Quotes derived from a recent interview with Ortiz by SBNation's Luke Thomas only exacerbated the speculation. If Ortiz had stated he could make a quick turnaround, why isn't he being considered? UFC President Dana White later confirmed that Ortiz was offered the fight, but he turned down the opportunity. Ortiz himself took to Twitter to give us his reasons why:
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I have a life and things to take care of. The fight game is about making the right choices of my career. If you knew what I have been going through you all would understand. Peaking for a fight is what makes a fighter unstoppable! Timing is everything in life. This is a rebuild year for me not do or die. The time will come again! #positivehttp://tl.gd/bmr1drless than a minute ago via TweetCaster
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Tito Ortiztitoortiz
The initial reaction from most fans, including myself, was that Ortiz has blown a huge opportunity at one last run at relevance in the UFC. Sporting a 0-4-1 record before upsetting Bader, Ortiz has run out of gas at this late stage in his career, and it seemed logical that he would take a fight with Evans, especially considering the fact that he had once went toe-to-toe with the former champion at UFC 73 back in July of 2007. This may be the last run of solid paydays Ortiz has the chance to grab before hanging up the gloves for good, and the logical thing to do would be to strike while the iron is hot, or in more specific terms -- Get your ass back in the spotlight while you're riding high from the victory a man who everyone thought would crush you.
In retrospect however, perhaps it's more rational to take a step back and look at this from a different viewpoint. For any fighter to accept this fight, they would need to endure a speedy training camp to prepare for a fighter who is well versed in the art of wrestling and the use of quick hands to bombard opponents. To sit on our pedestals and comment from our couches that Ortiz is a moron for not accepting this fight seems harsh and hasty.
I focused on the adaptability issues of taking short notice bouts after Rick Story was upset by Charlie Brenneman at UFC on Versus 4, although the situation was more extreme than the current Evans-Davis debacle. Story was in the main event and found an accepting opponent in Brenneman only hours before the weigh-ins. It was a last second issue, and Story suffered from it. We can argue that professionalism and the entire situation is something combat sports athletes must endure, but it was a bad situation for Story regardless.
The real question is whether anyone should take this fight on two to three weeks notice with a serious disadvantage of not peaking at fight time. Even Machida, who dismantled Evans at UFC 98, needs time to prepare, and I'm not under the belief that two weeks in enough time. Rick Story got literally 24 hours, then was soundly out wrestled by a different fighter than he was originally expecting. What's the true timeline on how much time it takes to prepare for an opponent and peak? Some guys can do it in four weeks, others in eight weeks, it's different for every fighter.
For Ortiz, I imagine there are other concerns. Adaptability is a problem, but his wrestling style has the advantage of being much more reliable in terms of a quick turnaround. The problem I forsee is that Ortiz is seriously concerned about his future, understands that he needs time to promote fights, and has the knowledge that this is likely his last opportunity to find a bit of relevance with the fanbase before making one last run toward the top. A two-week turnaround against Evans, who is far more improved than he was four years ago, isn't helping Ortiz achieve those goals. It's a two-sided debate backed by a huge payday to do the UFC a favor against the idea that Ortiz could put together a prolonged run against lesser opponents to earn a couple of bigger paydays when he's ready.
Most fans stick Ortiz in the group of fading legends. It's the obvious category due to Ortiz's awful record in recent years, but we aren't inside Tito Ortiz's mind. People talk about how fighters should retire. I would know, I've said those very words before. But in reality, it isn't up to us. Do fans even realize how hard it is for an athlete to give up something they've been doing for their entire lifetime? It isn't easy. It takes a strong mind to weigh the risks vs. the rewards and walk away when those risks are too much. Ortiz believes there are more rewards in waiting than there are in taking a fight with Evans. We might think it's stupid, but it may be the best decision Ortiz will ever make.