Jon Fitch vs. Jake Ellenberger Added to UFC 126 on Feb. 5
Welterweight contender Jon Fitch will look to remain the hunt for another title shot when he meets Jake Ellenberger on the main card of “UFC 126: Silva vs. Belfort” on February 5 in Las Vegas, according to MMAjunkie.
Fitch (23-3) topped fellow contender Thiago Alves in August for his fifth-straight win since coming up short against champion Georges St-Pierre in 2008 in his lone UFC loss, while Ellenberger (23-5) has rebounded from a debut loss to Carlos Condit with wins over Mike Pyle and John Howard.
The UFC 126 fight card is headlined by middleweight champion Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort and also features Jon Jones vs. Ryan Bader and Forrest Griffin vs. Rich Franklin.
For the latest UFC 126 news and UFC 126 rumors stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com.
Pictured: Jon Fitch
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And there’s the proof – Shields does indeed get the next title shot.
they should fight each other??
Fitch and Ellenberger are fighting each other. In February. As the story says.
Yeah I can totally see GSP vs. Shields in Toronto. Its all clear now
Pretty solid card……but this is painful to see Fitch is fighting someone who is not on top of the food chain. Guess thats what you get when DW is not happy.
Couldn’t agree more. Fitch should be/is on paper the #1 contender PERIOD. If DW doesn’t agree then have Shields/Fitch fight.
But then again Fitch has to sign the contract for the fight. So what gives?
Poor finch. Just keeps getting shafted. Why Jake Ellenburg. Carlos Condit would have made a better opponent IMO.
Less chance of losing?
It isn’t like Fitch has no say in who he fights….
True, he could always ask for his release and get a title shot in AKA’s hometown of San Jose with Strikeforce.
But in the UFC Fitch either fights who he’s offered or he doesn’t fight at all.
If I were him, and had some level of financial stability, I would ask to be released as publicly and frequently as possible…
That’s crap, he brings it every time and has one of the highest winning percentages in UFC history. Sure, he hasn’t finished his fights but he’s a grinder and has a lot of heart. Fitch would beat the hell out of Shields.
lol fitch is a grinder but at the same time he is also the number one reason people dont buy the card that he is on, because we ALL know how the fight is gonna turn out; two guys hugging each other for 15 min. And no body is definitely gonna stand watching him in a title fight where he hugs the other guy for 25 min. Thats what boring fighters get.
I kinda agree with you.
This card is looking better and better all the time, can’t wait for these fights.
Has Dana unofficially assigned Fitch as the WW gatekeeper? I know the term “gatekeeper” is usually meant for someone testing new incoming talent, but in this instance I guess I mean it as “up and comer” gatekeeper!
I think jcohl might have been right when in an earlier story about Fitch he mentioned that he thinks Fitch may be best off asking for a release, because at this point it doesn’t seem like he’s ever getting another shot. What happens WHEN/if he wins this one? Who’s next, Diego Sanchez?
@jcohl,
not meaning to put words in your mouth but I remember you mentioning something like that before. Fitch is in the Doghouse and it doesn’t look like he’s ever getting out
I think it has more the do with the AKA policy of “We won’t fight each other no matter what” and Fitch adding to that sentiment by saying that if Koscheck shocks the world and beats GSP, he would rather fight at 185 than threaten his friends’ title reign.
@newfie -
Yes, that pretty much sums up my Fitch/UFC POV.
Due to personal differences with the single most powerful man in the sport, Jon Fitch has been placed in some weird division in which beating him earns you a title shot, or at least title contention, and losing to him does little to harm your career, and nothing FOR Fitch’s career.
Pretty sad state of affairs, one in which Fitch could remedy only by asking for his UFC release and trying to sign with another MMA promoter that would treat him with some personal respect and professional courtesy, neither of which will ever be forthcoming from Dana White…
Do you think that could possibly change? I mean let’s say hypothetically Fitch stops his next few opponents in impressive fashion, do you think it’s possible DW could change his mind?
@newfie -
Anything is possible in both the sport and the UFC, but I would say its unlikely that at this stage of Fitch’s career he’s going to shift gears.
