Report: Medical issue knocks Rashad Evans from Saturday's UFC 205 bout with Tim Kennedy

With UFC 205 drawing near, the card has lost its first bout due to a medical issue.

Rashad Evans (19-5-1 MMA, 14-5-1 UFC) is out of his bout with Tim Kennedy (18-5 MMA, 3-1 UFC). The change to the card was originally reported by ESPN.com’s Brett Okamoto on Twitter.

UFC 205, which features a trio of title fights, takes place Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York, and the main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.

Evans explained the situation to MMAFighting.com, stating an irregularity found in a pre-fight MRI led the state of New York to refuse to grant him a license to fight at the event.

Evans was set to make his middleweight debut at the event. The former light heavyweight champion is currently on a two-fight losing skid and has lost four of his six previous bouts. His most recent win was a November 2013 win over Chael Sonnen at UFC 167.

It is unknown if Kennedy will remain on the card. He tweeted an acknowledgment of the news upon landing in New York but said he has not received official word from the UFC.

For more on UFC 205, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.