After a knee injury forced Phil Davis out of the UFC 133 main event against Rashad Evans, Tito Ortiz has agreed to step in and rematch Evans in the new headliner of the August 6 pay-per-view event in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
UFC President Dana White announced the matchup today via Twitter.
Ortiz (16-8-1) was originally offered the fight yesterday and turned it down, as did Lyoto Machida, but Mike Chiappetta of MMAFighting reported earlier today that “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” was reconsidering the offer.
The former light heavyweight champion saved his UFC career earlier this month when he defeated Ryan Bader at UFC 132 via first-round submission in one of the biggest upsets of the year.
Evans (15-1-1) vs. Ortiz is a rematch of their first meeting at UFC 73 in July of 2007, a bout that ended in a unanimous draw as Ortiz was deducted a point in the second round for repeatedly grabbing the fence.
UFC 133 also features Rich Franklin vs. Antonio Rogerio Noguiera and Vitor Belfort vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama.
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The man stepped up!! OMG.. Im sorry let me rephrase OOO MMMMMMYYYY GGGOOOODD..
So Dana promised him a freebie.. If he loses this fight then no loss to Tito.. He keeps his job and gets paid well.. If he wins.. Then immediatly he is shot back into the relm of contention..
Oddly.. For once, I wont badmouth Tito for this. He has shown some marbles.. Good move, good oppritunity.. Good luck!
This may be the year of the comebacks and upsets..
Or this may be the year of TITO!!!
Don’t get ahead of yourself Jazz…. This is a very good ‘business’ decision for Jacob, I also believe that this can and will be a competitive match but ‘Shad has grown quite a bit as a fighter since the first meeting between the two, then again ‘Shad hasn’t fought in well over a year…
@fr702
you know I’m just stoked for my boy tito :)
But seriously Rashad hasnt fought since my first ever UFC event UFC 114 last year in may. That’s over a year. Tito on the other hand is in great shape coming off a great victory just 11 days ago. Hes got momentum and he11a confidence coming into this fight. He has a real chance at taking this fight and that pumps me the fuck up!!!
Great shape? He’s been said to be living the party life – booze, booze, and more booze. He was in shape for the Bader fight. HE got out of it quickly, I’d wager.
Wow!! Tito steppin up! much respect!
I know there are a lot of Tito haters out there but I have found a new excitement for the guy. This could be an awesome story unfolding or a brief stint of luck, either way I’m watching! Hell yeah!
I get to see my favorite fighter Tito. I was able to see the Griffin one of my favorites but see him lose to one of the badest men on the planet Anderson Silva. Philly PPV dont get any better.
So Tito is in a fight with title shot implications. If he does win, he vaults himself into the top tier of the division that he used to own. Just 2 weeks ago Dana was saying ‘how relevant is Tito?’ and if he loses he gone. Card looks pretty solid, hope for a good fight in the main event.
Not gonna hold my breath for this one. I like the match up, but it not enough time. I am a fan of Evans but I just know he is going to play it safe.
Although I doubt Suga’s looking forward to squaring off with Bones Jones.
as long as tito dont grab the fence like in there first match he might win this … lol good luck tito.. chuck must be dying to get back in the cage…
Despite his kush new job getting paid to do……whatever it is they have him doing… you KNOW this is eating away at him. I’m sure he sees Tito at the bottle of his bottle every night. But, it was time for him to hang’em up.
o geez. I was just thinking “i hope Tito doesnt get ahead of himself. he needs to get a couple wins under his belt.” so much for that.
He deserves a minimum two fight buffer before they can release him for doing this. He single handedly saved their PPV #s. Great for the UFC, great for Tito in redeeming more of his legacy.
It seems there is some beef going on between DW and Machida camp. Money was the main factor for machida in this fight. Machida asked for more money and Dana didn’t give a sh1t.
I Love it :) the year of Titooo Oortizz!!!
we all Know Tito won the last Fight with Rashad
If Tito’s cardio is up to scratch,(like it was back in the day)
and with his new and improved hand skills
I can see Tito get’n the big Win
Then Bang Bang two wins and Ortiz is in line for a short a the LHW belt
PPV will go through the roof
the HBBB is Back!!!