More likely if Fitch were to knock out or tap out Ellenberger, it would be spun that Ellenberger wasn’t quite ready for primetime more than Fitch is bada$$.
At this stage in his career Dana White is using Jon Fitch as a stepping stone for younger, more compliant 170ers.
Whats really bothering DW is that no one seems to be able to beat Fitch other than GSP, and there is no way in He11 that Fitch will be facing GSP anytime soon, unless Koscheck somehow wins in December…
@Johntron. I never said his fights were entertaining, however he’s beaten everyone and deserves someone higher than Ellenberger. He’s been effed out of a title shot and Dana hates him for wanting rights to his own image in video games. Is that not understandable?
Fitch is a good fighter. You guys talk about him being boring. The guys tries to finish fights. I would love to see you in the cage and see how boring you are.
PUH-LAYED!
That’s all i’m gonna say. Fitch is getting played.
Shields is my boy from san fran and is on an awesome winning streak, but fitch has 5 in a row in the organization and at the very least should have gotten shields or even condit but ellenberger is not at the top yet and a fight that won’t get him that much deserved second a$$ whoopin from GSP.
@Jazz
I hear ya. I feel for Fitch and im not sure why Joe Silva gave this shot to Ellenburger, he’s not a top 10 WW. I figured Condit would of been next, but whatever, at least we know this fight will be good.
Also, to hell with Shields.
No one, anywhere, has said that Ellenberger gets a title shot with a win.
You’re right dbiz. No one anywhere has said that Ellenberger will get a title shot with a win. Not on this thread or any other thread for that matter. What is the purpose of your comment?
No, but with a win over Fitch, Ellenberger rockets into title contention.
With a loss to Fitch its back to the undercard, and Fitch gains nothing other than a pay check for grinding down another challenger.
I’m amazed that Fitch can stay as motivated as he does knowing that one of Dana White’s hobbies is first offering him and then later withdrawing title shots.
Or has everyone conveniently forgotten Fitch’s title shot earned after beating Thiago Alves a second time?
This is an insult to Jon Fitch. Fitch should be fighting Shields for the #1 contender spot. Dana is so into himself. He pumps Shields but Fitch is the best WW in the world. Dana knows Fitch can beat Shields. Dana just salty Fitch wont fight Koscheck thats all. The usual power trip. I think the fans have to step in and demand that Fitch get a title shot. Dana always said, he puts fights on that the fans want. We need to support Fitch and get him a title shot. Or else Dana gonna keep phuckin him!!
Dana is a REAL petty dude. Always power trippin!
Jon Fitch is that you?
I would’ve like to see the Condit fight happen over Ellenberger, but this is good fight, and yes Fitch has got to be getting fed up about this, but this clearly shows Fitch is willing to do whatever it takes, let’s give him some credit. He’s getting dicked around and yet he’s still taking whatever fight they throw at him. I think he needs to get his shot based on his winning obviously, and that he’s taking these fights. This kind of stuff makes me more of a Fitch fan than i was before.
This is an excellent fight Ellenberger! Don’t know why everyone is saying this a step down for Fitch. Ellenberger has the wrestling and the power to make this fight very difficult for Fitch. Ellenberger has huge potential for the upset, but hes still adapting to mma and definitely needs to tighten up a lot of areas in his game, however, i give him a better chance of winning then Alves and ben Saunders. If ellenberger looses, than whatever, he probably won’t get hurt to bad in the decision loss.
This fight does nothing for Fitch.
bfree,
I understand where you are coming. I too am a fan of jake ellenberger. I too think he’s a powerfull wrestler/athlete with some explosive stirking that with time could get better. There’s no doubt he’s a good fighter with great potential, but he’s definitely not at the top of the ww like jon fitch is.
In the UFC, Jon fitch has won 13 times and only lost once and that was to my boy GSP. He’s taken out a lot of ww’s and should get a title shot.
Is it an interesting fight? Well sure it is. Ellenberger matches up well with fitch and could give him a real tough match. But that’s not the point. Fitch is getting played and I think i agree with FLAWLES, he’s on a power trip and is sore that fitch won’t fight koscheck. He11 I”M sore fitch won’t fight koscheck but I still think fitch is getting played.
