UFC 133, held at the Wells Fargo Centre in Philadelphia, USA, provided plenty of action for salivating fight fans.
The card’s main event saw the Tito Ortiz comeback train derailed, as the ‘Huntington Beach Bad Boy’ fell victim to a second round TKO at the hands of Rashad Evans in a light-heavyweight match-up.
After a successful takedown in the first stanza, it was all downhill for the 36-year-old Ortiz. The quicker Evans scored with numerous punches against the cage.
Though most of them were blocked, they served to weaken Ortiz’s spirit. A powerful slam and some ground-and-pound left Ortiz hurt and winded at the round’s conclusion.
A noticeably more conservative Ortiz, in a last-ditch attempt at victory, snared a guillotine choke in the second round. When this failed, Evans assumed a top position.
A knee to the sternum and some more ground-and-pound later, and the referee stopped the bout near the round’s end.
What’s next for Evans? A title shot against the winner of Jon Jones vs. ‘Rampage’ Jackson.
What’s next for Ortiz? With his comeback all but over, perhaps a swansong fight is in order so he can go out on a win.
The co-main event featured a man on a mission, as Vitor Belfort sought to erase the memory of his knockout loss to current middleweight champ Anderson Silva earlier this year.
He made significant progress by unleashing his patented blitz on Yoshiro Akiyama. The fight was over at just 1min 52secs, as a series of vicious rights and lefts left Akiyama face down and unconscious on the octagon floor.
What’s next for Belfort? His eyes are set on the winner of Silva – Okami, but maybe a tune-up fight is a better option.
What’s next for Akiyama? Three straight losses often results in dismissal by the Zuffa executives. If that doesn’t happen, then Akiyama will desperately need a victory in his next fight to stay in the UFC.
Other fights on the main card:
Welterweight: With his chest hair shaved into the shape of an arrow, Brian Ebersole finished erstwhile Matt Hughes conqueror Dennis Hallman in the first round.
Middleweight: Matt Serra teammate Constantinos Philippou scored a split decision over veteran Jorge Rivera.
Welterweight: Rising Canadian prospect Rory MacDonald stopped veteran Mike Pyle in the first round, earning himself a comparison to fellow Canuck Georges St. Pierre.
Jason Tulio
Roar Guru
Inspiring indeed! Shame to see him go. I was never a huge fan, but I always thought he had heaps of potential.
Tristan Rayner
Editor
Interesting that Matt Hammil has announced his retirement today: "Today is a sad day for me. After six years and 13 fights in the UFC I'm ready to hang up my gloves and retire from this amazing sport. The UFC has been extremely good to me and given me an opportunity to make a great living. That exposure has allowed me options outside the Octagon as well. I just don't have it in me to fight anymore and my last two performances have shown that. I was ready to make this decision after UFC 130 but my friends, family coaches and most importantly my daughter encouraged me to give it one last chance. My career has been plagued by injuries starting with The Ultimate Fighter and disrupted my training ever since. There hasn't been even one training camp where I've been able to train without training around an injury. I have not been kind to my body and it has nothing left after 28 years of non stop competition. It's time to finally give it a rest. I can't continue to fight without having the hunger and desire to do so. I can't let my performances reflect on my coaches who are the best in the world and the reason I've made it this far. I have fallen in love with the sport of Mixed Martial Arts and I will continue to coach at our gym Mohawk Valley MMA along side my teammates and help the next generation of fighters make it to the UFC. I also look forward to continuing my business ventures outside the UFC including "Hamill" the movie based on my life story set to be released this fall." Inspiring story.