Tito’s record says otherwise about the first fight.
Great for Tito! I’m loving it!
Nothing to lose for Tito–he’s in a good situation. A win here should propel him quite a ways. Have to agree with Philly’s earlier assessment..
But can he really defeat Rashad? I would say no. Tito just can’t match Rashad’s explosiveness.
uh…didn’t he already?
Rashad isn’t the same fighter he was 4 years ago. Before the Ortiz fight, Evans had beaten the likes of Sean Salmon and Stephan Bonnar. After, he has beaten the likes of Rampage, Liddell, Griffin, and T. Silva, with only a loss to Machida. That’s some nice results in the UFC 205 division.
Ortiz, on the other hand, has lost to Machida, Griffin, and Hammill with a win over Bader. Oh, and multiple back surgeries. Not exactly been burning up the 205 division.
So yes, Jacob did face Evans once. And he hasn’t exactly gotten better since. Evans, on the other hand, has shown some clear improvement since then. Comparing this fight to the first one, in any fashion, means nothing.
My point being, he’s not the same either IF all his medical problems are behind him. IF he can really train the way he’s supposed to and not suffer any injuries, it’ll be a different fight all together. Plus, Evans has been shelved for well over a year and his outing against Rampage was less than stellar.
I just don’t think it’ll be as one sided as everyone thinks it will be, or thought Bader would be.
This becomes a fight of “who knows what the fu<k to expect" IMO.
Evans is cage-rusted and wasn't prepared for Ortiz.
Ortiz has just fought, has been justifiably partying hard, and Lord only knows if Ortiz still has the goods to make 205 and make it in any sort of shape to not embarrass himself against Evans.
Clearly Ortiz has the business savvy to hang in the modern-day UFC, but whether or not he has the goods to beat Evans and maybe secure a title shot is anyone's guess.
I suppose the smart POV picks Evans by UD, but the smart POV also picked Ryan Bader to retire Ortiz.
Fu<k if I know what to expect at 133…
;-)
I predict rashad to win by 1st degree murder
Clearly based on their first fight, right?
Or based on his performance against Hammil?
Or based on his performance against Bader, or Evans’ against Rampage?
We can do this all day.
@advent
If we see the Evans that fought rampage (which I am not sure we will given his inactivity) then Tito will lose, doubtful if it will be by murder. And I don’t hate the guy but I really can’t see him winning. Of course I said the same thing about the Bader fight.
Will be interesting to see the salaries after this one, Tito has to be picking up more than his last fight and that was a massive ammount. Plus he cant get cut after stepping in and saving Dana’s bacon.
Have a sneaky feeling that before this fight gets going Evans will pull out with an ‘injury’ or something.
Salaries after this one will be remarkably like the salaries after the last one for each fighter. That’s how multi-fight contracts work.
Ryan Bader must be kicking himself… I mean if he’d won his last fight it might be him fighting Rashad. And if he had won the fight before that in a convincing fashion he might have had a chance at the belt a couple of months ago. But no, instead the man who was supposed to be the next big thing has not only had his undefeated streak broken, but he’s also had back to back losses. And he’s propably waiting for a match with either Matt Hammill or the loser of the Forrest-Shogun fight or something. Sure, he’ll propably bounce back, but this has to be frustrating for him and might be a handicap in the “mental game”.
But we’re all rooting for you, Ryan.
I am glad to see Ortiz get a chance to make a nice jump like this. I have never been a very big TO fan, even when he was champ, I considered him to be a loudmouth, disrespectful punk, but had to respect his fighting skills, heart and cardio(after the Frank Shamrock asswhipping), and the fact that he basically, single-handedly dismantled the Lion’s Den, ran by Kenny Wayne, anothe loud, braggart. BUT….As a former fighter, I have to respect the renewed vigor he seems to have. The multiple back surgeries was definitely a hamper in the past few fights, as it probably prevented 100% training, even if mentally. The win over Bader, however “lucky” it may have been, is still a win, and may help with the willpower and heart of the man. Sometimes that’s enough. Heart and will can get you a long way.
Choking your opponent out is now classified as “lucky”?
