UFC 133 Results: What's Next for the Winners

Rashad Evans 2.0 must be impervious to ring rust.

After a 13-month layoff, the former light heavyweight champion returned at UFC 133 to face former adversary and MMA legend Tito Ortiz.

This bout was nothing like the first time these two met in July 2007 at UFC 73, where the fight was deemed a draw after a point was deducted from Ortiz for grabbing the fence in the second round.

A more experienced Evans throttled Ortiz from start to finish with strong offensive wrestling and slick punching combinations in the pocket. The ref was forced to call a halt to the action in the second round when Evans landed a vicious knee to the body that crumpled a grounded Ortiz.

"Sugar" wasn't the only fighter at UFC 133 enjoying the sweetness of a hard fought victory. Vitor Belfort bounced back from a highlight reel knockout loss to Anderson Silva with a spectacular finish of his own over Yoshihiro Akiyama

What's next for the main card winners?

While Evans' path is already set, there are four other fighters that provide UFC matchmaker Joe Silva with a multitude of interesting options.

Here's what to look forward to in regards to the future of the UFC 133 winners.

Rashad Evans Defeats Tito Ortiz by Round 2 TKO Stoppage

At this point in his career, a win over Tito Ortiz doesn't say much for Rashad Evans' position in the light heavyweight division, but a stoppage commands attention.

Ortiz's performance has nosedived in recent years, but he has always been incredibly difficult to finish.

While world class names like Chuck Liddell, Lyoto Machida and Forrest Griffin struggled to put Ortiz away, Evans kept the pressure on the future Hall of Famer and earned the second round stoppage at 4:48.

Now, the stage is set for Evans to face former teammate Jon Jones or nemesis Quinton "Rampage" Jackson for the UFC title.

Rashad Evans 2.0 may be in full effect, but he'll have his hands full with whoever walks out the victor of Jones versus Rampage, which is set for UFC 135.

Vitor Belfort Defeats Yoshihiro Akiyama by Round 1 KO

Vitor Belfort can finally put the Steven Seagal kick behind him.

In vintage fashion, "The Phenom" swarmed Yoshihiro Akiyama with a wave of punches that put the Japanese Judoka cold at 1:54 of the first round.

Is this victory enough to catapult Belfort back to the front of the line for another middleweight title shot?

It's definitely an option for the UFC considering how quickly Belfort's first bout with Silva played out. If Silva gets past Yushin Okami on August 27, another bout with Belfort would be intriguing, but there are other challengers waiting in the wings as well.

Chael Sonnen, Mark Munoz and Brian Stann could all make a case for a title shot with impressive wins in their next outings.

If Belfort is denied a title shot, look for him to be paired with one of these top contenders.

Brian Ebersole Defeats Dennis Hallman by Round 1 TKO Stoppage

Kudos to Brian Ebersole for not running in the opposite direction when Dennis Hallman revealed that he would actually be competing in a blue man thong.

Despite the light-hearted atmosphere, both veterans were all business when the cage door closed.

Hallman found himself in a great position right out the gates after securing Ebersole's back and working for a rear naked choke.

Ebersole, an 11-year veteran of the sport, showcased a tremendous amount of experience in his ability to fend off Hallman and escape from a bad position. Once out, it was Ebersole's turn to demonstrate some ground work of his own.

After putting Hallman on his back, Ebersole unleashed a vicious barrage of elbows on the Washington native that forced the ref to step in and call a halt to the action at 4:28 of the first round.

Aside from the possibility of appearing as a guest on Fear Factor, Ebersole's next UFC outing could be against Dong Hyun Kim or Matt Brown.

Constantinos Philippou Defeats Jorge Rivera by Split Decision

It's a bit confusing as to how Constantinos Philippou's slop-fest with Jorge Rivera ever made the main card in the first place.

After a three round "war of atrocious," Philippou was awarded the split decision.

Despite his performance, it was a major victory for "Cyprus," who picked up his first UFC victory over a highly-respected MMA veteran.

The future could be bright for Philippou as long as he continues to improve his striking, ground game and conditioning.

He has the hard-nosed striking style that fans generally enjoy seeing.

As for his next opponent, Philippou could find himself face to face with the likes of Wanderlei Silva or Alessio Sakara.

Rory MacDonald Defeats Mike Pyle by Round 1 TKO Stoppage

If there were any questions regarding Rory MacDonald's potential to be a future welterweight contender, they were certainly put to rest on Saturday night.

Coming off a unanimous decision victory over Nate Diaz at UFC 129, MacDonald continued to impress with a devastating first round TKO stoppage over wily veteran Mike Pyle.

As far as highly-touted MMA prospects are concerned, MacDonald ranks up there with UFC light heavyweight Phil Davis when considering potential.

He trains at Tristar gym alongside UFC champion Georges St-Pierre, but the Canadians could be on a collision course if MacDonald keeps impressing.

In the mean time, Rick Story and Mike Pierce would both make for interesting opponents.