Tito Ortiz Injured, Important Light Heavyweight Bouts Shuffled

An injury has forced Tito Ortiz to withdraw from his scheduled bout against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at UFC Fight Night 24.

"Tito has pulled out of fight night due to getting stitches," UFC President Dana White posted on his Twitter account. "8-0 Phil Davis will be fighting Lil Nog now and is pumped for this fight!"

Ortiz talked about the injury in a Twitter post and sent a message to disappointed fans.

"I have some [expletive] luck. Headbutt above the eyebrow. 22 stitches and a bad concussion sucks, but I will heal and be better soon," Ortiz posted. "I put in 3 months of hard ass training...sorry. I'll be back! Thank my fans for the support."

One has to wonder if Ortiz's withdrawal from this bout finally leads to his release from the UFC. He hasn't won a fight in over four years. At UFC 121, He was defeated handily by former pupil Matt Hamill.

Davis, a former NCAA Division I national wrestling champion at Penn State University, is coming off an impressive submission victory over veteran light heavyweight Tim Boetsch at UFC 123. With the win, his UFC record improved to 4-0.

Nogueira, who often goes by "Lil Nog", is the twin brother of Heavyweight legend Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. He was last seen in action at UFC 119, where he lost a unanimous decision to Ryan Bader.

Davis is considered a major prospect on the rise in the light heavyweight division. He was originally expected to face Matt Hamill at UFC 129, but Hamill was called upon to step in as a replacement for Thiago Silva at UFC 130 against Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.

Silva was pulled from the card due to a pending UFC 125 drug test. His urine was the only sample out of fourteen other fighters that didn't test clean for banned substances. The Nevada State Athletic Commission is in the process of undergoing tests for Silva's second sample. It could be weeks before the results are known, and the UFC didn't want to take any chances.

The pairing of Hamill and Jackson killed earlier rumors circulating about the possibility of a major grudge match between Jackson and fellow "TUF" Season 10 coach "Sugar" Rashad Evans.

Ortiz's exit from the Nogueira bout also affects Jason Brilz, who was slated to face Davis in Hamill's place. Many remember Brilz from his near upset over Nogueira at UFC 114. He is now forced to play the waiting game as the UFC scrambles to find him a new opponent.

UFC Fight Night: Nogueira vs. Davis will take place at the Key Arena in Seattle, Washington. Other scheduled bouts include a sure-fire standup war between Dan Hardy and Anthony Johnson and a "TUF" Season 12 Finale rematch between Nam Phan and Leonard Garcia.

(SportsHaze.com Original)