Jazzkok
I agree that Ellenberger isn’t a top WW yet, but this is a good test for Fitch too to see if he can hang with the new young blood thats getting pumped into the WW division.
About Fitch getting screwed out of a title shot? Uh maybe. I think Dana believes that Fitch should act more professional and put his friendship aside with KOS for 15 min. After the Condit-Hardy fight, Dana applauded Condit for saying he’d fight GSP even though they fight from the same camp. Dana loves fighters who will fight anyone and the silly bro-mances like fitch/Kos, Machida/A Silva, and now Bones jones/rashad evans really irritates him because he can’t give the biggest names to fight each other.
@bfree -
“Maybe” Jon Fitch got screwed out of a title shot?
Seriously?
Dana White said that the Alves-Fitch 2 winner received a title shot, and Fitch won, AGAIN, and now he’s facing Jake Ellenberger while its looking more and more like the next 170 title shot goes to Jake Shields, a man who scored a VERY shady decision over Martin Kampmann.
If thats your definition of “maybe” got screwed, I’d hate to see your definition of totally screwed, which I assume involves the screwed fighter being found in a chalk outline…
*dana’s on a power trip
except show he’s a trooper. I think Fitch will come out to make a statement and finish this fight finally. It’s time for him to do somethinig like that, that’s all DW wants to see is that he CAN do it, otherwise, I say quit jacking with him and let him go fight somewhere that he won’t get jacked with. Ellenberger is no slouch though, he’s tough as nails, but only thing this does for Fitch if he doesn’t finish him is another non title fight with Condit or someone else. But if he finishes this fight especially in first rd, he’ll get his shot.
Unless by some, as jcohl would say, “Serra effect” kos manages to beat GSP he won’t. That’s one of the reasons Fitch isn’t getting his #1 contender fight, because he’s bff with Kos.
This is way past the AKA/team mentality thing.
This has gotten personal between Fitch and White, and I would have more respect for Dana White if he simply admitted it, instead of insulting my intelligence by asking me to forget things he’s said about title contention days/weeks/months prior…
imo condit is a step down from ellenberger. if i remember correctly i thought that ellenberger won that split dec. they just happen to give condit the win. and ellenberger has 29 fights and he has only been finished once. fitch is getting screwed but i actually see jake as one of the best in the div.
we need to remember that it took 8 wins in arow to get him the first shot. so he will have to beat a couple more to get another shot. it does sometimes ruin the creditability when people come into the org and get title fights after going like 1-1[brock] or 0-0 in the div like belfort. we also need to remember that i think that dana knows that people like hardy and kos really arent at the top of the div. but their personality make them right for the fights.
Hard to say Condit is a step down after he defeated the last title challenger emphatically and the Ellenberger fight was on a month’s notice after preparing for a free-swinger.
one question, why are so many people talking s*** about dana when fitch deffinitly doesnt deserve a title shot. he is a good fighter and all but ALL of his fights are boring and he wins by lay n pray. imo when he finishes a fight or 2 then give him a title shot. there is no way he will be able to beat GSP by lay n pray. fitch needs to learn how to finish a fight before going for a title.
he does need to finish some fights. but if you think that he is not the 2nd or 3rd ww in world, your just flat out silly. dana doesnt give him the shots at the belt because he knows that it will be a dec.
but imo it should be who has been winning that gets the shot. and the ufc champs dont always try to finish fights. gsp, spider, shogun all have had recent fights were they do nothing to try to end it.
@ian -
I’ll give you the nebefot of the doubt because I haven’t see you posting much here before now, but consider this:
Jon Fitch has finished all but one of his fights in the nearly last 8 years, a sole UD loss to GSP, the most important way possible.
AS THE WINNER.
Think it thru…
*benefit
come on man i thought i taught you better than to post noise like this ;)
you and i both cant stand Fitch, but he is definatly deserving of another shot… he has pretty much done the same thing that gsp has done in running through the division.. check ya self befo ya wreck ya self
Let Fitch fight Carlos Condit or Hardy… they guy he is fighting wont be much of a problem for him…
thats why ellenberger beat the crap out of condit. yes the judges somehow gave it to condit. but there was a knot sticking 2 or 3 inches off of condits face.
