UFC 133 Fight Card: 5 Reasons Tito Ortiz Beats Rashad Evans

Rashad Evans was originally set to face Phil Davis at UFC 133, but with Davis being kept out due to injury—Dana White elected for Tito Ortiz to fill in for Davis.

From a casual fan's perspective, this is a smart move by Dana White, and for Tito Ortiz it's a chance to possibly get a shot at the title.

Tito Ortiz is riding his shocking first-round submission of Ryan Bater in UFC 132 directly into UFC 133, and a win would make Tito Ortiz the talk of the UFC. 

5. Hiatus

Rashad Evans hasn't fought in over 14 months, while Tito Ortiz fought just a month ago—and fought great. 

This isn't to say that Evans will not be ready to roll come August 6, but a fighter can train, train and train—but with a long lay-off from the Octagon, Rashad will inevitably have some cage rust.

It will be vital for Tito Ortiz to capitalize in the early minutes of the fight, where he will have a fighter's advantage due to his most recent win over Ryan Bader.  

4. Ground and Pound

When the fight goes to the ground, Tito Ortiz should gain the advantage.

Ortiz is often overlooked for his ground and submission game, but with his decisive first-round TKO of Ryan Bader, Ortiz appears a more complete fighter than he was when these two first fought back in 2007.

3. Switching Fighters

Rashad Evans has had to switch up his training now three times in the months leading up to this fight, with Jon Jones and Phil Davis backing out, and now Tito Ortiz his real opponent—it has to be somewhat frustrating for Evans. 

Jon Jones is a completely different fighter then Phil Davis and Tito Ortiz is completley different then Phil Davis, so Rashad has been forced to switch up training styles numerous times. 

2. History of Past Fight

Tito Ortiz and Rashad Evans last squared off in the Octagon back in 2007, and that fight was ruled a draw—though Ortiz was deducted a point earlier in the fight that affected the decision.

Rashad Evans had a near-perfect record before his knockout loss to Lyoto Machida, with his only other blemish coming at the hands of Ortiz. This has to make Tito feel good about his chances against Evans, giving himselft some even more confidence heading into the fight.

1. Tito Ortiz Lives for This

Tito Ortiz will essentially have his career riding on this fight. With a win, he will likely get a shot at the title, whereas with a loss, he will seemingly be headed officially towards  retirement. 

Ortiz thrives in these kind of situations, and his career will go one of two ways with a win or a loss in this fight—and with the "me against the world" attitude, I wouldn't bet against Tito.

Ortiz loves the spotlight, he lives for it. He won't disappoint on August 6th.