Zuffa held an impromptu conference call today with Dana White in which the UFC president discussed the announcement yesterday that Tito Ortiz will be stepping in for injured Phil Davis to face Rashad Evans at UFC 133 next month.
Check out the highlights of the call below.
- The UFC found out last week that Davis’ knee was injured, but were awaiting MRI results to see if he could fight.
- Tito said he had personal things going on and that he couldn’t fight when he was called.
- Machida agreed to the fight, then his management later proceeded to ask for “Anderson Silva money,” but Dana said when he accomplishes what Anderson has in his career, he’ll be paid the same money he is paid.
- Dana said he did not expect that from Machida.
- They didn’t ask for an Anderson Silva amount of money, they actually asked for “Anderson Silva money.”
- Tito stepped up and took the fight at the same monetary terms of his contract.
- Dana says that the UFC signed the deal with Tito a long time ago and that they didn’t renegotiate his contract for the last fight because they figured he would lose against Bader and it would be his last fight.
- Rashad is definitely the next in line, but Dana is still sore over him sitting out waiting for Shogun.
- If Tito beats Rashad he is in title contention.
- Dana says Tito was a one-dimensional fighter because he fought best as a round and pound specialist, but he has great BJJ.
- Dana says he likes dealing with this new Tito Ortiz.
- Dana says the reason Nogueira took umbrage with him calling for Wanderlei to retire after his loss to Leben is that he had a similar conversation with Big Nog after his last loss.
- If Tito didn’t take the bout, they were looking at Vladimir Matyushenko as an opponent for Rashad.
- Rashad told them to get any opponent they can and not to bother calling him for approval because he would fight anyone who accepted the bout.
- The UFC is going to bring in 125′ers soon.
- Machida’s relationship with the UFC could be strained because of his contract demands.
- White pointed out that Lyoto was begging him to get back into the cage to fight and he said “he had his chance.”
- Bringing in a 205′er from Strikeforce didn’t cross White’s mind because in his words “Who would I have brought in?”
- White feels Ortiz will have the advantage because Rashad wil have ring rust playing against him.
- Machida’s camp has not been in touch with the UFC since turning down the fight.
- Middleweights Chris Leben and Chael Sonnen both texted Dana to offer to fight Rashad.
- If Rashad wins he will fight the winner of Rampage-Shogun.
- Dana says he feels like Eminem now that his mother wrote a tell-all book about him.
- He hasn’t read it yet.
- Brock Lesnar is recovering well and is in Canada working on his farm.
- The winner of MacDonald vs. Pyle will earn a great amount of respect.
- Tickets go on sale Friday in Denver for the Jones-Rampage bout.
Via Cage Potato
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Originally Posted by womsterr
