Rashad Evans, UFC, and Ontario commission release statements regarding Evans’ medical licensing

News was revealed on Monday that former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans was pulled from his scheduled fight against Tim Kennedy for the second time.

Kennedy was a guest on Monday’s episode of The MMA Hour and said that he learned on Sunday that Evans was unable to get licensed by the Ontario Athletic Commission for their UFC 206 bout.

Evans and Kennedy were originally slated to fight at UFC 205 in New York earlier this month. However, Evans was pulled from the fight after he was unable to get a license to fight from the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC). Evans told MMA Fighting that an October 19 MRI reading showed “irregular findings,” which Evans said the (NYSAC) has “a zero tolerance policy when it comes to this.”

The UFC released the following statement on Monday regarding Evans:

UFC has been notified by the Ontario Athletic Commission that it has declined to approve a license for middleweight Rashad Evans, based on the recent medical issue that prohibited him from competing at UFC 205 in New York City. As a result, Evans’ rescheduled bout against Tim Kennedy, set for UFC 206 in Toronto on Saturday, December 10, has subsequently been canceled.

The UFC organization takes the health and safety of all athletes competing under the UFC banner very seriously and has encouraged Evans to take all the appropriate time to consult with his physicians and properly evaluate his medical status prior to scheduling any future bouts.

In addition to Evans’ issue with licensing, MMA Fighting received the following statement from the Ontario’s Ministory of Tourism, Culture and Sport:

The Office of the Athletics Commissioner is responsible for upholding medical requirements, which are put in place to protect the safety of contestants. In regards to the UFC 206 event on December 10, Mr. Evans has not cleared Ontario’s medical licensing requirements. We can confirm that his proposed bout has not been approved but are unable to comment further on his private and confidential medical information.

Despite Kennedy’s assumption that Evans may be dealing with “brain damage,” Evans tweeted on Monday that he is “100% healthy.”

“Despite the latest news on not getting a license to fight in Toronto I am 100% healthy. I will not retire. Thank yuh for the support.”

Despite the latest news on not getting a license to fight in Toronto I am 100% healthy. I will not retire. Thank yuh for the support

— Rashad Evans (@SugaRashadEvans) November 21, 2016

“The @ufc have been very helpful with making sure I am ok and getting this cleared up. I apologize to @TimKennedyMMA for the inconvenience.”

The @ufc have been very helpful with making sure I am ok and getting this cleared up. I apologize to @TimKennedyMMA for the inconvenience.

— Rashad Evans (@SugaRashadEvans) November 21, 2016