The Aftermath of UFC 133

   Another UFC Fight card came and went this weekend as UFC 133 occurred at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, last night.
   The main card in general was very exciting to watch, but it was the co-main event between Victor Belfort and Yoshihiro Akiyama and the main event between Tito Ortiz and Rashad Evans that brought the most buzz.
   Beflort defeated Akiyama via first round KO in a middleweight bout.
   Evans defeated Ortiz via second round TKO in light heavyweight action.
     So what do these results mean to these four fighters, and more importantly the MMA world?

Akiyama

   Yoshihiro Akiyama (MMA 13-4-2, UFC 1-3)- The loss to Belfort marks the third consecutive loss for Akiyama in his UFC career. Usually three losses in a row in any organization (but especially the UFC) means an automatic cut, but I really hope that is not the case for Akiyama. He puts on a show every time he fights, and any fan of the sport has to respect that. It is not like he just lays on the ground for three rounds, he is active, throws punches, but at the same time, takes them. That is just part of the sport. Rumors have been that if Akiyama decides to drop to 170 (welterweight), he will not be cut. That would be the perfect move for him, not only because he would still have a job, but I think Akiyama would find a lot of success in that division. He would be one of the stronger fighters, so if his punch power would be even more deadly than it is already. Akiyama has strong stamina as it is, so even against lighter and quicker opponents, Akiyama would not have an instant disadvantage. He would not go right in and be the number one contender for the title if he won one fight at welterweight, so I could see him fighting the loser of the Dan Hardy-Chris Lytle fight, which is slated to be August 14. This would be an entertaining fight that would help give Akiyama the experience he needs to be successful at welterweight.

Belfort

   Victor Belfort (MMA 20-9, UFC 9-4)-Belfort's quick work of Akiyama puts him right back in the middleweight title talk. Many had no idea on Belfort's future after he took a quick beating against Anderson Silva at UFC 126 for the title. His performance against Akiyama however, shut up critics and put his career right on track. I do not think Belfort deserves a shot at the title right away, because his performance against Silva the first time was nothing special. He is definitely a top contender for a title shot, but you could say the same for Brian Stann and Chael Sonnen who are matched up for UFC 136. Belfort should then take on the winner of this fight to see who the real number one contender is. Victor Belfort is one of the great middleweights in the world, but he still has a lot of work to do if he wants to become the best.

Evans

   Rashad Evans (MMA 16-1-1, UFC 11-1-1)- Evans took care of business at UFC 133 to remain the number one contender for Jon Jones' UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. Even after not fighting for 14 months, Evans looked good and beat a motivated combatant in Tito Ortiz. Evans looked as if he did not experience ring rust at all. His timing was solid, his punches were crisp, and wrestling looked outstanding. Not to mention his will to win. I was astonished when Evans not only broke away from Ortiz's guillotine attempt, but immediately after he took control and put the fight back in his control. I also loved that Evans realized he had a prime opportunity to finish Ortiz and he did with a stellar knee to the stomach, it was a perfect way to show that he is back. I have not seen a performance like this from Evans in a long time, he looked outstanding. Maybe parting ways with trainer Greg Jackson was the best move for him. Jon Jones is the best fighter in the light heavyweight division, but if Evans has the same mindset going to the fight with Jones (When Jones defeats Rampage Jackson at UFC 135), as he did against Ortiz, Evans could possibly win his second UFC Light Heavyweight Title.

Ortiz

   Tito Ortiz (MMA 16-9-1, UFC 15-9-1)- I was really pulling for Tito in this one. The fact that he did not win a fight for five years (while dealing with legal problems) until he upset Ryan Bader was a story in itself. The way fans could tell how happy and excited Tito was to win again just made it better. Since then he truly has been "The People's Champ", and if he would have beat Evans that would have been HUGE. I cannot even being to explain how shocking that would have been. Ortiz may not have gotten the win in this one, but I can easily say that Tito Ortiz is back. Ortiz held off an early surge by Evans, blocked the majority of his punches in the fight, and used some knees that you could tell really hurt him. What impressed me as well was that Tito did not look too bad on his back. He pulled off two submission attempts that I was for sure he was going to get the win by. The guillotine attempt he had was soooooooRua in late August, Tito vs Forrest III could possibly happen and that would be a "mega" fight. Lyoto Machida also has not scheduled a fight for anytime soon, and a rematch with him would also be interesting. Regardless of who he fights, Tito Ortiz will be a threat and can beat whoever he is against. He proved this against Evans.