UFC 133 Rashad Evans Vs. Tito Ortiz Odds Prediction

The announcement that Rashad Evans would instead fight Tito Ortiz for a second time as opposed to Phil Davis at UFC 133 caught many off-guard.

But now that the odds favorite Evans is focused on fighting Ortiz in Philadelphia, predictions of an Ortiz upset have started to trickle out on social networking sites among MMA fans.

Does Ortiz really have a good shot of knocking off the title contender Evans despite his recent career nosedive? Many think it could be true after he scored a submission win over Ryan Bader by guillotine at UFC 132.

Also, Ortiz has a ton of momentum on his side and he seems to match up well with Evans, who he fought to a a draw in July 2007 in their first meeting.

Evans, the likely odds favorite coming in, is an excellent knockout artist who can land a big shot and then secure decision wins using his wrestling, but he has a hard time putting combinations together consistently. His wrestling is a big advantage over most but Ortiz has the wrestling skill to negate that as well as the strength to match him.

That means this could come down to a striking contest, if the fans get their wish, that is. The first fight was anything but a crowd pleaser as the two essentially wrestled and clinched for most of the fight with neither man gaining the upper hand.

Rashad was young and fairly raw back then, however, and he has improved a great deal as a fighter and even as an athlete.

Ortiz also has battled injuries and seems to be finally healthy, however, making this a very intriguing fight. Evans is anything but a crowd favorite, however Ortiz has a more people against him in general because of his brashness. His "grave digger" celebration in his win over Ryan Bader was well received by some but hated by many others. However, the momentum and the allure of his comeback story could be enough to get the Philadelphia crowd behind him.

In the end, the pick here is that Ortiz will eat a big right hand and Evans will pounce on him, injuring him badly. Ortiz's momentum won't be enough in this one, it seems, as Evans is a smart fighter with some of the best game plans in MMA.

Prediction for Ortiz vs. Evans at UFC 133: Evans, the likely betting odds favorite, wins by unanimous decision and brings home a main event win.