I think the match up with Condit or Hardy is much better draw for us fans… Ellenberger is going to lose and it will be a yawn like most Fitch fights…
i dont understand???? if he fights condit or hardy -fitch would actually have a easier time. condit is long and has good reach but both hardy and condit would be wrestled for a 3 round snoozefest.
ellenberger has a great chin and is one of the best wrestlers. not to mention he has better strength then condit. so fitch may actually need a different gameplan in this one. hardy – fitch would be a joke. there is no way fitch wouldnt control him like gsp did.
Just another fight for Jon Fitch. That’s what I thought was going to happen. Maybe the UFC would like to see Jon Fitch put another nice win streak together before they give him another title shot. In there minds they might think it’ll hype up the bout with Fitch and GSP if Fitch has a big win streak coming in.
I would like to see Fitch take this bout and get a #1 contender fight against someone. Maybe Carlos Condit, if he wins his next fight against whoever. Than the winner of Fitch vs. Condit gets a title shot. Hopefully and probably against GSP. That would be fine for me ;).
Would anyone else like to see this happen?
Who should Carlos Condit fight next?
@tom
i think if Fitch wins by finishing the fight which is tough to do against ellenberger, he’ll get his deserved shot. But if it’s a snoozing lay and pray fight, he’ll be in another fight. Condit maybe should fight the winner of Hughes/Penn or fight another deserved opponent in Chris Lytle, all he does lately is keep winning!!
People seem to forget that although MMA is a sport, and the fastest growing sport in the world, the UFC is still a business.
Unlike other sports/leagues, Dana White is in complete control over who gets to fight for championships and he makes those matches based upon two things…
1. Who he likes the best
2. Who he thinks can make him the most money
Any talk of him actually giving fans what they want is a crock. If what the fans want falls in line with #1 or #2 or both, then it’s nothing more than a coincidence. We’ve seen it in every division over the course of the last few years.
I’m a fight fan, but I also like to be entertained. I’m also the first person who says Jon Fitch deserves another shot at the title. However, I wouldn’t pay to see that. Jon Fitch is boring inside the cage, yet is nearly unstoppable. He’s a real catch-22. No one pays to see Jon Fitch fight except MMA purists, and sorry to say, Dana White does not cater to MMA purists because he knows they will buy every PPV and watch every event regardless of who is fighting. He wants to make the most entertaining fights possible (while still keeping the divisions relatively competitive and having some semblance of a ranking system and contenders) so that he can attract the fringe fans who are on the fence about MMA, who might be ordering acard for the first time, etc.
Had Jon Fitch’s last fight with GSP not been a 5 round drubbing, maybe we would have already seen a rematch, but everyone knows that as much as Fitch has advanced his skills, GSP has advanced his as well and I’m sure the result would be more of the same.
This isn’t a hate on Fitch post, but merely a gathering of the facts. People may argue that GSP doesn’t finish fights either, but he at least conveys the idea that he’s trying to finish his fights when he’s in them. Fitch doesn’t seem to pull the trigger at all, while GSP pulls the trigger, but the bullet doesn’t get the kill (ie. the multiple submission attempts on Hardy).
I beleive jcohl pointed it out before, but unless Fitch wants to overhaul his style and go for the finish, which doesn’t seem like a plausable scenario, then he should sign with Strikeforce and fight with a company that will put him in the spotlight and give him a title fight, like he and a lot of MMA fans agree that he deserves to be in.
Spot-on there.
And the three-headed monster that runs AKA [Mendez, Camarillo, and Cook] have a good relationship with Strikeforce in general and Scott Coker in particular, so its not like it would be difficult for Fitch to get a plush Sf contract if he could ever secure his release from the UFC…
he won’t leave the UFC… he’s already planning a move to middleweight…
@chrisl -
Great.
