Fighter. Evans returns to the combat sports world for the first time since ending his retirement in 2022 with a decision win over Gabriel Checco for Eagle FC.
Jackson has been out of action since a December 2019 first-round knockout loss to Fedor Emelianenko at Bellator 237. “Rampage” went a total of 20-10 through his runs in the UFC and PRIDE, along with picking up wins in five of eight Bellator outings.