Phil Davis Injured, Out of UFC 133 Main Event

Phil Davis has suffered an injury and has been forced to withdraw from his UFC 133 light heavyweight headliner against Rashad Evans.

MMAFighting.com reported the news Tuesday, and UFC President Dana White has since confirmed Davis’ withdrawal. This marks the second time Evans has been left without an opponent, as “Suga” was initially slated to face former training partner Jon Jones for the light heavyweight title at the Aug. 6 event before Jones withdrew with an injury.

The search for a replacement opponent for Evans is currently underway. Former champion Lyoto Machida has reportedly been contacted to fill Davis’ shoes.

Featuring a light heavyweight confrontation between former Pride Fighting Championships star Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and onetime UFC middleweight king Rich Franklin, UFC 133 will emanate from Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

A former NCAA Division I national wrestling champion, Davis has yet to taste defeat as a mixed martial artist. The 26-year-old has racked up a 5-0 record in the Octagon, most recently outpointing Nogueira at UFC Fight Night 24 in March.

Evans, 31, has been bested only once as a professional, losing the UFC light heavyweight title to Machida in his first title defense. Since that 2009 knockout defeat, Evans has won back-to-back contest, outpointing Thiago Silva and Quinton Jackson in 2010.