[Eccocide]

Mauricio "Shogun" Rua's first UFC light heavyweight title defense against Rashad Evans, initially rumored to take place in Abu Dhabi, U.A.E., is now likely for UFC 129 on March 19 at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

The Fight Network learned of the pending matchup from sources in Evans' camp.
The champion Rua (19-4) is coming off a stunning first-round knockout of Lyoto Machida at UFC 113 this past May. The 29-year-old former Pride grand prix winner holds notable career wins over the likes of Chuck Liddell, Alistair Overeem, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Ricardo Arona and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.

Meanwhile, Evans (15-1-1) is riding back-to-back decision wins over "Rampage" and Thiago Silva. The 31-year-old Greg Jackson pupil is a former UFC champion with key wins over Liddell, Forrest Griffin and Michael Bisping.
Other previously rumored bouts for UFC 128, including Tito Ortiz vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Michihiro Omigawa vs. Chad Mendes, are now also expected to take place on the New Jersey card.

UFC president Dana White announced last week that the planned March 12 event in Abu Dhabi was in jeopardy, though the reason behind the postponement is not immediately clear. The first-ever UFC event in Abu Dhabi took place outdoors this past April at the Concert Arena, which was a temporary venue built to host the show. A replacement site is reportedly in the works.

[Vaughany]

God I hope Shogun does the business!

[kiefynugs]

My money is on Evans for this one. His odds are great considering how inconsistently shogun has performed lately... and the third knee surgery.

Secretly hoping shogun wins though