At the UFC 73 post-fight press conference, Dana White announced that Tito Ortiz and Rashad Evans would have an immediate rematch following their draw on last Saturday nights card. The current general assumption is that this rematch will take place at UFC 77 this coming October in Cincinnati, Ohio. During the post-fight conference while Tito Ortiz was at the podium, the following verbal confrontation between Rashad and Tito took place. Sounds like Rashad has a new found confidence going into the rematch, and after watching the first fight, I think that confidence is valid.
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 sequal 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.”
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.
[Source: SportsIllustrated.com]
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Tags: UFC, MMA, UFC 77, UFC 73, Rashad Evans, Tito Ortiz
(via MMA HQ - Mixed Martial Arts News and Analysis)