UFC, Ontario commission release statements on Rashad Evans

Rashad Evans has been pulled from UFC 206 for the same reason he was unable to compete at UFC 205.

The UFC said Monday in a statement that the Ontario Athletic Commission did not approve Evans' license because of the same medical issue that made the New York State Athletic Commission decline to license him earlier this month. The UFC also said it is encouraging Evans to take time to consult doctors about the issue before being booked in another fight.

Evans was supposed to meet Tim Kennedy on both cards. The UFC 205 bout was called off just four days out of UFC 205 at Madison Square Garden. Kennedy told MMA Fighting's Ariel Helwani on Monday's The MMA Hour that the UFC 206 fight was off, too.

When reached by MMA Fighting two weeks ago, Evans said the NYSAC had an issue with his MRI, though he said it's something he has fought with over the duration of his UFC career. Evans said he passed multiple follow-up tests, but the NYSAC still would not approve him for a license.

On Monday, Evans addressed the latest disappointed news on Twitter, saying he was healthy and not considering retirement.

Despite the latest news on not getting a license to fight in Toronto I am 100% healthy. I will not retire. Thank yuh for the support

— Rashad Evans (@SugaRashadEvans) November 21, 2016

The @ufc have been very helpful with making sure I am ok and getting this cleared up. I apologize to @TimKennedyMMA for the inconvenience.

— Rashad Evans (@SugaRashadEvans) November 21, 2016

Here is the UFC's full statement on the matter:

UFC has been notified by the Ontario Athletic Commission that it has declined to approve a license for middleweight Rashad Evans, based on the recent medical issue that prohibited him from competing at UFC 205 in New York City. As a result, Evans' rescheduled bout against Tim Kennedy, set for UFC 206 in Toronto on Saturday, December 10, has subsequently been cancelled."

The UFC organization takes the health and safety of all athletes competing under the UFC banner very seriously and has encouraged Evans to take all the appropriate time to consult with his physicians and properly evaluate his medical status prior to scheduling any future bouts.

Here is a statement sent to MMA Fighting from Ontario's Ministory of Tourism, Culture and Sport:

The Office of the Athletics Commissioner is responsible for upholding medical requirements, which are put in place to protect the safety of contestants. In regards to the UFC 206 event on December 10, Mr. Evans has not cleared Ontario's medical licensing requirements. We can confirm that his proposed bout has not been approved but are unable to comment further on his private and confidential medical information.