Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans has been riding the pine after ACL surgery forced him out of his fight against Daniel Cormier at UFC 170 earlier this year.
Though he's still not 100 percent, "Suga" says everything is on track for him to make a return to the Octagon in February of 2015, as he revealed during a recent appearance on The MMA Hour.
And with the way the current 205-pound field is shaking up due to Alexander Gustafsson's recent injury (details), and how it could potentially look after the new year, Evans says he will take on anyone UFC matchmakers see fit.
His words:
"The knee is coming along pretty well. I just didn't want to put myself in a situation where I'm trying to come back too soon and then injure it more. So I am really taking my time with therapy and taking some down time just to allow my mind not to push my body too far past its limits right now. I want to return in February. That's me giving myself enough time to make sure that I feel comfortable getting back in there. I know when I get back in there, it's nothing but tough guys in my way, so I know I'm going to have a tough road ahead, so I am going to be ready for that."
As far as who he'd like to face personally, Evans says he doesn't care who he's pitted against.
He continues:
"Nah, I was thinking like that before, I was like, 'I would be fun to fight Glover or whoever, but honestly speaking, the way things are shaking up in the weight class, whoever I fight it's going to be an interesting match up. I have a lot to prove coming back from the injury and trying to make that push for the title. Whoever they have up there, and whoever is ready for me. Whoever they put me up against, I'm ready for whatever."
One man he won't be fighting, however, is Blackzilian teammate, Anthony Johnson.
"Rumble" has been on a tear as of late, which includes his 44-second destruction of Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (video) at UFC on FOX 12 this past weekend (Sat., July 26, 2014) in San Jose, California. So when Evans was asked if he would ever fight Johnson, he said it's out of the question.
He explains:
"We fight all the time, man. We fight more than the UFC could pay us. We fight everyday, we are each others number one training partners. Would I fight him professionally? No, I wouldn't fight him. I see no need to fight him, man. We feed each other in a lot of different ways, I can't. I know people will be like, Oh, my God, we've heard this before. It may be happening again.' But I believe with the relationship Anthony and I have, that bridge is a bridge that if it ever needs crossing, we will find a different way to handle it, than it did the first time (with Jon Jones)."
As "Suga" alluded to, it won't be a repeat situation like the one he went through with former training partner Jon Jones (recap), though hatchets have been buried since.
How about it Maniacs, who would you like to see "Suga" take on in his comeback fight?