Jackson vs. Evans Fight Postponed Due to 'The A-Team'

(“I’m gettin’ that belt back, sucka.”)

It looks like Rashad Evans has another reason to hate Quinton Jackson’s guts. As Sugar revealed on yesterday’s edition of the “It’s Time” radio show with Bruce Buffer, Evans and Jackson will not be fighting at UFC 107 as originally planned, due to the demands of Rampage’s role in the upcoming A-Team movie. Said Evans:

“It’s definitely off on the 12th. I am (going to fight him), but not when I’m supposed to. He’s kind of getting sidetracked taking other opportunities above fighting. They haven’t nailed down any dates, but they did say it would happen after the new year. I think they we’re waiting to speak with Quinton’s guys to see when exactly he feels he should be ready.

If it couldn’t happen at all, I would definitely want to fight somebody else, but I know the UFC definitely has a lot invested in us fighting each other. It makes no sense for us to fight somebody else because then all that they have created is just a waste…

[If faced with the same situation] I would stick with my obligations and do the fight. I know he has this amazing opportunity to do this acting, but at the same time, at the end of the day he’s still just going to be a fighter. He’s not going to be an actor. He’s a fighter. That’s what he does. We all want to branch off and do different things because we never know when this is going to end, but you have to remember what’s paying the bills for you at this particular time.”

Though Dana White has expressed his distaste for fighters branching out into acting, he has to realize that Jackson’s appearance in The A-Team will ultimately create publicity for the UFC — which is probably why he’s allowing this to happen. But it’s still unfortunate that a season’s worth of heat between the two TUF 10 coaches will inevitably cool off because of the delay. It’s the kind of thing that turns must-see grudge matches into fights that nobody really cares about.

Related: Now that Jackson’s role in The A-Team is being widely reported, we can lift our brief news ban on The Sun. Whoa, did you hear about the Belarus vs. Ukraine barn-burner?