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.”

 The Des Moines Register reported that police were called to the TownePlace Suites hotel in Urbandale, Iowa, shortly before 11 a.m. after an employee discovered Gray’s body in a room. There was no evidence of foul play, police told the newspaper, but the investigation is ongoing and an autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday. A toxicology test will also be done to determine if there were any contributing factors to his death.

 E-mails sent to Slipknot’s label, Roadrunner Records, seeking comment on Gray’s death were not responded to by press time.

 Gray, better known as #2 or “The Pig” because of the mask he wore while performing with Slipknot, helped form the group in 1995, along with current members Shawn “Clown” Crahan and Joey Jordinson. Though the band’s lineup shifted over the years — with members departing or switching instruments — Gray’s position within the group remained constant: He was the only bass player Slipknot ever had.

 The group would release four albums, the last of which — 2008’s All Hope Is Gone — debuted at #1 on the Billboard albums chart. They spent most of the next year touring the world before taking an extended break at the end of 2009. Earlier this year, Gray announced that he would be using the time off to play with hard-riffing supergroup Hail!, featuring Tim “Ripper” Owens, Megadeth’s David Ellefson and Sepultura’s Andreas Kisser.

 In 2003, Gray was arrested on drug-possession charges after police discovered small amounts of marijuana, cocaine and two syringes in his vehicle following a traffic accident in Des Moines. Those charges were eventually dropped when Gray admitted he was on drugs at the time of the accident.

’speechless.’ ’speechless.’ 

Paul Gray on left, the only bassist for this band ever. Tough shoes to fill, hope he gets to jam with Cliff Burton now.

By James Montgomery, with reporting by Matt Elias

Slipknot bassist Paul Gray — who was found dead Monday (May 24) in a suburban Iowa hotel room of causes that had not been announced at press time — helped found the group back in 1995, and over the next 15 years, he’d witness their remarkable ascension from Iowa outsiders to one of the most popular hard-rock acts on the planet.

 And though Slipknot sold millions of albums, toured the world and even won a Grammy, the band never lost the bond Gray — and his bandmates — shared with their fans. It was a connection that few groups manage to achieve, and one that Gray cherished, as he told MTV News in 2008, just before the release of Slipknot’s most recent album, All Hope Is Gone.

 ”It makes you kind of speechless, man. Some kid who’s so depressed or things are going so bad for them that they actually want to take their own lives, and then they listen to a Slipknot lyric or a song … and that actually gets them through that? I mean, what can you say?” Gray said. “I’m just happy that we’re able to do something and actually touch somebody like that, where they do feel empowered to keep pushing on and keep going through what they’re going through, and surviving. It’s an overwhelming feeling.”

 And though it meant having to deal with plenty of heavy stuff, Gray never shied away from spending time with Slipknot’s so-called “Maggots.” Instead, he opened his Iowa home to them … he considered it an honor.

 ”I don’t know how they do it, man, but they find my address, my actual home address, and I’ll get letters and paintings. I have huge murals, big paintings of us that these guys put hours and hours into. And they’ll send them into my house. I don’t know how they do that, but … it’s really cool,” he laughed. “I’ve had people just show up at my house, and they’re sitting on my back porch drinking beer, waiting for me to come home. And, like, I come home at 2 in the morning and there’s these kids just sitting there, and I’m like, ‘What the f— are you doing here?’ and they’re like, screaming and, like, ‘Can we come in and hang out?’ And I’m the kind of person who lets them in, tells them, ‘Here, sh–, have another beer, whatever, I’ll drive you home.’ It’s crazy, man.”

I hope he gets to jam with Cliff Burton now....

http://www.mtv.com/videos/news/519907/slipknot-bassist-paul-gray-talks-about-his-fans.jhtml

********SQUIRREL’S NOTE***********

I saw SlipKnot perform once at OzzFest at Shoreline in 2001 I think. BLACK SABBATH was headlining the show with yes, Ozzie singing. SlipKnot was fucking crazy!!! Soooo much energy, but I didn’t know all of their songs but they brought the house down and gave the crowd a black eye for sure. I always judge shows by what the crowd is doing, and during their set, the upper lawn was a sea of chaos. I may have been under the influence of Psyocybin but that was just before the Sabbath set. Just glad I got to see them and was actually thinking about going to see them next tour, depends on who they find. Rest in peace Paul.