Machida NOT Accepting Fight With Rashad. Main Event For 133 Unknown

[kmdubya]

rashad is the best at 205 hands down.machida is scared because he knows that rashad will use his wrestling this time around.

The last time he fought Machida, he was hands, feet, and face down.

(Boom. Self high five)

[thesox0311]

Tito just tweeted "only for the UFC"....so hes in! Some balls on him taking this fight.

[thesox0311]

Still think Evans dominates him..

[sportsfanatic]

tito's going to make some big money win or lose. he's not getting any younger and this might be his last chance at a title shot if he beats evans.

[sportsfanatic]

the first fight was pretty close but evans has improved a lot since then. i wonder what the odds will be.

[bogbat]

I don't blame Machida for not taking the fight with Rashad. It would be very hard to top his finish from their first fight.

[sportsfanatic]

no lose situation for tito really. big pay day and if he loses to the #1 contender, it'll be because he only had 3 weeks to train.

[bogbat]

New story up on MMA Junkie about the Machida situation:

White: Machida reneged on UFC 133 committment; Ortiz's job no longer on line

by John Morgan on Jul 13, 2011 at 8:20 pm ET


According to UFC president Dana White, Tito Ortiz wasn't the only light heavyweight to have a recent change of heart.

White today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that Lyoto Machida initially agreed to replace Phil Davis and fight Rashad Evans at UFC 133 before balking and demanding "Anderson Silva money" to step in on short notice.

Instead, Tito Ortiz agreed to take the bout, and White said he earned himself a reprieve – and possibly a big rankings jump in the 205-pound division – by stepping after initially deciding against a quick return to action.

"Machida accepted the fight," White told MMAjunkie.com. "We knew for a couple days this was going down, and Machida accepted the fight. Then when we called back and said, 'OK, we're going to make this fight,' Machida's people came back and said, 'We'll tell you what. You pay us what you pay Anderson Silva, and we'll take the fight.' This was after they had already agreed to take the fight.

"I said, 'Are you [expletive] kidding me? I'll tell you what. You tell Machida he achieves what [expletive] Anderson Silva has achieved, then maybe he'll make Anderson Silva money. Have a nice day.'"

According to White, Machida's camp made it clear there was no fear or concern in the matchup. Instead, their strategy all came down to financial promises.

"They said, 'Machida will fly out there tomorrow if you pay him what you pay Anderson Silva,'" White said. "They said they do the deal, then I call back to make it and what's what they said."

White admitted he was frustrated at the surprising turn of events. With many top light heavyweights currently booked for high-profile fights, the UFC appeared to have few options for the UFC 133 main event, but Ortiz re-entered the picture shortly after declining the fight.

"Tito turned it down, and then Tito called back and said, 'Did you get the fight yet?'" White said. "I said, 'Nope.' He goes, 'Let me think about it. Let me talk to my team, and I'll call you back tomorrow.' This was Tuesday night."

And though Ortiz today told MMAjunkie.com he was comfortable remaining on the sidelines, he called White and said he was ready to compete.

"I think it's a big fight for Tito," White said. "I think he's got a lot of momentum after winning that last fight. Evans was in line for a shot. Tito is now fighting a guy he went to a draw with and who hasn't fought in a year-and-a-half."

And while White openly admitted prior to Ortiz's UFC 132 contest that a loss would mean his release from the UFC, the UFC boss said that will not be the case at UFC 133. In fact, not only is Ortiz's career not on the line – he may actually find himself in title-shot discussions should he upset Evans.

"[Expletive] right, he gets a break," White said. "Tito stepped up to the plate. It's [expletive] weird here. It's like I'm dealing with a new person. I like it. I like the new Tito.

"The storyline is what's so interesting. Tito went from 'You're about to be cut,' to now, if he beats Rashad Evans, he's back in the mix. He's back in the picture."

White said a timetable for Davis' return has yet to be established, but the injuries that forced him out of the bout were not serious in nature.

UFC 133 takes place Aug. 6 at Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Center. The evening's main card airs on pay-per-view.

For the latest on UFC 133, stay to tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

[Nick The Greek]

Wow. Gotta give props to Tito for stepping up here. Can't wait to see what the line will be.

[sportsfanatic]

can't really blame machida. tito's going to make way more than him even when he loses.

[v1y]

Honestly, it's tough to blame machida for playing hard ball being asked to take such a big fight on short notice, but it can't be too good for him in the ufc's books.

also, machida reportedly got paid 200k in his last fight as a base salary (not including his ko bonus)
anderson silva reportedly got paid 200k in his last fight as a base salary

just goes to show there's no way in hell the ufc champs are getting paid anywhere close to what's reported.

