After a revitalizing win at UFC 132, Tito Ortiz (top) steps in on short notice to take on Rashad Evans. Despite coming to a draw in their first encounter, Ortiz showed he had overall control of the fight in all aspects and will hope to validate this with a huge victory come August 6. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)
The Wells Fargo Center holds the latest installment of MMA action when UFC 133 takes place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania this Saturday night. Opening the main card off, Rory MacDonald (11-1) is set to prove how dangerous he is when he faces submission artist “Quicksand” Mike Pyle (21-6-1). “El Conquistador” Jorge Rivera (18-8) was originally slated to trade hands with “Legionarius” Alessio Sakara (15-8) but will now face Constantinos Philippou (7-2) after the latter suffered an unfortunate ACL injury. Two of the sport’s most seasoned veterans grace the card when “Superman” Dennis Hallman (45-13-2) and “Bad Boy” Brian Ebersole (40-14-1) meet. In the co-main event, “The Phenom” Vitor Belfort (19-9) will test his lightning fast hands against the always game Judoka, “Sexyama” Yoshihiro Akiyama (14-4). The night ends with a bang when “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Tito Ortiz (16-8-1) steps in on short notice to replace “Mr. Wonderful” Phil Davis (8-0) against “Sugar” Rashad Evans (15-1-1) in the main event. Evans stood in line for the next shot at the 205lbs. belt until injuries set him back, and Ortiz appears to have a second wind in his career. In such a pivotal time for the light heavyweight division, this encore of their 2007 battle could spell out serious title implications for the victor. Continue reading »
