August 7, 2011 – The Rocky story was not to be for Tito Ortiz as a reinvigorated Rashad Evans sent the Cinderella Man packing with a steady dose of ground-and-pound. Coming off a year-and-a-half layoff, Evans proved to the world why he should be considered the number-one contender at 205 by showcasing improved boxing and a relentless pace that had him dominating the overmatched Ortiz. In the end it was a brutal knee to the solar plexus that knocked the air out of his opponent for good that got the TKO win for Evans. With this, he now awaits the winner of Jon Jones v. Rampage Jackson at UFC 135 for a shot to gain back the title he lost over two years ago.
In the co-main event of the evening, Vitor Belfort had a chance to scream “I’m back” once again after summarily dispatching of Yoshiro Akiyama by TKO in round one of their bout. It was a short night for the Japanese superstar as Vitor made him pay after an attempted front snap kick attempt ala Anderson Silva. From there Belfort charged forward with a barrage of punches that brought back images of the eighteen-year-old that blazed onto the scene way back at UFC 12. With this win Vitor now sets himself up for another run at the middleweight title.Time will tell who is next for Vitor on his way back up but the winner of Chael Sonnen versus Brian Stann (UFC 136: Houston) would certainly make for another exciting matchup and potential title eliminator.
Elsewhere on the main card, Rory MacDonald validated his status as one of the top young prospects in the world by simply walking through veteran Mike Pyle quickly in round one. The fight saw MacDonald showcasing his skillset standing, on the ground, and in transition before some big shots from within his opponent’s guard saw Pyle crumble. His performance was so impressive that it had announcer Joe Rogan proclaiming he might ultimately end up even better than his countryman Georges St. Pierre. Big praise for this kid and he definitely has a bright future in the welterweight division.
In other notable performances, Brian Ebersole put a quick end to the panty-wearing Dennis Hallman’s night via TKO in the first round while light-heavyweight prospect Alexander Gustafsson put away Matt Hammil via TKO in round 2. Chad Mendes continued his march towards a possible 145 title shot down the road by beating Rani Yahya and Texas’ own Johny Hendricks got by his most recent challenge by taking out the tough Mike Pierce via decision.
UFC 133 – QUICK RESULTS
Rashad Evans beat Tito Ortiz by TKO (Strikes) Round 2
Vitor Belfort beat Yoshihiro Akiyama by TKO (Strikes) Round 1
Constantinos Philipou beat Jorge Rivera by Split Decision
Brian Ebersole beat Dennis Hallman by TKO (Strikes) Round 1
Rory MacDonald beat Mike Pyle by TKO (Strikes) Round 1
Alexander Gustafsson beat Matt Hamill by TKO (Strikes) Round 2
Chad Mendes beat Rani Yahya by Unanimous Decision
Ivan Menjivar beat Nick Pace by unanimous decision
Johny Hendricks beat Mike Pierce by split decision
Mike Brown beat Nam Phan by unanimous decision
Rafael Natal beat Paul Bradley by unanimous decision
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