Timing and Opportunity Have Been Key to UFC Light Heavyweight Division

The recent injury to Phil Davis, forcing him out of next month's UFC 133 main event versus Rashad Evans, opened a rare door for other possible contenders to step in and fill the void. Evans has been No. 1 contender for the UFC light heavyweight championship for what seems like an eternity and a win over him could yield a title shot. 

The two logical replacements for Davis, Lyoto Machida and Tito Ortiz, were both were offered the fight by President Dana White. Ortiz reportedly rejected the fight at first, and as a result Machida agreed to take it. But a few days later, they switched stances and Rashad Evans is now slated to face Tito Ortiz.

The fact that either of these fighters would turn down this chance is puzzling to me. I realize that fighting on three weeks notice isn't ideal, but it's a low risk, high reward situation—Machida has already knocked out Evans once and has been searching for a fight, while Ortiz is fresh off a submission victory over Ryan Bader. A win for either could vault them right back into the title hunt. Let's not forget that this is also Rashad's first fight in over a year.

The UFC light heavyweight division has had eleven different titleholders; over twice as many as all but one other division. Because of this, many of the top fighters have already had their hands on the belt (Evans, Machida, Ortiz, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, Forrest Griffin). While it may not necessarily be the strongest weight class, it has certainly been the most competitive. With that many former champions gunning for the belt, it would make sense to do anything to get ahead.

So far this year, timing has been the most important factor in climbing the division ranks.

Just ask current light heavyweight champion Jon Jones—he capitalized on an opportunity and replaced Rashad Evans against then champion "Shogun" Rua. After an injury halted Jones' first title defense against Evans, "Rampage" Jackson used his UFC 130 victory over Matt Hamill to earn a shot against Jones this coming September. 

Jackson lucked out there—he originally turned down the opportunity to fight Shogun, citing lack of time to prepare. This brought Jones into the picture as he subsequently destroyed Shogun. 

Chances like these should be capitalized on when they present themselves. Tito made the first mistake by turning down the fight, but Lyoto one-upped him when Sherdog.com reported that he demanded "Anderson Silva money" in order to take the fight. Everyone outside of Machida's closest circle realizes how outrageous those demands are (Dana White included). 

And because of this, Machida's loss could be Tito's gain come August 6th.