Rashad Evans asked for Jon Jones rematch, but UFC on FOX 19 booking nixed that

Rashad Evans definitely wanted another crack at Jon Jones and asked the UFC for the opportunity. The problem was, as it often is, bad timing.

The former UFC light heavyweight champion told MMAjunkie Radio his current booking against Glover Teixiera at UFC on FOX 19 ruled out a rematch with fellow ex-champ Jones, who is now scheduled to face Ovince Saint Preux at UFC 197 after champ Daniel Cormier withdrew due to injury.

“It just didn’t get done,” Evans said. “When it was all said and done, it was just the fact that if they put me (in UFC 197), they would have to find something for that FOX card, and the FOX card was sooner. So that probably would have made more of a problem than if they just pulled someone else altogether. It would have been a bigger problem for them to solve.”

Evans (19-4-1 MMA, 14-4-1 UFC) meets Teixeira (24-4 MMA, 7-2 UFC), who stepped in for injured ex-champ Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (23-10 MMA, 7-8 UFC), in UFC on FOX 19’s co-headliner. The event takes place April 16 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla., and airs on FOX.

Evans hopes to rebound from a recent loss to Ryan Bader while Teixeira is trying to build on a recent two-fight winning streak.

“Credit to Glover; he’s really got experience under his belt, and you can see it in his past couple of fights,” Evans said. “He’s really mixing it up and exploring a lot of areas we haven’t seen him do in previous fights, so it shows he’s got that chip on his shoulder. And the fact he’s willing to step in on short-notice, it shows he’s hungry to get back right where he was when he faced Jones.”

Evans, of course, found himself at a crossroads after previously facing Jones, his former training partner at Jackson-Wink MMA. After losing his title to Lyoto Machida in 2009, Evans won four straight bouts to earn the No. 1 contender position. Then he took on Jones, then the champ, in 2012 and lost a lopsided decision. He’s 2-2 since that fight.

Teixeira, meanwhile, was also soundly beaten by Jones in a 2014 bout and is 2-1 since that appearance.

Jones is now vying for the UFC interim light-heavyweight title after being stripped of the belt in April 2015 in the wake of a hit-and-run arrest.

Evans can appreciate Teixeira’s efforts in trying to revive his career but said he’ll stop his opponent from gaining any more momentum.

“This is a very determined fighter that I’ve got in front of me, but the results remain the same, whether it’s him or ‘Shogun,’” Evans said. “If I want to bring myself into the conversation to be taken serious or move on to higher fights and eventually get a title shot, then these are the guys I’ve got to fight. There’s no way around it.”

Check out the full video above.

And for more on UFC 197 and UFC on FOX 19, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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