News broke on Tuesday, July 12 that Phil Davis had suffered a knee injury and was forced to withdraw from his scheduled bout against Rashad Evans at UFC 133. Davis and Evans had been set to face off in the main event on the August 6 fight card.

Wednesday brought a handful of rumors as to who would replace Davis and when the smoke finally cleared it was Tito Ortiz that stepped up to the plate.

The news came as a surprise, as Ortiz had tweeted earlier on Wednesday:

I have a life and things to take care of. The fight game is about making the right choices of my career. If you knew what I have been going through you all would understand. Peaking for a fight is what makes a fighter unstoppable! Timing is everything in life. This is a rebuild year for me not do or die. The time will come again!  #positive

The change of heart was welcomed by UFC president Dana White who told MMAJunkie.com, “The storyline is what's so interesting. Tito went from 'You're about to be cut,' to now, if he beats Rashad Evans, he's back in the mix. He's back in the picture."

White stopped short of stating that the winner of the Evans versus Ortiz bout would be next in line for a shot at the UFC light heavyweight title, but it is not a stretch to believe that to be a likely scenario.  Jon Jones is currently set to defend his title for the first time on September 24 when he meets Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson at UFC 135.

Evans and Ortiz have met in the Octagon once before, fighting to a draw in July 2007 at UFC 73. Ortiz had a point deducted for grabbing the cage during the second round of that bout and it cost him dearly, as the final scorecards read 28-28 from all three judges.

Evans has not fought since he defeated ‘Rampage’ Jackson in May 2010. That victory earned him a shot at then light heavyweight champion Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua. That fight was delayed due to Rua undergoing knee surgery. Evans opted to not take a fight while he waited for Rua to recover.  When Rua was healthy, the fight was set for UFC 128 in March 2011, however a training camp injury forced Evans off that card. Rua would stay on the card, losing his title to Jon Jones.

Ortiz is coming off a career saving victory. Ortiz was a huge underdog when he faced Ryan Bader at UFC 132 on July 2 and Dana White had made it known that a loss would cost Ortiz his UFC career. Ortiz took the decision out of White’s hands as he forced Bader to tap to a guillotine choke 1:56 into the fight. The win was Ortiz’s first since he defeated Ken Shamrock in 2006.

Despite the fact that Ortiz is the fresher of the two fighters, Evans is the odds-on favorite to win the rematch. BetOnFighting.com has Evans listed at -450 and Ortiz at +300, odds very similar to those that Ortiz faced in the Bader bout.

It’s been a very eventful 24 hours for the UFC, but the dust has cleared and on August 6, the next contender for the UFC light heavyweight crown could be decided in the City of Brotherly Love.