I can’t wait to see a Fitch-Marquardt fight in which both men scrap to see who Dana White can screw the hardest out of opportunities…
;-)
Plus I’m not convinced that Fitch’s move to 185 isn’t partially a show of confidence in and support of Josh Koscheck, if you follow…
On paper so far this will be the first fight we see on the ppv, so if I have these guys as first fight of ppv, i’m pretty happy with this card. let’s talk about ufc 126, and this card, not just about how fitch is getting hosed by ufc, and whether or not he has a worthy opponent or not. this is a great fight on a fantastic fight card.
So, in my own abstract reality Koschek beats GSP. Does Fitch decline the shot because he refuses to fight his friend? Sounds like Fitch has to wait until his friend is out of the way before he gets his shot.
He’s said he’ll move to middleweight before he fights his friend for the title.
I feel bad for the guy but he’s painted himself into a corner. He’s by far and away the most deserving of the next shot at the belt but has precluded himself from doing so because his friend may become the next champ. He may have angered the boss and it looks like Fitch is being punished but even if Dana were content with Fitch’s decision it’s Fitch who has said he won’t fight Koschek and as a result has taken himself out of any current planning for a title shot.
i actually thourly enjoy watching fitch or sheilds. they are both intense fighters probably 2&3 in the world. I don’t wanna try to get any of you guys to like his fights – that’s cool.
BUT DO THOSE OF YOU WHO THINK FITCH IS BORING THINK SHEILDS IS ANY LESS BORING?
Fitch/GSP was fast and furious and fitch really kept coming!
Hendo sheilds was to me unbelievable- to see hendo controlled (even if it’s age+weight cut),
but if i was gonna label something a hug fest it’s be that fight..
I’ve pointed out previously that on the surface, Fitch and Shields have very similiar track records in MMA, which goes to show that this thing between Fitch and Dana White is WAY more personal than professional…
This is a slap in the face to Fitch, nothing less.
As game of an opponent as Jake Ellenberger may be, Fitch is widely considered the #1 contender in the division and the 2nd best WW in the world, he should be fighting another top 5 opponent.
Carlos Condit would have been the rigth choice currently. No doubt.
In terms of fans calling Fitch out as “boring”, it makes me chuckle. When I think of his more highly touted fights against Diego Sanchez and GSP, among others, I (& many others) thought those were fun fights to watch.
Personally, I always look forward to watching John Fitch fight. I enjoy seeing the best of the best perform, he’s definitely one of them & deserves respect (he’s earned every bit of it).
Jon Fitch is one of those fighters that I consider an MMA fan barometer.
When I read a poster disrespecting Fitch, it pretty much tells me all I need to know about that poster.
Its saved me a lot of time here at the frenZy the last year or so…
;-)
must not like me very much then huh ;)
@russoc13 -
bro, I mkae allowances for you the same way I make allowances for my middle school aged godson who wrestles like GSP but farts at the holiday dinner table even though he knows better…
;-)
While it’s fair to point to Fitch’s record with the decisions i stubornly maintain that he’s an aggresive fighter who does damage and has had tough opponents. check out his opponents and see that they are some of MMA’s harder guys to finish
How
Sheilds GSP will play out is more a mystery. GSP may feel more comfy and give us a KO, while Sheilds GSP?!?!?
Fitch is aggressive… he’s just aggressive in the sense of ceasing control of a fight and not letting go of his advantage and in a sport that’s smart. As entertainment, not so enjoyable to most but neither is a team playing good d and only scoring occasionally. I think Shields-GSP will not be that great of a ground battle as many think as Shields striking and chin is suspect.
My opinion…………..GREAT FIGHT TWO WRESTLERS POWERFUL N STRONG. ellenberger is def gunna push the pace on fitch. dnt doubt him jas caz hes not top 10 he still a true contender. if fitch doesnt submit ellenburger i cud see him losing ud or tko
FITCH NEEDS TO MOVE ON TO LIGHTWEIGHT, BECAUSE WHEN HE WON OVER ELLENBERGER, PROBABLY THE NEXT FIGHT IS FOR THE TITLE, BUT GSP WHEN KNOCKED THE **** UP SABU MAFU KOSCHECK, HE REPEATS THE SAME FORMULA WITH FITCH, GSP 4, TEAM KOSCHECK-FITCH O
lightweight? the guy’s moving to middleweight eventually… he walks around at 190…
“The guy” should be moving to Strikeforce so he can finish his career with some professional dignity…
Walks around at 190? And he’s moving to MW, doesn’t sound like a good move when most MW’s walk around at what? 200, 210, Silva I believe around 220? What is Sherk’s walk around weight? I kinda agree with soulfly, I think Fitch would be better off cutting weight for LW as opposed to going to a division where everyone is going to be bigger than him.
