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Jon Jones won't have surgery, unlikely to face Rashad

Jon Jones is eyeing a September return © Getty Images

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Jon Jones' manager has revealed the UFC light-heavyweight champion's next opponent is unlikely to be Rashad Evans, after the Greg Jackson fighter discovered he does not need surgery.

Jones underwent several scans on torn ligaments in his hand, each of which suggesting he needed surgery. As a result, he pulled out of a title defence with Evans, leaving the No. 1 contender to fight Phil Davis.

Now it has emerged that Jones does not require surgery, and he is targeting an autumn comeback, although Rampage Jackson and Lyoto Machida may now be greater favourites than Evans to provide his opposition.

"The message we got from everybody was that Jon needed to have surgery," manager Malki Kawa told MMA Weekly. "That's what the report showed, that's what the MRI showed, that's what every test and everything he had up until Wednesday was saying.

"The UFC flew us out to their doctors here in Nevada on Wednesday. We came out here, we met with the doctor. The doctor looked at Jon and basically advised Jon that in his opinion that he thought that surgery was maybe a bit drastic. He didn't have to have it if he didn't want to if he could stand the pain and he didn't have to sit out and go through all that rehab.

"Jon chose not to have the surgery. He wants to be back in the cage and fight. He thought it was something medically he absolutely [had to do] and this doctor gave him the option not to do it if he didn't want to."

Casting his mind forward to Jones' return, Kawa revealed his charge will be back in September at the earliest, and his opponent is unlikely to be Evans.

"Between the September/November area hopefully," Kawa predicted. "I'm thinking it could be Rampage [Jackson]/[Matt] Hamill, it could be [Lyoto]) Machida, it could still be Rashad, you never know."

He added on Twitter: "@Jonnybones is not fighting Rashad. Rashad is fighting Phil Davis. I'll let you know who or when Jon will fight real soon...by end of year."

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