· Evans And Davis Battle For Contention In UFC 133 Return To Philly

With two high profile UFC cards scheduled for August, UFC 133 boasts a pair of monumental light heavyweight bouts that will have major title implications in the division. Current number one contender Rashad Evans will battle Phil Davis in the main event. Featured in the co-main event will be former middleweight champion Rich Franklin facing off against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. UFC 133 takes place Saturday, August 6 from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pa.

“The last time we were in Philly, the fans were incredible so we are excited to head back there with a card that features three former world champions,” UFC President Dana White stated. “Phil is undefeated at 9-0 and has never been more motivated for a fight, and he wants to prove that he belongs atop the light heavyweight division. Rashad is on fire. He wants his title back so badly he can taste it, but he knows before he can get his title shot he has to get through Phil. He wants to win and he wants to win impressively. This is a great fight.”

"Suga" Rashad Evans (15-1-1) was originally supposed to face former teammate and current light heavyweight champion Jon "Bones" Jones. An injury to Jones postponed that bout and Evans has agreed to face Davis in the interim. With Jones ready to return in the fall and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson waiting in the wings, the matchup of Evans and Davis is going to have a major impact on title contention. The only loss of Evans' career came at the hands of Lyoto Machida with Evans losing his first and only title defense. He followed that defeat with back-to-back wins over fellow contenders Thiago Silva and the aforementioned Jackson.

“My road back to the title continues in Philadelphia against Phil Davis and I expect this to be one of the best fights of the year,” remarked Evans. “Phil is on the rise in this sport and it’s my job to put an end to that. He’s a former national champion wrestler and he’s been impressive thus far in the UFC, but my experience in big fights gives me the edge. I want another shot at the belt and I’ve got to beat Phil to earn it.”

Phil "Mr. Wonderful" Davis (9-0) comes in undefeated with recent wins over Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Tim Boetsch and Rodney Wallace. A win over a former champion in Evans would easily be Davis's most high profile victory and put him right in line with Jackson for contention of Jones' title. Davis remains one of the most active fighters on the UFC roster. When he steps in the cage to face Evans, it will have been his sixth fight in 18 months.

“I’m definitely glad to be back in Pennsylvania for the biggest fight of my life,” Davis said. “It’s going to be good to be able to fight in front of all my family and friends. I feel like I can take this fight wherever I want. I can wrestle with Rashad, I can strike with him, and I feel confident wherever this fight goes. Rashad Evans is the most dangerous opponent I’ve ever faced, but I don’t think for a minute that I’m outmatched. I’m going to take care of this fight and do whatever I have to do to beat Rashad.”

In the co-main event, Rich "Ace" Franklin (28-6, 1 NC) faces Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (19-5). "Little Nog" needs a win over a top-level opponent like Franklin to maintain his spot in the UFC rankings after back-to-back losses over Ryan Bader and Phil Davis. Prior to those two losses, Nogueira had never lost two fights in a row.

Franklin also needs a big win to stay in contention. His most recent outing was a unanimous decision loss to Forrest Griffin in February. Franklin has not posted consecutive wins in three years, and has recent losses to Dan Henderson, Vitor Belfort and Griffin.

Also highlighting the card is a major middleweight bout between recent number one contender Vitor "The Phenom" Belfort (19-9) and Yoshihiro "Sexyama" Akiyama (18-3, 2 NC).

Belfort fell victim to current champion Anderson Silva in February. A win would put him right back in line for another shot at the champion.

Akiyama's luck in the UFC has not been as fortunate. With three fights under his belt inside the Octagon, Akiyama has lost his last two over Chris Leben and Michael Bisping. He does hold a close split decision win over Alan Belcher in his UFC debut at UFC 100 two years ago.