Rashad Evans thought Michael Bisping rematch was set but understands why it fell through

Rashad Evans reportedly was in line to to face Michael Bisping at next month’s UFC Fight Night 127 event in London. It seemed like a foregone conclusion. Everyone thought it was happening.

“I thought so, too, man,” Evans told MMAjunkie Radio on Monday. “I got the call, and I thought it was going to happen, but things didn’t work out on the negotiating side between the UFC and Bisping.”

Indeed, it was Bisping (30-9 MMA, 20-9 UFC) who called off what would’ve been a rematch. He had teased potentially competing at the UFC Fight Pass-streamed March 17 event from The O2 in London. Bisping, 38, has expressed an interest in fighting once more before retirement, preferably in England.

That’s why it made made sense to Evans (19-7-1 MMA, 14-7-1 UFC), who wasn’t sure why the booking fell through.

“I don’t know exactly what it was about, but I guess the talks broke down after the (bout) agreement happened,” Evans said.

He continued, “I think it was contract stuff. I think Bisping is near the end of his contract, and I know he’s been talking about retirement. … I’m guessing somewhere along the lines of where the UFC could use Bisping and where he ultimately wants to be. I don’t think there was an agreement.”

Evans and Bisping first squared off in 2007 at UFC 78, where the then-unbeaten “Suga” won a split decision on his rise to claiming the light heavyweight title two fights later. The bout served as Bisping’s last in the 205-pound division before a drop down to 185.

Evans, 38, needs a win in the worst way after losing his last four fights. He was hoping the chance would come against the former UFC middleweight champion, but if it’s maximizing earnings that Bisping is after for his final fight, then Evans can’t blame him.

“For him, trying to get the bread, hey, get as much money as you can,” Evans said. “Because at the end of the day, this is a sport we can’t do forever. So I’m never against somebody making as much money as you can.”

For his part, Evans plans on just riding out the rest of his deal, even though he’s hip to the mindset of today’s fighters speaking up about their worth, especially in the wake of the UFC’s $4.2 billion sale to WME-IMG in 2016.

“I don’t want to have my mind pre-set on what I should do if there’s no need for it,” Evans said. “Fighters are different now, because we’re starting to see our worth more than ever. Four billion dollars and hearing our worth and what the UFC sold for, it woke up the fighters in a different way.

“Because we didn’t get any of that. We didn’t get nothing but an email that said, ‘We sold the company.’ And it’s nothing against the Fertittas. They were great the way they ran the organization, and they’re great people. It’s just the price of business, but we understand the cost and the price of business now more than ever.”

For more on UFC Fight Night 127, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.