UFC 133: Tito Ortiz is the Perfect Underdog To Derail Rashad Evans' Title Hopes

Hopefully, Rashad Evans is training as hard as he's tweeting to Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Jon Jones.

At UFC 133, the former UFC light heavyweight champion faces another former champion and familiar foe Tito Ortiz.

Evans was initially set to face rising contender Phil Davis, but Davis was forced off the card with a knee injury. Ortiz, who submitted Ryan Bader at UFC 132 just a few weeks ago, agreed to step in as a late replacement.

Before his bout with Bader, it was universally agreed throughout the MMA community that Ortiz was in the twilight of his career. He hadn't won a professional bout in nearly five years, and he was coming off consecutive losses to Lyoto Machida, Forrest Griffin and Matt Hamill.

The entire UFC 132 event had a funeral-like atmosphere about it as fans lined up to see Ortiz walk down to the Octagon for the final time.

Surprisingly, there was something different about this Tito Ortiz. He was surrounded by an aura of confidence that seemed to be nonexistent in past fights. With his back against the wall, Ortiz was awoken by the same burning passion and everlasting vigor that made him one of MMA's all-time greats.

In less than two minutes of the first round, Ortiz exploded inside with a vicious hook that dropped Bader. As Bader scrambled to regain his senses, "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" finished with a guillotine choke that not only saved his career, but also allowed him and longtime fans to enjoy past nostalgia as he celebrated with the famous grave-digging taunt.

Will the Cinderella story continue? Bader was a top-10 light heavyweight contender, but can Ortiz take things up a notch and defeat Evans, who is widely considered one of the top three fighters in the entire division?

While Evans is a deserving favorite, the potential for another upset is more realistic than some realize.

Evans hasn't fought since May 2010, and cage rust is a serious issue that people seem to bypass when breaking down this fight.

Time and time again, we have seen fighters return from an extended hiatus and struggle to find a rhythm in the octagon. Evans will face a game Ortiz, whose conditioning should carry over from his last fight. It's asking a lot of a fighter to return to such a high level after being away for so long.

The style matchup is the primary reason this fight is so close on paper. Ortiz and Evans both have similar styles. They are decent strikers with solid wrestling backgrounds.

While Evans possesses speed and power in his punches, Ortiz is actually more technical on his feet. If he can find that sweet spot on "Sugar's" chin, it is possible that Ortiz puts Evans away. It's going to be tough for Evans to find his way through all those layers of head and hurt Ortiz on the feet. The California native has shown the ability to withstand punishment from some of MMA's deadliest strikers.

The entire fight will most likely come down to the wrestling. Who can shrug off and secure the most takedowns?

In their first bout, Ortiz was well on his way to defeating Evans, but he was penalized in the second round for a fence grab that forced all three judges to rule on a draw. While Evans has certainly improved since July 2007, his style is virtually the same, and there is no reason to think that this fight won't be competitive.

The momentum is on Ortiz's side. Evans is coming off a long layoff, and if not for a point deduction, Ortiz could've one-upped him in the past. As Ortiz continues to fight for his livelihood, we should see the same focused and determined fighter we saw against Bader.

Will it be enough?

Ortiz may not be Machida, but time is on his side.