Rashad Evans vs Ryan Bader For UFC 192: Who Will Dominate?

Will a close to two-year layoff be a problem for Rashad Evans when he steps back in the Octagon for UFC 192?

Suga has been out of commission since November 2013 but is now set to return against an in-form Ryan Bader for UFC 192 on Oct 3, 2015 at the Toyota Center Houston.

Prior to his injury, Evans was on a two-match winning run. He won against Dan Henderson and against Chael Sonnen and he tries to make it three-in-a-row against Ryan “Darth” Bader who himself is on a streak of his own.

Bader is also coming in from a string of wins, the last of which was a split decision over Phil Davis.

A knee injury in 2014 sidelined Suga, something that occurred just 10 days before he was set to face Daniel Cormier at UFC 170. It was initially believed that Evans would be out for just a month but his injury turned out to be more serious than originally diagnosed.

Rehabilitation apparently hindered Evans’ return, having been linked to several fights earlier in the year (Alexander Gustafsson (January 24, 2015) and Glover Teixeira (February 22, 2015). But now it seems that Suga is ready to take on all takers and he faces an acid test against Bader.

Meanwhile, Bader has momentum on his side after racking in wins against Anthony Perosh, Rafael Cavalcante, Ovince Saint Preux and Phil Davis.

The match was officially announced by UFC president Dana White on Fox Sports 1’ UFC Wednesday.

Dana White confirms that Evans vs Bader is on for 192. If DC-Gus gets made for that (DC wants) and Cain's return (Cain wants), solid lineup.

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) July 9, 2015

The matchup should be an interesting clash considering that both fighters have one man in mind – Daniel Cormier.

Cormier is the current UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and chances are the winner between the Evans vs. Bader tiff will most likely get first crack at the American mixed martial artist.

From the looks of it, the odds seem to be stacked against Evans though there is still time for him to work of the rust from his long layoff. Going up against a man who is perhaps in the best form in his career, Evans admits that he will be up against a tough opponent this coming October.

Aside from Evans and Bader, another fighter that could be appearing is Cain Velasquez. Though there is no word yet on who Cain would be facing.

Velasquez is still reeling his loss to Fabricio Werdum at UFC 188 last month, eventually surrendering the UFC Heavyweight title as he succumbed to Werdum’s patented guillotine choke.

Another fighter that could possibly be added would be Daniel Cormier. Evan and/or Bader will likely keep a close eye on that match thought like Velasquez, it remains to be seen who he would be fighting, though Alexander Gustafsson could be a potential candidate.