Or as jcohl is pointing out a lot these days Fitch might be best served to move to SF where he can continue fighting in his natural weight class and not be treated like the dog that just sh1t on the brand new carpet.
At the same time this is partly Fitch’s doing. So what happens when AKA has another set of fighters in the same weight class as each other and are considered #1 & 2, or 2 & 3? Same goes I guess? Personally I wouldn’t even want to train in a gym where I would be told at some point “okay, you may be the best lhw fighter on the planet, but our boy john-john is the champ so if you want to continue training here you can’t challenge him for the title.” Really? We can’t have 2 of the best fighters on the planet fight each other…bs
jcohl, I know it goes deeper then the bff thing, I’ve read your posts, but I think this is what started it all.
@Newfie Fitch walking around at 190 and his move to middleweight are related. Fitch has said the process would take about two years because before he moves to middleweight he wants to be walking around above 200.
Thanks Chris! That clears things up, I hadn’t heard about the plan to put on extra weight. With being a guy walking around at 190 going up 10-15-20 lbs is probably easier then trying to cut your weight back, strict diet, etc.
Only problem…you said about 2 years, and yeah I can see that, it takes a lot of time to put on that much muscle weight, but it also means spending 2 more years in a division he’s essentially stagnant in. Well I guess life may prove no better at 185, only time will tell.
If he chose the Roy nelson way for weight gain he could probably make that 200+ mark by the end of Christmas. (I know it’s too early to mention xmas just yet!)
Ah, No.
He should stay in the UFC he has a good shot at winning the belt from GSP or SHEILDS or even KOS.
Fitch could KO GSP in a slugfest due to his chin vs GSP’s. He could also beat him in a 5 round war of attrition. He also has an edge I believe in submission skills. And I’m part French-Canadian
He’s definately got better stand up than Sheilds, and he’s probably too squirmy for Sheilds to hold down and annoy like he did to Hendo.
if Jon wins the next fight or at most the next 2.. Dana will give him his chance.
Dana must be well aware that post poning Fitch’s title shot any further will degrade the sports credibility and he’ll begrudgingly have to serve it up. While brawls, sucker punches and trash talk and WWE vibes area part of today’s MMA hype machine, MMA still owes it’s succe$$ to the fact that it is REAL combat and not entertainment and even casual fans know the difference.
p.s.
make that 5 round attrition war between GSP and Fitch where both takesignificant damage. edge to Fitch
“Fitch could KO GSP in a slugfest due to his chin vs GSP’s. He could also beat him in a 5 round war of attrition. He also has an edge I believe in submission skills. And I’m part French-Canadian”
How’d that work for Fitch the first time around?
Details, details, details… Come on…
Maybe he means if Matt Serra can T/KO GSP, Fitch has the same ability.
And chances…
;-)
Guy(siz).
Do you think the realm of reasonable possibilities is limited to what we saw over 2 years ago ?
You honestly think if they fought 10x that GSP would win every time.
Too many variables but just my opinion. If Iook at that fight their fights since there are lots of ways it could go.
Hughs vs GSP had not only a different outcome but a different flow didn’t it?
Difference is that in that fight GSP evolved from just striking and strong BJJ to a full on mixed martial artist by adding wrestling. Fitch has not changed who he is. I don’t disagree that Fitch would have a chance but I personally think Kos has evolved more than Fitch has.
Chris is always much more…precise about saying things than I have. Fitch hasn’t changed at all in the last two years except that he relies on his wrestling MORE, if such a thing is possible.
Does anyone really think Fitch can finish a fight with GSP on the feet? He hasn’t finished one period since an RNC against Roan Carneiro in 2007. And if he can’t finish Ben Saunders (or Mike Pierce or Chris Wilson or…anyone else in the last 4 1/2 years), am I supposed to believe he’s going to finish the consensus best WW in the world?