[sportsfanatic]

Honestly, it's tough to blame machida for playing hard ball being asked to take such a big fight on short notice, but it can't be too good for him in the ufc's books.

also, machida reportedly got paid 200k in his last fight as a base salary (not including his ko bonus)
anderson silva reportedly got paid 200k in his last fight as a base salary

just goes to show there's no way in hell the ufc champs are getting paid anywhere close to what's reported.

the better fighter does not always get the better pay that's for sure. branding and name recognition might even be more important. brock is the highest brand name the ufc has. he deserves the pay though cause he draws crazy PPV numbers.

[koscheckbaby]

Honestly, it's tough to blame machida for playing hard ball being asked to take such a big fight on short notice, but it can't be too good for him in the ufc's books.

also, machida reportedly got paid 200k in his last fight as a base salary (not including his ko bonus)
anderson silva reportedly got paid 200k in his last fight as a base salary

just goes to show there's no way in hell the ufc champs are getting paid anywhere close to what's reported.

I thought most the established champs get PPV percentages. I think Silva gets like a buck for every PPV sold or more. Even non champs like Franklin, Forrest, Couture, and Penn are on that scale, I believe, which is why they are always on PPV cards.

Machida probably was on his way to being on that scale until he lost to Shogun.

[sportsfanatic]

i wonder who machida's next opponent will be?

bader? griffin? franklin? rua rubber match? mr. wonderful? maybe even a jackson rematch if he loses to jones.

[Wrecked]

i wonder who machida's next opponent will be?

bader? griffin? franklin? rua rubber match? mr. wonderful? maybe even a jackson rematch if he loses to jones.

I'd guess Phil Davis.

[Shafted69]

Machida is going to destroy this guy.

Rashard will never get a chance to fight Jones lololol.

[bogbat]

I don't blame Machida's management for asking for more cash for a short notice fight vs an opponent he already beat but I think Dana's issue was that he asked for more money after he already agreed to fight and not before.

[Kaladarus]

Tito will probably make like a million dollars for fighting Rashad. Machida is a better fight for the fans. Dana should have given him a few dollars more. Would have probably been better to just scrap this fight and let Rashad fight Jones. The only thing this fight does for the big picture is give Tito a free shot at making it up there. Based on the odds this fight will probably reach, 80% of the time this fight is pointless.

[freelee]

probably smart by Machida not much for him to gain by taking this fight

[jin2daj]

wow if tito wins he's going to be getting a title shot for sure. he has 0 shot of beating jones (and prob shad) but wow how crazy would it be if tito managed to win the title again?

that would be an amazing story. there would be movies about that made in the future.

[kmdubya]

wow if tito wins he's going to be getting a title shot for sure.

Dana has already confirmed otherwise. No title shot if he wins, but he'll be in contention.

how crazy would it be if tito managed to win the title again?

that would be an amazing story. there would be movies about that made in the future.

Now where are they going to find an actor with a melon like that to match Tito's? Tom Cruize would need to get skull implants.

[Vaughany]

Dana has already confirmed otherwise. No title shot if he wins, but he'll be in contention.



Now where are they going to find an actor with a melon like that to match Tito's? Tom Cruize would need to get skull implants.

Vin Diesel

[panik]

Smart move since he knows he would lose anyways.

[cheeese]

For 250,000 I would fight.

[GunShard]

I think Ortiz will crash and burn after this fight. Like Lidell's last fights.

[spargament]

This is fairly sound logic on Tito's part, he'll probably never be in better shape for the rest of his life, his job isn't on the line, neither is his reputation, and his stock can only really go up (granted its extremely unlikely he wins this fight), and its one of the better paydays he could have gotten..

[Camdemonium]

Dude I'm all in on Tito. War Tito!!!

In all seriousness though. Let's not write him off, Bader is a tough dude. Rashad hasn't fought in 1+ years. Rashad might also be taking Tito lightly. I made money off his Bader win and I'm definitely going to make a small play at +330. (2 dollars)

Wouldn't it be cool if he won again? I mean the guy might be over the hill but he is entertaining. His bin Laden shirt at the weigh-ins had me ROLLING.







Rashad PUNISHED.

[Wrecked]

I think Ortiz will crash and burn after this fight. Like Lidell's last fights.

We'll see about that.

[jin2daj]

i think he's just saying that. if tito wins, hes getting the shot. i would bet on that if there was a prop for it.