Ali Abdelaziz teases Tito Ortiz vs. Rashad Evans trilogy fight

MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz is teasing a potential trilogy fight between UFC Hall of Famers Tito Ortiz and Rashad Evans, asking fans if they want the two legends to run it back for a third time.

Abdelaziz, the manager for several of MMA’s biggest stars including Khabib Nurmagomedov, Henry Cejudo, and Frankie Edgar, took to social media on Monday to poll fans if they want to see a rematch between Ortiz and Evans. Abdelaziz is also the manager of Evans.

Here’s what Abdelaziz wrote on his Twitter.

Who wants to see @SugaRashadEvans VS @titoortiz rematch?

— Ali Abdelaziz (@AliAbdelaziz00) December 9, 2019

“Who wants to see @SugaRashadEvans VS @titoortiz rematch?”

Ortiz and Evans first met back at UFC 73 in July 2007 and fought to a unanimous draw. They met for a second time at UFC 133 in August 2011. At the time Ortiz was coming off of a gigantic upset win over Ryan Bader at UFC 132 and the UFC called on Ortiz to fill in on short notice for the injured Phil Davis against Evans, who was coming off of two straight wins over Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Thiago Silva.

Evans was able to finish Ortiz in the first round with a vicious knee to the body and punches. He then beat Davis next in a re-booking that led to him getting a title fight against ex-training partner Jon Jones afterward but Evans lost a decision to Jones at UFC 145. Ortiz, on the other hand, ended up losing to Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Forrest Griffin after the Evans fight and retired from MMA, though he eventually came back.

In 2019, though, things are very much different for both Ortiz and Evans. Ortiz, who is now 44 years old, is on a three-fight win streak and just submitted Alberto Del Rio in Combate Americas. Evans, meanwhile, is 40 years old now and after losing his last five fights in the Octagon he retired from MMA. The UFC later released Evans and he announced earlier this year he is thinking about a comeback.

If Ortiz were to meet Evans for the third time the fight obviously wouldn’t happen in the UFC but it’s possible it could happen in Combate Americas or maybe even in Bellator. As Evans’ manager, Abdelaziz’s job is to get his client in the best possible position to win a fight. Despite his current losing skid, Evans would absolutely have a chance to beat Ortiz if the two were to end up rematching considering how their last fight went back in 2011.

Are you interested in a trilogy fight between Tito Ortiz and Rashad Evans?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 12/9/2019.