I guess we've gotten spoiled by the UFC's aggressive growth over the past few years, because it's been about a month since UFC 132 and it feels like a lifetime. We made it, though, and Saturday night we'll be treated to what I would consider a "sleeper" card in UFC 133.
Headlining the event is a light heavyweight re-match between former division champs, Tito Ortiz and Rashad Evans. This fight intrigues me for several reasons. For one thing, both fighters polarize MMA fans. For the most part, you either love them or hate them. It's going to be interesting to see which one, if either, is able to earn the fans' support inside the arena.
Coming off of his big submission victory over Ryan Bader, Tito sounds like a refreshed fighter with a new lease on life. One has to wonder if he can duplicate that success against Evans, who is undoubtedly more well-rounded and tested than Bader. As far as Evans goes, I'm really curious to see how his new training camp pays off. He left Greg Jackson's due to the awkwardness of being in the same camp with Jon Jones, the current division champion. He's started a new camp with new training partners and coaches. All of the components of his new team are very good, but it's hard to imagine it being a step up from Jackson's, which you could make a very good case for being the best in the sport.
Other highlights of the UFC 133 card are a middleweight scrap between Vitor Belfort and Yoshihiro Akiyama, a featherweight bout between undefeated Chad Mendes and Rani Yahya, plus another featherweight match-up featuring former WEC champ, Mike Brown and "Ultimate Fighter" alumni, Nam Phan. Don't sleep on Rory MacDonald either. He's coming off of a huge win over Nate Diaz and facing Mike Pyle on Saturday.
To get you ready for the fights, the video player before is loaded with content, including interviews with fighters and analysis from the experts. You can also watch the weigh-ins and press conference live, as they take place. The schedule for live events is below, but you can watch all of the other content at your convenience.
UFC® 133 EVANS vs. ORTIZ
“Suga” Rashad Evans gets a rematch against rival Tito Ortiz as they look to settle the score from their 2007 draw. Plus, “The Phenom,” Vitor Belfort, collides with the king of the Fight of the Night award, Yoshihiro Akiyama. UFC 133: Evans vs. Ortiz – Saturday, August 6th, live on Pay-Per-View from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA.
Thursday 8.4.2011
UFC® 133 EVANS vs. ORTIZ Pre-Fight Press Conference – Independence Visitors Center Philadelphia, PA
LIVE STREAM: 1:00pm ET (10:00 am PT)
Friday 8.5.2011
UFC® 133 EVANS vs. ORTIZ Fight Club Q & A – Wells Fargo Center Philadelphia, PA
LIVE STREAM: 2:00pm ET (11:00 am PT)
UFC® 133 EVANS vs. ORTIZ Official Weigh-In – Wells Fargo Center Philadelphia, PA
LIVE STREAM: 4:00pm ET (1:00pm PT)
Saturday 8.6.2011
EVENT NIGHT
UFC® 133 EVANS vs. ORTIZ Post Fight Press Conference – Wells Fargo Center Philadelphia, PA
LIVE STREAM: Approximately 12:15pm ET (9:15 PT)
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