GSP: 20 wins, 8 KO/TKO, 5 submission, 7 decision.
Fitch: 23 wins, 5 KO/TKO, 5 submission, 13 decision.
I see nothing there to say that Fitch is likely to do anything but hope to God he can out-wrestle the guy who made BJ Penn quit.
A word or two on the evolution/vocation thing.
I know this will read as off-topical, but bear with me.
There are some similiarities between being a pro chef and being a pro MMA fighter, chief among them being ego/confidence and bringing a full toolbox to work.
Also in that mix is the ability to live in the now, and stay current.
Although the running times on cookery and MMA careers are VERY different, the principle is the same.
What wow-ed diners and employers a decade ago doesn’t always cut it today.
Same with MMA.
Just like certain chefs can get “stuck” in a comfortable gear, so do fighters.
IMO Jon Fitch is one of those fighters.
He does his 5-6-7 week bit in the gym, and gets the result he wants on fightnight, namely, a win without suffering any lasting damage.
So from his POV why should he change?
I know pro chefs with similiar mindsets and they’re just treading water professionally and not getting those top spots they should be getting.
Just like Jon Fitch.
I know there is a lot of buzz about Fitch jumping up to 185, but thats not going to change HIM, if you follow.
Do any of you think that at 185 we’ll see Fitch turn into a kickboxing demon?
Against a guy like Alan Belcher do any of you see Fitch going for broke and busting out some top shelf Camarillo Guerilla Jiu Jitsu and hooking a submission?
Probably not.
At 185 Fitch will do what he does at 170, and thats grind guys down and out with superior matwork and solid cardio and fundamentals.
And at 185 a title shot is farther away than it is at 170 because not only is BlackHouse is so damned selective in who A Silva fights, but at 185 Jon Fitch won’t be quite as “Jon Fitch”, if you follow.
Just ask Nate Marquardt about that if you think I’m off-base about the BlackHouse/Ed Soares thing.
The same way pro chef friends of mine get the result they’re looking for by leaving Las Vegas and plying their trade elsewhere, IMO Jon Fitch can do the same by leaving the UFC and going for gold in Strikeforce and/or Bellator…
Fitch wouldn’t win gold in Bellator… and beating Diaz wouldn’t do much for him either…
Truth is, the best fights and best deals are in the UFC. Hence why Dana may feel he can jerk his chain. In any other organization he’s essentially like Jake Shields was in other orgs. Where mainstream fans really aren’t excited to him on a card and can always say “he couldn’t cut it in the UFC…” By staying in the UFC mainstream fans can still hate seeing him on a card but can at least see he handles everyone in the division not named Kos or GSP.
Best deals?
Maybe, because Zuffa does have the deepest pockets.
Then again maybe not, because when was the last time any of us ever got a look at a UFC contract?
;-)
Best fights?
With Dana White d!cking with his career?
If Jake Ellenberger is any indication of the sort of “best fights” you’re thinking Fitch will find in the UFC, I have to disagree.
If I were Fitch, fighting Nick Diaz and/or Ben Askren would interest me a lot more than it does fighting Jake Ellenberger, and beating either of those guys puts gold around his waist.
As a fan I would prefer seeing Fitch get title opportunities elsewhere rather than see him languish on the undercard vainly hoping that Dana White will eventually get over his b!tch fit.
And what will beating Ellenberger get Fitch?
His style precludes any sort of bonus, and his beef with the promoter precludes him from any sort of 170 title consideration.
In short, other than filling a slot on a PPV, whats really the point of a Fitch-Ellenberger fight?
Other than a paycheck, what exactly does Jon Fitch get out of this?
Or did I miss the announcement that the winner of this fight gets the GSP-Koscheck winner?
;-)
In naming Askren and Diaz you essentially named the only competition outside the UFC and as those two(SF and Bellator) cannot get together on any co-promotional deal it’d be a one fight deal.
