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 would do the deal, then I call back to make it and that'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.
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