The UFC today officially announced the bout, which was originally supposed to be contested back at UFC 107.
The bout takes place on May 29 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Jackson and Evans were the coaches on season 10 of "The Ultimate Fighter," and were supposed to meet at the show's conclusion before Jackson stepped aside to take a role in the upcoming, big-budget action movie, The A-Team, in which he'll reprise the B.A. Baracus role made famous by Mr. T.
Soon after, Jackson said he'd retire rather than fight again in the UFC, citing his dissatisfaction with the company's reaction to his decision to take the role, among other things. Evans instead took on Thiago Silva at UFC 108 and earned a unanimous decision victory.
By the time Jackson steps into the ring, he will have been out of the UFC octagon for over 14 months. His last appearance was at UFC 96 in March 2009, when he won a decision over Keith Jardine.
Not surprisingly, the UFC is already playing up the renewed feud.
"I really want to knock this guy out," Jackson said in a UFC press release announcing the fight. "I've never, ever wanted to knock someone as cold as I want to knock Rashad Evans out. He's disrespected me so much, for so long. I am so motivated to train my ass off. I've moved my coaches into my house already - Rashad should be prepared to see a brand new Rampage in May. I saw him in Sydney a few weeks back and we picked up right where we left off. I can't stand him. He's a disrespectful person and I didn't even want to beat Wanderlei as much as I want to beat this guy."
