UFC 133: Both Chris Leben and Chael Sonnen Offered to Fight Rashad Evans

Tito Ortiz has stepped up and agreed to face Rashad Evans at the Ultimate Fighting Championship's first card in the month of August.

Ortiz takes the place of Phil Davis, who had to pull out of the fight after suffering a knee injury during training.

The Huntington Beach Bad Boy was the first fighter asked by UFC President Dana White when a replacement was needed, but the 36-year-old declined because of the time constraints and several other non-fighting events coming up in his life.

Former light-heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida was the next one offered the fight and at first he agreed. However, his team later contacted Dana White and said Machida would take the fight, but he wanted "Anderson Silva" money in return.

White became unhappy with Machida's camp and was struggling to find another opponent, until Ortiz called back and said he would take the fight.

Throughout the hectic couple of days that transpired from these events, news arose from ESPN.com that two middleweights had offered to fight Rashad Evans, in Chris Leben and recently reinstated Chael Sonnen.

As intriguing a matchup it would be to see Evans face off against either middleweight, White was quick to turn down their request:

"We've got lots of guys that are animals, you know what I mean," Dana said on The Fight Fix. "Like Leben. Leben wanted the fight. Leben wanted to take the fight, Chael Sonnen wanted the fight.

"But those guys are 185-pounders. And I appreciate their desire, their fire but no, we want guys that are 205-pounders that are real fights at 205."

Sonnen, who is slated to take on Brian Stann at UFC 136, has had some experience at the light heavyweight level, including his first ever UFC fight against Renato "Babalu" Sobral. He dominated the first round, but would later lose via triangle choke.

Leben, on the other hand, has never fought a fight at light heavyweight, but was willing to make the adjustment to help out the UFC.

In the end, Tito Ortiz stepped up when the UFC was in a jam and the relationship between he and Dana White may be on the mend.

However, one cannot say the same about White and Machida, who has been begging for a fight and when he finally got his opportunity, he cared more about money.