UFC 133 Shake Up / Cro Cop v Nelson Added To UFC 137
Added on Jul 15, 2011 by John Petit in
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UFC 133 Changes
Some are calling UFC 133 a cursed card as 2 light heavyweight fights have been changed less than 3 weeks away, but I don’t think these people are considering the nightmare that was UFC 108.
24 hours ago we heard Main Event fighter Phil Davis would not be able to fight Rashad Evans because of a knee injury that won’t require surgery. The word went out, and rumors were flying around about who would take the fight. Even though Tito Ortiz initially declined taking the fight, as he just defeated Ryan Bader in a fight that could have cost him his job, Dana White said Tito called back and accepted the fight. White also said that Lyoto Machida accepted the fight, but hours later demanded a hefty salary increase the UFC had no interest in paying out. So the Main Event will be Evans Vs Ortiz, and if Evans wins he gets the winner of Jon Jones Vs Quinton Jackson. If Ortiz wins, according to White, he will be “in the mix” and probably one fight away from a shot himself.
Earlier today, we hear that Vladimir Matyushenko will not be able to fight Alexander Gustafsson as he is injured. In his place, Matt Hammil will be stepping in to take on Gustafsson. There is no word on Matyushenko’s injury.
Hammil is comming off a unanimous decision loss to Quinton Jackson at UFC 130, and it will be a quick turn around for him as well. UFC 130 was just 60 days ago. Hammil will have his hands full with the 24 year old Gustafsson who is now 11-1 in his career.
In a bizarre side note, in a conference call today Dana White told us that when Tito initially declined the fight, the plan B was bringing Matyushenko up to the main event. Which would have made an ugly situation even uglier as he too is now injured.
Cro Cop vs Nelson
A new heavyweight fight has been added to UFC 137 as Mirko Cro Cop and Roy Nelson have agreed to meet in October. Many thought that Cro Cop (27-9-2, 1 NC) was on his way to retirement or being cut by the UFC as even Dana White commented that it might be the end of the road for him. White had a change of heart, and said the UFC would honor the last fight on his contract. White said “Do I think he should have retired, Yeah. But I don’t think he’s in one of these situations like Chuck Liddell, who needed to retire right then. He’s a man, a grown man, and if he wants to continue to fight, that’s his right. And he still has a fight with me.”
Roy Nelson has also lost his last two fights, most recently he dropped a unanimous decision against Frank Mir at UFC 130. The last loss prompted White to comment on the obvious shape Nelson fights in. However, it then came out he had walking pneumonia and he felt the fight still had to take place. Nelson said of the fight “I knew I wasn’t 100 percent, but the fight still has to go on. The show still has to go on cause we are still entertainment.”
The fight will take place on the main card, and main event is Georges St. Pierre Vs Nick Diaz in a welterweight title fight.
