4 Bouts Official for UFC 133; Evans-Davis Headlines

Four fights have been greenlit for UFC 133 “Evans vs. Davis”. Headlined by a pivotal light heavyweight showdown between former champion Rashad Evans (Pictured; file photo) and wrestling standout Phil Davis, UFC 133 goes down Aug. 6 from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

Also featured on the official bill is a pair of middleweight scraps, as sluggers Jorge Rivera and Alessio Sakara lock horns and Riki Fukuda meets Rafael Natal in an international clash of talent. Additionally, Dennis Hallman will face Brian Ebersole in a welterweight bout.

Evans was originally supposed to face former training partner and current titleholder Jon Jones at the event, but the champion was forced to withdraw from his first defense due to a hand injury. Evans held the light heavyweight title for five months after knocking out then-champion Forrest Griffin in December 2008; he dropped the strap to Lyoto Machida in his first title defense at UFC 98. That 2009 knockout defeat at the hands of Machida remains Evans’ only loss as a professional. Evans’ last Octagon appearance took place nearly one year ago, as “Suga” outpointed fellow former titleholder Quinton Jackson at UFC 114.

Undefeated through nine professional bouts, Davis has yet to be taste defeat in his two years as a pro. The four-time NCAA wrestling All-American is 5-0 in UFC competition, earning victories over Alexander Gustafsson, Brian Stann, Rodney Wallace and Tim Boetsch along the way. Most recently, the former Penn State Nittany Lion earned a unanimous nod over grizzled Pride Fighting Championships vet Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at UFC Fight Night 24 in March.

UFC 133 “Evans vs. Davis”
Saturday, Aug. 6
Wells Fargo Arena
Philadelphia

Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis
Jorge Rivera vs. Alessio Sakara
Dennis Hallman vs. Brian Ebersole
Riki Fukuda vs. Rafael Natal
* Vitor Belfort vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama
* Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Rich Franklin
* Alexander Gustafsson vs. Vladimir Matyushenko
* Johny Hendricks vs. Mike Pierce
* Mike Thomas Brown vs. Nam Phan

* Not Official