Despite the rumors and stories to the contrary yesterday, Lyoto Machida did not in fact take the fight with Rashad Evans at UFC 133.  Instead it will be Tito Ortiz who steps into the main event of UFC 133 to face Evans and try and get himself back in the title picture.

Well, what a difference a couple of weeks make.  Two weeks ago Tito Ortiz was going into UFC 132 with his career on the line.  He was told win or go home.  Now, after defeating Ryan Bader by Submission, he’s stepping into the main event of UFC 133 to take on number one contender, Rashad Evans.

Dana White confirmed the news via his twitter account saying, “Get ready philly for Rashad Evans vs Tito Ortiz!!! Aug 6th LIVE on PPV at the Wells Fargo Center!!!!!!”  This is really exciting news for fight fans and fans of Tito Ortiz.

Dana went on to add that Tito was no longer on the hot seat career wise and he’d remain in the UFC win or lose at UFC 133.  Furthermore Dana reported that Tito would be “In the mix” with a victory over Rashad Evans.  So it seems like with a win over Evans, Tito could be one fight away from a title shot and the ability to once again wear the Light Heavyweight championship belt.

Other interesting news coming today came from MMA Junkie, in the form that Dana White said Lyoto Machida agreed to take the fight, but asked for more money after the agreement.  In fact Dana was quoted as saying Machida asked for “Anderson Silva money”, and was flatly turned down.  How this development will affect Lyoto’s relationship with the UFC will remain to be seen.

Stay tuned to MMA Valor for any additional news on UFC 133.

Related Posts:

• Tito Ortiz to Face Ryan Bader at UFC 132
• Tito Ortiz: Winless in four and half years, but still three fights from a title shot?
• The Main Event: Ortiz vs. Griffin 2
• Could another Run be in Tito Ortiz’s future?
• Tito Ortiz in the hospital, Jenna miscarried.

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