Eagle Fighting Championship, the MMA promotion owned by former UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, is set to make their U.S. debut in early 2022 featuring many recognizable names to UFC viewers.
Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Rashad Evans is expected to come out of retirement for the card, facing an opponent that has not been named as of yet. The event is expected to be the 42-year-old’s first combat sports appearance since 2018.
Evans will be fighting to break a five-fight losing streak that he took at the end of his UFC run.
The return fight for Evans was first reported by Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports. His appearance will be at EFC 44, which is set to happen in Miami, Florida, USA on January 28th.
Heavyweight veteran Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva is also expected to meet undefeated boxer Tyrone Spong at the card, per Marc Raimondi of ESPN.
Silva, 42, is mostly recognized for his success in the late 2000s in promotions EliteXC and Strikeforce.
Silva had a largely unsuccessful UFC run from 2012 to 2016, winning only three of his 11 fights in the promotion. He is currently on a six-fight losing streak in MMA which includes a bout from June of this year.
While Spong boasts a professional MMA record of two wins, he is best known for his extensive kickboxing career and undefeated 14-fight record as a boxer.
The event is also set to have a clash between two former UFC fighters, as Ray Borg and Cody Gibson will meet on the card, per Nolan King of MMA Junkie.
Borg was released from the UFC roster last year with a promotional record of seven wins and five losses. He has fought once since then, defeating Jesse Arnett on a UAE Warriors card.
Gibson’s UFC run was much shorter, lasting four fights from 2014 to 2015. He has been on the regional scene since 2016, attaining six wins through seven bouts in that time.
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