After losing to Chuck Liddell last year, Ortiz still has yet to win a fight since beating Ken Shamrock last October and UFC president Dana White confirmed that the third and last fight on Ortiz's current contract would be a rematch against Evans. The hype for Ortiz-Evans II began early as Ortiz stepped to the podium to address the media towards the end of the press conference. While Ortiz gave Evans credit for his toughness, Evans wasn't having any of it, believing he won the match.
"Tito, you were grabbing the cage the whole fight," said Evans. "Every time I got in on you, you were grabbing the cage [the referee] only called it that one time." "What about the Vaseline on your arms?" asked Ortiz, almost shocked that the normally subdued Evans was already in trash talk mode for the rematch. "Whatever, it's all right bro, we'll do it again."
The heated discussion, which took place while Ortiz was at the podium and Evans sat on the dais, brought a nervous smile to White's face as he no doubt contemplated where and when the sequol would take place. "You didn't do nothing, the only thing you did was you took me down and you held me," said Evans. "Take off your glasses. Let your face tell the story."
While Ortiz-Evans II will certainly have more intrigue following the draw and the jawing that has already begun between the two, it did little to return Ortiz to the title contender he was before he lost to Liddell last year. If anything it may have reaffirmed Dana White's belief that Ortiz will never reclaim the light heavyweight crown he dropped to Randy Couture four years ago.
"Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, Matt Hughes, Rich Franklin, these guys are much more respected fighters than Tito Ortiz," said White. "They're better fighters. Tito isn't that good anymore."
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Tito Ortiz walked into the Octagon against Rashad Evans knowing it would be a do-or-die fight at this stage of his career. When it was over, he simply ended up surviving.
While Ortiz dominated much of the fight, he suffered the first draw of his career after grabbing the fence for leverage in the second round. The violation resulted in a one-point deduction and was the difference in a fight the judges scored a 28-28 draw unanimously.
"It wasn't my best performance," said Ortiz, who showed up late to the post fight press conference wearing sunglasses to hide the shiner under his left eye. "Rashad and I can do it again."
With that, Ortiz took off his glasses and showed his swollen left eye while his girlfriend Jenna Jameson yelled at Evans to show more sportsmanship in the distance.
"If Rashad wants to sit there and talk [stuff] it's cool," said Ortiz, whose injured back required a couple of cortisone injections two weeks ago. "It'll make the second fight that much more interesting."
Evans still would not let Ortiz off the hook as he tried to field other questions from reporters.
"How about the end of the third round when you laid down there and got pounded like a little [girl]?" asked Rashad.
"How does it feel to be a superstar now after you fought me?" shot back Ortiz.
"Tito, you were grabbing the cage the whole fight," said Evans. "Every time I got in on you, you were grabbing the cage [the referee] only called it that one time." "What about the Vaseline on your arms?" asked Ortiz, almost shocked that the normally subdued Evans was already in trash talk mode for the rematch. "Whatever, it's all right bro, we'll do it again."
The heated discussion, which took place while Ortiz was at the podium and Evans sat on the dais, brought a nervous smile to White's face as he no doubt contemplated where and when the sequol would take place. "You didn't do nothing, the only thing you did was you took me down and you held me," said Evans. "Take off your glasses. Let your face tell the story."
While Ortiz-Evans II will certainly have more intrigue following the draw and the jawing that has already begun between the two, it did little to return Ortiz to the title contender he was before he lost to Liddell last year. If anything it may have reaffirmed Dana White's belief that Ortiz will never reclaim the light heavyweight crown he dropped to Randy Couture four years ago.
"Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, Matt Hughes, Rich Franklin, these guys are much more respected fighters than Tito Ortiz," said White. "They're better fighters. Tito isn't that good anymore."
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Tito Ortiz walked into the Octagon against Rashad Evans knowing it would be a do-or-die fight at this stage of his career. When it was over, he simply ended up surviving.
While Ortiz dominated much of the fight, he suffered the first draw of his career after grabbing the fence for leverage in the second round. The violation resulted in a one-point deduction and was the difference in a fight the judges scored a 28-28 draw unanimously.
"It wasn't my best performance," said Ortiz, who showed up late to the post fight press conference wearing sunglasses to hide the shiner under his left eye. "Rashad and I can do it again."
With that, Ortiz took off his glasses and showed his swollen left eye while his girlfriend Jenna Jameson yelled at Evans to show more sportsmanship in the distance.
"If Rashad wants to sit there and talk [stuff] it's cool," said Ortiz, whose injured back required a couple of cortisone injections two weeks ago. "It'll make the second fight that much more interesting."
Evans still would not let Ortiz off the hook as he tried to field other questions from reporters.
"How about the end of the third round when you laid down there and got pounded like a little [girl]?" asked Rashad.
"How does it feel to be a superstar now after you fought me?" shot back Ortiz.
