UFC 206 Loses Main Card Bout, BJ Penn's Return Announced, Ultimate Fighter Winner Suspended

- Former UFC welterweight and lightweight champion BJ Penn will face Yair Rodriguez at UFC Fight Night 103 in the main event. The card takes place January 15 from Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, airing live on FOX Sports 1.

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Penn (16-10-2) has planned to return several times this year after coming out of retirement. "The Prodigy" was forced out of planned fights with Dennis Siver, Cole Miller and Ricardo Lamas due to injury and the use of an IV. Under USADA guidelines, IV use is banned year-round.

Rodriguez (8-1) has won each of his last six fights, including five inside the Octagon. He won The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America.

UFC Fight Night 103 also features Jussier Formiga vs. Sergio Pettis and Court McGee vs. Ben Saunders.

- For the second time in a matter of weeks, Rashad Evans has been told by an athletic commission that he will not be allowed to fight. The Ontario Athletic Commission informed the UFC that a fight with Tim Kennedy would not be cleared for December's UFC 206 card.

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Earlier this month, the New York Athletic Commission scrapped the same fight just days before it was scheduled to go down at UFC 205. The UFC released the following statement:

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.

- Former Ultimate Fighter winner Kelvin Gastelum has been suspended for six months for failing to weigh-in ahead of UFC 205, ESPN is reporting. Gastelum was scheduled to meet Donald Cerrone at the card, but issues cutting down to 170 pounds forced the bout off.

Gastelum's management team is attempting to appeal the suspension. There have been rumors that he could be scheduled to face Tim Kennedy in place of Rashad Evans next month at UFC 206. He has missed weight three times at welterweight.

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