I find it funny how Tito Ortiz articles now have posters saying positive things about the man. 2 minutes before he choked out Bader, people were still saying how much he sucked and should not be in the UFC, blah blah blah. The lonely bandwagon a few of us have been riding for the past 10+ years is starting to get full.
lol, QFT
@Will:
Choking a guy out is not luck, that was Tito. The right hand that buckled Bader’s knees may have (arguably) been. As i said, i have never been a big fan of To, but only for his unsportsman-like attitude in most cases. I have also never been a non TO fan. I was mad that the first Evans fight was a draw, Tito won, but I understand why the point was taken. My point is, even though people believe (myself included), that Bader is a level or two below Evans….The effect of winning over a very hyped up and comer can do something to your confidence and heart, and that my friend, has alot to do with the fighter. The old saying goes: It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.
Thanks for clearing that up. I have been a Tito fan forever and have spent many a years defending the man against haters. I love the fact that he has (for the time being) rejuvenated his career. When he choked out Bader I screamed so fu<kin loud that it scared the bajebus out of my ladies cat and scratched the crap outta her.
As far as landing the right goes, not really sure if I would call it "luck". He used a trick similar to what I learned in boxing a long time ago. Faint to the body with the left (or can throw a full jab if need be) and it usually will make your opponent drop his left hand or sometimes both to defend. Opens up a right cross or hook to your opponents dome and down they go.
I’ll be pulling for ortiz even though I’m not really a big fan of either guy. The thing is, even though ortiz landed a bomb on bader before taking him out he looked really tentative on his feet. I have a feeling he’s gonna be the one on the wrong side of a right hook from rashad. Rashad by first rd tko.
Don’t worry Will, you won’t have to worry about any space being taken by moi…
You were almost funny frantzfanon… Sherpup would love you! ;-)
tito damn rights dude that a boy tito fan for awhile even tho he hasnt won in 5 years run right through him boooyaaaaaaa
My intuition tells me Rashad, but my heart tells me Tito. It’s tough to see Tito coming out of this bout with the W. Rashad is multiple steps above Ryan Bader, so Bader and Ortiz’ fight isn’t relevant to this. Ortiz and Evan’s first bout isn’t either since Rashad has matured a bit and is more of a complete mixed martial artist. Who truly knows about the new Tito besides himself.
Rashad’s been out for awhile, but no matter what happens I don’t think ring rust will be the problem. If Rashad does have problems with this bout It will be mental. He better not let anything from their past get into his head. Tito feeds of that stuff and will use that to up his confidence and determination and lower Rashad’s.
Also, did anyone see the look on Chuck Liddel’s face after Tito beat Bader? He didn’t look to happy. Imagine the look on Chuck’s face if Tito beats Rashad. It’ll probably be a look of disgust with some unpleasant words to go with it. I know he doesn’t want to see Tito beat Evan’s and throw the 205 pound division for a tailspin, but I wouldn’t mind.
;-)
….and we all know what happens when a player has NOT fought in a while. Too long of time off leads to rusty, not crisp.
i.e. Rampage after movie/retirement, etc…
Rashad wants to keep this standing. He has great wrestling but Tito is a much better grappler than he is. I’m not just saying this because of his recent submission victory but Tito has held his own in ADCC before. I think Evans will be overlooking submission attempts and is going to get caught. Tito by sub round 2.
@Five-Alive: since I don’t peruse Sherdog I really wouldn’t know….
you should start. ;-)
I know Rashad Evans rocks uber-confidence in interviews, but last night on MMA Live with Jon Anik and Stephan Bonnar Evans seemed almost unrealistically optimistic about winning at 133.
The guy hasn’t fought in 13+ months, and his cardio sometimes fails him late in fights. He’s tepping in late with a guy who has been in a LOT of big fights, many of them involving the 205 title.
Probably Evans goes off and finishes Ortiz by ref-stoppage with strikes inside 10 minutes, but I wouldn’t bet real money on it.
If Dana White tells Tito Ortiz on the DL that he can face the Jones-Jackson winner if he wins, and score even bigger paydays…that might provide enough motivation for Ortiz to upset a cage-rusted Evans…