Ellenberger is dangerous and a win for Ellenberger puts him into a title shot contention. There are a lot better wrestlers at 170 that are coming up that could help negate Fitch’s controlling ability. Ellenberger is one. Plus Ellenberger also has very heavy hands. It doesn’t help Fitch much but until the GSP-Kos bout there’s little to do with Fitch.
Plus, as far as Dana screwing with Fitch’s career it’s a two-way street here. If Kos wins, Fitch won’t fight him. So why promise Fitch a title shot? Kos could very well win that fight. I mean Kos didn’t train his wrestling very heavily for his GSP bout because GSP have never shown that aspect of his game. Now Kos is training it just as hard and he’s got better credintials in wrestling than GSP ever will. So why promise Fitch a shot if he’d then just tie up the spot if Kos wins? It’s less screwing with his career as it is simple business.
Does Dana have issues with Fitch? Yeah, the UFC video game-AKA battle was instigated by Fitch, it was Fitch who said he wouldn’t fight Kos, it’s Fitch that barely resembles much more than Antonio McKee “bigger and whiter” out there, etc… If Fitch had that big of a problem with the UFC and/or thought he could get a better deal elsewhere… he would have walked when he had the chance not that long ago…
Plus, let’s be real… how does being the Bellator champ compare with the UFC? Yeah it’s gold… but it’s like bragging about being the Gulf Coast Instructional league baseball champ when you can’t move up to the majors… No one cares about that champ… The Strikeforce belt? Congrats you beat a guy who smokes pot 23/7 and struggles with bloated lightweights and wrestlers… plus both lock him into a Champion’s clause which stalls his career worse than Dana ever could…
I like Fitch, I really do, but as a business decision it’s easy to see why he gets passed up. The UFC isn’t as much about rankings as it is about ratings. Fitch-GSP equals uneducated fans booing for 24 minutes and less sales of PPVs. He!l, even many educated fans can’t stand watching Fitch.
@chrisl -
Wow.
If I’m Jon Fitch and I read your post, I have a choice between sh!tting and going blind ;-)
Seriously, I don’t want to put words in your mouth, but you’re of the opinion that Jon Fitch is better off treading water in the UFC fighting pointless fights rather than striking out elsewhere for lower karat gold?
If you are thats cool, but I guess I’m more of a “rule in He11″ than “serve in Heaven” sort of guy, if you follow…
@Jcohl You’re not putting words in my mouth… that’s exactly what I’m saying. Also, it’s funny you paraphrase Milton there… because your views on a certain Russian have contradicted that statement… ;)
A LADDER SYSTEM would solve :
- the friend ducking problem,
- the problem of Dana enforcing his personal whims (even though he gets full credit for knowing MMA he acts according to his feelings).
Incentive: A win moves up 1 spot , but a FINISH moves up significantly more.
so in top 10:
a win moves up 1 spot and a FINISH moves up 2 or allows the fighter to choose…
there are variations…
but in any case it’ll make the fights even more exciting and high stakes, and like i said finish the friend ducking
this is stupid. fitch deserves the next title shot but if u are not gonna give it to him than at least let him fight carlos condit for the next shot after shields gets raped after gsp. y would fitch not fight condit next? instead he is fighting someone condit beat? who does this mean is next for condit?
Maybe T. Alves, Kampmann, Diego Sanchez, loser of GSP/Kos?
I don’t know if you’ve read all the posts since this story was posted, but the reason Fitch isn’t getting his shot has been explained. Ths UFC can’t be giving Fitch a “title contender” match right now because if Kos manages to beat GSP and Fitch happened to beat Condit, then what does the UFC do? So if the UFC promises a title shot and that situation happened the UFC would look like a bunch of idiots promising a shot for someone who actually doesn’t want it (in the unlikely scenario of Kos winning the belt). This is Fitch’s doing, he refuses to fight Kos.
Let’s go fitch! Finish this guy in dramatc fashion and get your title shot! Fitch owned Alves twice, and is easily the number 2 guy at 170. His tools don’t match up well with gsp, but neither does Jake shields or kos. At 13-1 in the ufc you would think he’d have more respect. At the time frame everything is happening, shields will fight in the spring and fitch will get his in august(3 years after his last title shot).
Gsp is my favorite fighter, but give this guy credit when credit is due.