UFC 133: 3 Definitive Reasons Why Rashad Evans Is a Lock To Defeat Tito Ortiz

Saturday night's UFC 133 event from the Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is sure to produce some surprise fireworks.

The fight card features a plethora of intriguing fights, but none more than the main event, which will see former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans taking on the Huntington Beach Bad Boy, Tito Ortiz.

Evans was originally scheduled to fight Phil Davis, but Davis was forced to pull out last month after suffering a knee injury.

Ortiz was called on as a replacement by UFC President Dana White and eventually agreed to the fight.

The two fought four summers ago, in July 2007, but neither fighter managed to separate themselves from the other, and the bout ended in a controversial draw, the only of each fighter's career.

On the eve of UFC 133, and the highly-anticipated Evans-Ortiz rematch, join Bleacher Report in breaking down the three biggest reasons why "Sugar" Rashad Evans has the edge.

Youth over Experience

Arguably the biggest advantage Rashad Evans has over Tito Ortiz in 2011, his youth.

At 31 years old, Evans is in his prime as a fighter, and Ortiz's 36 years, and 14 years in the UFC make Evans look like a spring chicken.

Ortiz has eight more fights under his belt, including two knockout losses to Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell.

Also, Ortiz's last fight came just last July, a win via submission over Ryan Bader at UFC 132.

Meanwhile, Evans hasn't fought since his victory via unanimous decision over Quinton "Rampage" Jackson in May 2010 (UFC 114).

Evans may be rusty early on, but if Ortiz fails to finish him off early, his chances will surely diminish.

Momentum

Although Rashad Evans hasn't fought in over a year, his most recent bouts have been successful ones.

Evans posted two consecutive decision wins over Thiago Silva and Quinton Jackson respectively in 2010, his last loss coming all the way back in 2009 to Lyoto Machida via a second-round knockout.

Before Ortiz's July win over Bader at UFC 132, the Huntington Beach Bad Boy had dropped four of five fights, the only non-loss being the July 2007 draw against Evans at UFC 73.

Before the Ryan Bader fight, you have to go back to 2006 to find Ortiz's last win, a knockout victory over Ken Shamrock in Hollywood, Florida.

Momentum is clearly on Evans' side even though he has been away from the Octagon for much longer than Ortiz.

Evans has winning momentum on his side, and Ortiz will no doubt struggle with a fighter of Evans' quality and caliber.

Versatility and Endurance

Though Tito Ortiz has eight more fights to his name than Rashad Evans, his fights have failed to always go the distance like many of Evans'.

Out of 25 career fights, 11 of Ortiz's have failed to make it to the second round, while only three of Evans' 17 bouts failed to do so.

June 2004 was the last time Evans ended a fight in the first round, while Ortiz's last three wins have all come in the first round.

Essentially, Evans has the versatility to go the distance in a fight and outlast his opponents, while Ortiz has recently relied on an early flurry or submission (UFC 132) to win him the fight.

The biggest difference between the two is simple.

Although it goes without saying and doesn't need to be repeated, I'll do so anyway, Ortiz is 36 years old and his time has passed.

Evans is one of the best fighters in the world, right now, and is a serious contender for the UFC light heavyweight crown.

Evans is and should be the favorite, regardless of how much lightning Ortiz captured in his bottle last July.

Patrick Clarke is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. Follow on Twitter @_Pat_Clarke