Another fight is close to being added to UFC 205.
Rashad Evans (19-5-1) vs. Tim Kennedy (18-5) at middleweight is slated for the UFC's debut show at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Nov. 12, MMA Fighting has confirmed.
Flo Combat first reported the booking last month.
The fight will mark Evans' first as a middleweight and the third weight class he'll compete in as a UFC fighter. Evans, the former light heavyweight champion, entered the UFC as a heavyweight when he won The Ultimate Fighter season 2 in 2005. He'll look to pick up his first win since 2013 against Kennedy, a former JacksonWink teammate in Albuquerque, N.M.
Kennedy hasn't fought since his 2014 loss to Yoel Romero. He flirted with retirement following that loss, but those plans have obviously been put on hold.
Evans, a native of Niagara Falls, N.Y., has publicly stated numerous times that he would like to fight in his home state. It now appears he will get his wish.
"It is absolutely perfect," Evans said on a recent episode of The MMA Hour. "I couldn't write anything better myself to be able to hopefully have an opportunity to compete in this card, to be a part of what this card means for the history of mixed martial arts, it's just, it really means everything to me, and it's a big opportunity, a big chance for me to get back on track and to make a statement."