11 Fights Signed for UFC 133 ‘Evans vs. Davis’

MacDonald (11-1, 2-1 UFC) last appeared at UFC 129 in April, when he posted a unanimous decision over “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 5 winner Nate Diaz at the Rogers Centre in Toronto. The 21-year-old former King of the Cage lightweight champion now trains under Firas Zahabi at the Tristar Gym in Montreal, alongside UFC welterweight titleholder Georges St. Pierre. MacDonald, a Quesnel, British Columbia, Canada, native, has secured 10 of his 11 professional victories by knockout, technical knockout or submission.

Pyle (21-7-1, 4-2 UFC) will carry a three-fight winning streak into the bout. The 35-year-old Dresden, Tenn., native last fought at UFC 128 in March, when he outpointed former middleweight King of Pancrase Ricardo Almeida en route to a unanimous decision at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. An Xtreme Couture Mixed Martial Arts representative, Pyle holds notable wins over Sengoku Raiden Championship veteran Dan Hornbuckle, British import John Hathaway and former UFC welterweight title contender Jon Fitch. In fact, he remains the only man ever to submit Fitch, having done so in July 2002.

Meanwhile, unbeaten Team Alpha Male representative Chad Mendes will lock horns with Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Rani Yahya in a preliminary featherweight duel.

Mendes (10-0, 1-0 UFC) last competed at UFC 126 in February, when he took a unanimous decision from the world-ranked Michihiro Omigawa at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. The 26-year-old Hanford, Calif., native wrestled collegiately at California Polytechnic State University, where he was a two-time All-American. Mendes has gone the distance in five of his past six bouts. His teammate, Joseph Benavidez, needed just 95 seconds to stop Yahya on strikes at WEC 45 in December 2009.

A 2007 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships gold medalist, Yahya (16-6, 1-0 UFC) has secured 14 of his 16 professional mixed martial arts victories by submission. The 26-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt has not appeared since UFC “Fight for the Troops 2” in January, when he won a unanimous decision against former WEC featherweight champion Mike Thomas Brown at Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas. The victory halted a two-fight losing streak. Wins over onetime UFC featherweight title contender Mark Hominick, Dream veteran Yoshiro Maeda and former WEC bantamweight titleholder Eddie Wineland highlight Yahya’s resume.

Finally, the well-traveled Ivan Menjivar will face former Ring of Combat champion Nick Pace in a pivotal bantamweight matchup on the undercard.

Menjivar (22-8, 1-1 UFC) has posted two wins in his past three outings. The 29-year-old El Salvador native last appeared at UFC 129 in April, when he finished Charlie Valencia with a crushing first-round elbow to the face and follow-up punches at the Rogers Centre in Toronto. Menjivar owns notable victories against “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 5 semifinalist Joe Lauzon and former WEC featherweight title contender Jeff Curran.

Spawned by the Team Tiger Schulmann camp, Pace (6-1, 1-0 UFC) made his promotional debut at “The Ultimate Fighter 12” Finale in December, as he submitted fellow WEC import Will Campuzano with a third-round pillory choke at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. In seven professional outings, the 24-year-old has never been finished.

A light heavyweight tilt between former champion Rashad Evans and undefeated prospect Phil Davis will headline UFC 133, along with a showdown between onetime middleweight king Rich Franklin and Pride Fighting Championships veteran Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. In addition, the event will feature a pair of key middleweight battles: Vitor Belfort vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama and Jorge Rivera vs. Alessio Sakara.

Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis
Rich Franklin vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
Vitor Belfort vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama
Jorge Rivera vs. Alessio Sakara
Mike Pyle vs. Rory MacDonald
Alexander Gustafsson vs. Vladimir Matyushenko
Chad Mendes vs. Rani Yahya
Dennis Hallman vs. Brian Ebersole
Ivan Menjivar vs. Nick Pace
Johny Hendricks vs. Mike Pierce
Riki Fukuda vs. Rafael Natal
* Mike Thomas Brown vs. Nam Phan

* Not Official