Tito Ortiz to fight in Philly at UFC 133

A few weeks ago, Tito Ortiz was one loss away from losing his job with the UFC.

After a stunning win and a fortunate twist of events, the veteran mixed martial arts star improbably is a UFC headliner again.

Just five weeks after Ortiz revitalized his career by stopping top prospect Ryan Bader, he'll fight Rashad Evans in the main event at UFC 133 in Philadelphia on Aug. 6, UFC president Dana White confirmed Thursday.

"I respect Tito for stepping up and taking this fight," said White, whose protracted feud with his former managerial client was resolved a couple of years ago. "I like dealing with this new Tito Ortiz."

With less than four weeks to prepare, Ortiz (16-8-1) will take on Evans (15-1-1), the top contender for the light heavyweight belt Ortiz held for more than three years during the UFC's growing years.

"I'm an average man with a monster heart," Ortiz tweeted. "UFC asked me for my help and I'm here for them. Just want to show my true character by stepping up. Lets go!"

Ortiz, the self-proclaimed "Huntington Beach Bad Boy," is one of MMA's first major stars. He led his nascent sport toward the mainstream alongside Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell for a decade, but Ortiz quickly became more famous for being famous, with his celebrity outstripping his ring accomplishments.

His tumultuous relationship with former porn star Jenna Jameson has attracted more attention than his fighting skills in recent years, and his feuds with White and the UFC didn't help. Until July 2, Ortiz hadn't won a fight since October 2006, and his meeting with Bader at UFC 132 was widely expected to be his farewell to the promotion.

"I'll be honest, I thought that was going to be Tito's last fight," said White, who planned to release Ortiz from his UFC contract if he lost. "I thought Bader was going to win that fight. I thought Tito was going to retire after that."

Instead, Ortiz caught Bader with a sneaky right hand in the first round, staggering Bader and eventually submitting his younger opponent with a guillotine choke. While the stunned Las Vegas crowd cheered, Ortiz celebrated with the same outlandish flair he showed a half-decade earlier, doing a pantomime of dragging a body into a grave and burying it.

Evans hasn't fought in 14 months, but he's expected to get the next shot at UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones' belt -- if he beats Ortiz, and if Jones beats Rampage Jackson this fall.

Evans and Jones initially were slated to meet in Philadelphia, but Jones dropped out to rest an injured hand.

Evans then was scheduled to fight up-and-coming light heavyweight Phil Davis, but White learned last week that Davis injured his knee in training camp. Although Davis wanted to fight through the undisclosed injury, the UFC determined he couldn't be ready in time for the bout.

White's first call went to Ortiz, who initially said he couldn't be ready in time. White then called former champion Lyoto Machida of Brazil, who had been badgering White for a major fight since stopping Couture earlier this year.

White said Machida accepted the fight, but his camp then called back demanding "Anderson Silva money," referring to the top-dollar salary made by middleweight titleholder Silva, the pound-for-pound champion who hasn't lost a fight in 5 years.

The strongarm tactics didn't work well with White.

"I don't even know how to put a word on that," White said. "People lose their minds sometimes, people get crazy. Maybe Machida's camp did that, and he doesn't know. He knows now. ... It's completely out of the ordinary. It's the last thing I expected from him."

Middleweights Chael Sonnen and Chris Leben also called to lobby for the fight, but White got a call back from Ortiz, who had reconsidered.

White is curious to see how Ortiz's name on top of a card impacts pay-per-view sales, and he's grateful to have a healthy bridge to the UFC's past. Liddell and Couture are both retired after brutal late-career losses, but Ortiz never took a serious beating during his losing streak -- and even his attitude has improved.

"He was a guy who went the other way, never worked with us, was always causing problems, and would step over dollars to pick up dimes," White said. "Now, he's not only this guy who is easy to deal with, but is helping us. I wish I had this Tito Ortiz seven years ago."

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