Phil Davis Out Of UFC 133

By Raphael Garcia

Mixed martial arts news outlets have dropped an injury bomb on yet another UFC event, as light heavyweight prospect Phil Davis has apparently been forced out of his main event matchup against Rashad Evans at UFC 133.

While not yet confirmed by the UFC, multiple outlets, including ESPN are reporting that Davis is out of the matchup. With a little less than a month before the card, finding a high level replacement is a very daunting task. Reports have been widely circulated that both Lyoto Machida and Tito Ortiz have been approached about taking this fight against Evans. Ortiz has already responded with a “no” to the request and left a comment on his Twitter account in reference to why:

“I have a life and things to take care of. The fight game is about making the right choices of my career,” Ortiz tweeted. “If you knew what I have been going through you all would understand. Peaking for a fight is what makes a fighter unstoppable! Timing is everything in life. This is a rebuild year for me not do or die. The time will come again!”

Ortiz and Evans faced off at UFC 73 in 2007 in a fight that ended in a draw. Ortiz was up on the score cards until he was docked a point for continuously grabbing onto the cage. Fresh off of a stunning submission of Ryan Bader at UFC 132, this fight could have been a major push to bring Ortiz back to the title picture from a point where many thought his career was nearing the end.

Machida was also rumored to be a replacement for this fight, but that has yet to be confirmed. Machida also has history with Evans, as he won the light heavyweight championship when he knocked Evans out in 2009 at UFC 98. Since that time he has dropped the title, and though coming off a win, is still looking to revitalize his career after suffering two straight losses.

The UFC is in a very tough predicament due to the fact that this event is set to occur in Philadelphia in just 24 days. Machida and Ortiz would have been ideal replacements due to their back stories with Evans and the fact that they are both coming off of highlight reel wins. Looking at the card, no other fight truly has the drawing power to be elevated to the main event. It will be very interesting to see how the UFC rectifies this situation, if that is even possible.