Former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans is out until the late summer after going under the knife to repair an undisclosed knee injury.

The Blackzilians training camp released a statement on the matter on Tuesday, indicating that “Suga” will be on the sidelines for a good six months.

“On February 12, former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans injured his knee during a training session leading up to UFC 170,” the statement reads.

“After consulting with his doctors, Rashad will undergo surgery this week with Dr. Kvitne in Los Angeles, California. Rashad's medical team expects him to be out of active training for 6 months.”

Evans, the no. 3 light heavyweight in the world according to the UFC’s official rankings, was scheduled to face Daniel Cormier in the co-main event of UFC 170 this weekend, but has since been replaced with the relatively unknown Patrick Cummins.

After losing a title fight to former training partner Jon Jones at UFC 145 in April 2012, Evans then lost a lackluster decision to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira – a bout he was heavily favored in - at UFC 156 last February.

After flirting with the idea of dropping to middleweight, Evans opted to stay at 205 pounds and proved he’s still a top contender with wins over Dan Henderson and Chael Sonnen in 2013.

Following the victory over Sonnen, Evans has won six out of his past eight bouts.

Evans called the injury a “minor setback” and thanked his family, teammates and fans for their support as he recovers.