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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
The Light Heavyweight Championship bout between Rashad Evans and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, initially rumored for a planned Abu Dhabi event in March, will now take place on March 19 in New Jersey, according to a report from The Fight Network.
Per the report, the March 19 event, expected to be UFC 129, will take place from the Prudential Center in Newark.
The UFC is expected to bring an event on March 12, though they are searching for a replacement location and venue with Abu Dhabi now out of the picture for unexplained reasons.
The bout will be Rua's first defense of the Championship he captured when he knocked out Lyoto Machida in May at UFC 113. Evans earned his title shot with a win over Quinton "Rampage" Jackson later that month at UFC 114.
According to the report, previously reported fights between Tito Ortiz and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Michihiro Omigawa and Chad Mendes are expected to take place on the New Jersey card.
Penick's Analysis: This change makes it appear likely that the UFC could scrap the March 12 date altogether, making this event UFC 128. This will be the second straight March that the UFC makes its way to New Jersey, with UFC 111 emanating from the Prudential Center earlier this year. Evans-Rua should be an excellent Light Heavyweight Championship bout, and it will bring more pay-per-view buys simply by being on U.S. soil than had the fight happened in Abu Dhabi.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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