UFC 133 Preview

   UFC 133 takes place tonight at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
   Although the overall fight card is not attractive, this event does feature two interesting fights that could shake up the MMA world.
   This event has taken a beating due to injury.
   The original main event was expected to be light heavyweight champion Jon Jones against Rashad Evans. However, Jones pulled out because injury. Evans could have opted out of the main event as well, but decided to still fight. Jones' replacement was Phil Davis, but he later too pulled out because of injury. Lyoto Machida was expected to jump in and fight Evans, but because of money negation differences, that plan came up short. An unexpected "hero" jumped in and took the fight....Tito Ortiz.
  Expect a stand-up war in the co-headliner between Victor Belfort (MMA 19-9, UFC 8-5) and Yoshihiro Akiyama (MMA 13-3-2, UFC 1-2) in middleweight action. Both fighters have unpredictable knockout power that will make viewers watch in awe.
   Akiyama is on a two fight losing skid in the UFC, but all three of his fights for the organization have been voted as "fight of the night". He debuted at UFC 100 where he defeated Alan Belcher via split decision, but since has lost to Chris Leben and Michael Bisping, who are both excellent fights. Akiyama's battle  with Leben at UFC 116 was considered to be one of the best fights of 2010. Akiyama will put a show on against Belfort no matter what the final outcome is.
   Belfort is looking at this fight as the start on the road to win the UFC Middleweight Championship. He clashed with Anderson Sliva for the belt at UFC 126, but was shockingly knocked out in the first round after Silva unleashed a brutal step kick to Belfort's head. He is a UFC veteran with notable wins over Randy Couture, Rich Franklin, and Wanderlei Silva. Belfort has also fought Chuck Liddell, and Tito Ortiz, but was defeated. He specializes in the knockout game, but can win by submission if needed.
   Final Prediction: Belfort wins via TKO in Round 3. This fight is going to cause some serious fireworks. Expect blood, lots of punches, and just a fantastic fight. Belfort has the experience, the knockout power, and just the desire to win, so I give him the edge on this one. Very likely to be "Fight of the Night".
   The fight I have been waiting for is defentily the main event between light heavyweights Rashad Evans (MMA 15-1-1, UFC 10-1-1) and Tito Ortiz (MMA 16-8-1, UFC 15-8-1).
   Evans, who is the number one contender for the light heavyweight title, has everything to lose in this fight. He is predicted by many to win this fight easily even though he has not fought in over a year. Evans has stellar knockout power and the endurance to win by decision which makes him a tough fighter to face. He has notable wins over Forest Griffin (won the UFC Light heavyweight Championship), Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Chuck Liddell, Michael Bisping, and Thiago Silva. Evans has lost one fight in his career which was in his title defense at UFC 98 against Lyoto Machida. Rashad Evans is a talented fighter to say the least, but he is not the story of this fight.
   For Tito Ortiz, this fight is another challenge on the way to an "impossible" comeback. From December of 2006 up to October of 2010, Ortiz lost five fights in a row, and was told by many to call it quits and retire. A legal issue with girlfriend Jenna Jamison did not help matters. However last month against Ryan Bader at UFC 132, Ortiz did the unthinkable. He submitted Bader in the first round. Ortiz practically fought for his career as it was stated that he would have been released from the company with a loss.Since, Ortiz has been considered to be a hero and has changed his image which brought in new fans. He says he is in the best shape of his life and can win against anybody; but can it be done tonight?
   It very well could.
   Ortiz is best when he can wrestle and try submissions, but you cannot underestimate his knockout ability. He has an unbelievable resume defeating Belfort, Forrest Griffin, Ken Shamrock, Wanderlei Silva, and Evan Tanner, but all of those wins were said to be during his "prime".  
  Final Prediction: Do not expect this fight to go the distance because it wont. I expect a fighter to be finished, and probably not the fighter you expect. Ortiz wins in round two via submission.
   Yes, I predict it.
    You can never doubt the underdog, and that is obviously what Ortiz is. Its just weird that he looked so good against Bader, and the fact that he is now fighting again just a month after shows he will still be in fighter mode and in that great shape he says he is in. He has nothing to lose in his fight, so he should be relaxed, focused, and ready to shock the MMA world once again.