Predictions for UFC 133: Rashad Evans vs. Tito Ortiz

UFC 133 comes to us live on pay-per-view Saturday, August 6, 2011 from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.  The card has seen many changes which led to a surprising main event. 

Tito Ortiz, who not long ago was on the verge of being cut from the UFC, pulled off a bit of an upset in defeating Ryan Bader at UFC 132.  Well, Tito’s back and in the main event, perhaps a win or two away from a title shot. 

The main card is decent and could have a couple of great fights.  I wish Rich Franklin was still on the card as that would make it a little more entertaining. Here we go with picks:

 
Rory MacDonald vs. Mike Pyle (Welterweight Bout)

This has Fight of the Night written all over it. These are two guys who will get after it from bell to bell. Both fighters are well-rounded and will push the pace. I think Pyle is a very good fighter, but MacDonald has been very impressive and looks like he’s on his way to becoming a legit contender.

My Pick: Rory MacDonald via decision.

 
Jorge Rivera vs. Costantinos Philippou (Middleweight Bout)

This is a fight put together last minute due to injury so neither has had much time to put together a specific game plan. That means they’ll just rely on instinct which should make for a good show. I think they’ll come out and bang. I don’t see a lot of damage being done by either and I think it goes the distance. I’m going to go with the upset here.

My Pick: Costantinos Philippou via decision.

 
Dennis Hallman vs. Brian Ebersole (Welterweight Bout)

Both of these fighters have tons of experience with over 60 fights a piece. Neither are great on their feet but each is skilled on the ground. I think this fight has a lot of clinching and gets fairly boring. I look for Ebersole to be a little more aggressive to win on points.

My Pick: Brian Ebersole via decision.

 
Vitor Belfort vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama (Middleweight Bout)

I think this is a huge mismatch.  While Akiyama has shown he can take shots, Belfort will bombard him with shots and finish him early.  I can’t see Akiyama lasting long against the superior talent of Vitor Belfort.  Vitor is back and ready for a big challenge in his next fight, perhaps Anderson Silva?

My Pick: Vitor Belfort via TKO in Round 1.

 
Rashad Evans vs. Tito Ortiz (Light Heavyweight Bout)

These two fought to a draw at UFC 73…yeah, a long time ago.  Rashad is much better now than he was back then while Tito is the about the same, just more experienced.  Speaking of experience, Tito will make his 25th trip inside the Octagon, a UFC record with this fight.  That’s impressive. 

I think Tito will be competitive in this fight.  I think he’s the measuring stick in the light heavyweight division.  If you beat Tito, you’re going to have a good career in the UFC, if you don’t, you might want to pick another line of work. 

Rashad has taken his fight game to a different level with Greg Jackson.  He’s more dynamic and seems at ease in any situation he finds himself inside the cage. 

Tito is a very balanced fighter and will look for his classic ground and pound.  I think he’ll have trouble getting Rashad to the ground.  I think this fight happens with both men on their feet.  Rashad has better striking and should be headed for a title shot.

My Pick:  Rashad Evans via decision.