UFC champ Jones' manager denies ducking claims, tells Evans fight is his to take

If Rashad Evans wants a fight with Jon Jones, he can have it says the UFC light heavyweight champion's manager, Malki Kawa.

Despite recent claims by Evans that Jones is trying to avoid a fight with him at all costs, Kawa insists that's far from the case.

Just say the word, Kawa says, and "Bones" is ready to go.

"Jon's not ducking Rashad," Kawa told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "Jon is willing to fight Rashad. Jon wants to fight Rashad. Jon has no reason to duck him.

"The only reason he's not able to fight on the timeline that Rashad wants is because his hand is not going to be ready. Surgery or no surgery, his hand is not 100 percent, and there's nothing Jon can do about it."

Jones and Evans have been at the center of an ever-growing controversy that began when "Bones" took Evans' spot in a UFC 128 title match with Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. Jones took the belt via TKO, and Evans was immediately installed as the No. 1 contender.

The two then-training partners and friends had each previously claimed they would never fight, but the champ's tune changed when presented with the reality he might have no choice. Upon learning of Jones' willingness to square off, Evans quickly followed suit.

The ensuing war of words set the stage for a bitter grudge match, which was expected to take place on Aug. 6 at UFC 133. However, with the bout still in the discussion stages, an injury to his right hand led Jones to bow out of the contest.

In the meantime, Evans accepted a bout with Phil Davis, and all was well in the world. That is, until Jones announced this past week that he was no longer undergoing a planned surgery on the appendage. That news sent Evans into a tizzy, and he immediately began to suggest Jones was faking the injury as a means of avoiding the matchup.

Jones and Kawa have each come under heavy fire for their choices in tending to the injury. What was initially thought as a break turned out to be a torn ligament, and the UFC's preferred surgical consultant, Dr. Steven Sanders, recommended surgery to repair the injury. However, with Jones prepared to go under the knife this past week, Dr. James Vahey from the Hand Center of Nevada decided simply resting the hand might ultimately prove the best choice.

While the injury has often been referred to as a "lingering ailment" that Jones has dealt with since his college wrestling days, Kawa said that's not entirely accurate.

"In the past, his hand would hurt for a few weeks, but the swelling and pain would eventually go away," Kawa said. "It's completely different this time. It's getting better now, two months after the fight, but he still doesn't have his full strength.

"Jon never wanted to have surgery. He didn't want to be forced out of the cage for an extended period of time. When Dr. Vahey gave him his opinion – and this guy is the top dog in hand surgeries – when he said he didn't recommend surgery, it was music to Jon's ears. Now he knows he can just rehab it."

And when that rehab is over, Kawa said Jones welcomes a fight with Evans. August remains an impossible goal, according to Kawa, but if Evans is willing to walk away from the bout with Davis, Jones is more than happy to put his belt on the line against "Suga."

"From the very get-go, we said we wanted to fight Rashad," Kawa said. "But that always meant fighting in August. We can't do it in August. We always told the UFC it was going to be September or October before Jon would be ready. His hand was hurting, and he needed the time off. Even before he saw a single doctor, we told the UFC September or October would probably be best.

"The champ will be ready in September or October. That's only a month or two after Rashad's fight with Phil Davis. I can understand not wanting to wait in case something else happens with Jon's hand and the fight has to be delayed more. Rahsad got bit in the ass doing that one time before. But don't tell me that the champ doesn't want to fight you. The champ wants to fight you. Jon hasn't done anything to duck this fight. The only reason people think that is because Rashad said so. Jon's not ducking anybody.

"If Rashad wants to do October and Dana White's OK with it, let's do it in October. We're ready to rock and roll."