Rashad Evans eager to work his way back to getting a title shot

Jon Jones or Lyoto Machida?

It doesn't matter who he gets, Rashad Evans just wants a fight.

On one hand, we have "Bones," the current UFC light heavyweight champion and "Suga's" former training partner. The former Jackson-Winkeljohn MMA stablemates have built up quite a rivalry over the last few months. Without recapping the roots and whole story of their beef again, it's safe to say that they simply do not like each other.

On the other hand, we have the "Dragon," the only blemish on Evans' near-perfect record (16-1). Evans and Machida first collided at UFC 98 back in 2009, a night that Evan's would like to erase from the history books.

If he can even remember it in the first place, of course. 

Machida became the first man to defeat Evans by viciously knocking him out in the second round of their main event clash. In the process, the Brazilian took Evans' 205-pound strap and thus began the short lived "Machida Era."

Evans tells SportsVibe.co.uk that it doesn't matter who he fights, as he stands to gain something from each opponent, but he does have an event and date in mind:

"The recovery is going well and ideally I want to be back in February. We have an event on Super Bowl weekend so that would be great if I can fight on that card. Ultimately I want to work my way back to getting a title shot again so we'll have to see how things plan out. I would love to fight Lyoto again and rectify my loss against him and I would like the opportunity to fight Jones as well. I want to be the guy that solves the puzzle because I use to train with Jones; I know where I can beat him."

"Suga" and "Bones" were originally set to collide for the UFC light heavyweight championship at UFC 133 last August. However, an injury to Jones postponed the much anticipated fight.

In the interim, Evans participated in the UFC 133 event and picked up a victory over Tito Ortiz. A month later, Jones defended his title against Quinton Jackson at UFC 135, re-setting up the title fight with Evans.

Unfortunately, the fight would not come to pass as the injury bug reared its ugly head once again.

This time, it was Evans who was sidelined because of a nagging hand injury he picked up during his fight with Ortiz. UFC officials then awarded Machida the next shot at Jones. Evans is still next in line to battle the winner of Jon Jones vs. Lyoto Machida, which is set to go down on Dec. 10, 2011, at UFC 140 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Regardless of who he draws, a fight with Jones or Machida would have to serve as co-main event if indeed it took place over super bowl weekend. That's because the much anticipated event, which his tentatively scheduled to serve as UFC 143 on Feb. 4, 2012, is set to feature a colossal welterweight clash between UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre and Nick Diaz.

If both fights do get scheduled for SuperBowl weekend, the UFC will definitely have a massive success at the box office.

Who would you like to see welcome Evans back to the Octagon? The only man to ever defeat him in Machida, or the man who once considered Evans a brother in Jones?