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| Welterweight contender Jon Fitch |
In a recent interview with mmaweekly.com, UFC welterweight veteran Jon Fitch (23-3-1) boldly stated that he was not interested in a match-up with rising star Rick Story. Story, who recently toppled Thiago Alves via unanimous decision at UFC 130, May 28, 2011, called out the division's #2 ranked fighter citing that Fitch made perfect sense after defeating a top 5 opponent in Alves (whom Fitch has also handily defeated in past competition). But those words fell on deaf ears at the AKA camp.
“I’m at a point in my career where I need to be fighting main events and main event fighters... If you don’t have a belt, currently, or you haven’t owned a belt in the UFC, I’m not really interested” said Fitch.
Although Fitch boasts one of the most impressive records in the UFC today, and since the formation of the organization for that matter, it is not the fighter's call to decide who he will and will not fight. With increasing pressure placed on promotions to make certain fights happen based on fan sentiment or 'twitter wars' between competitors, strengthening the bargaining power of the athlete will only leave mixed martial arts in a boxing-like conundrum; where the right fights simply do not take place based on individual and/or promoter disagreements. The champion has to take on all comers, contenders should not get to choose their path to the title either.
We now know that Rick Story has stepped in for the injured Anthony Johnson at UFC Live 4, and will take on former middleweight title challenger Nate Marquardt, June 26. What an opponent like Story would have brought to the table vs. Fitch are the same tools that get the Purdue alumnus through each of his fights, strong cardio and wrestling ability.
Waiting for the rematch against B.J. Penn isn't going to do anything to bolster Fitch's resume in this commentator's eyes. It's a fight he should control and win, and a second bout that looks any different from what the third round did in their first would be a disappointment.
Fitch has refused to fight fellow top-10 and teammate Josh Koscheck in the past, which is why I personally feel fighters shouldn't align themselves with training partners of similar size, in the same promotion, unless of course they're willing to put all that aside for sport. The last time Fitch fought a high-level wrestler was in his 2008 defeat to champion Georges St. Pierre. Prior to that, Diego Sanchez and Brock Larson are the only two names under the UFC Fitch has battle with any sort of wrestling credential.
At this point, Jake Shields is the man in the division that makes the most sense for each competitor. He owns a submission grappling victory over the AKA captain, has a solid wrestling base and is more than comfortable on his back regardless. Neither man is particularly threatening on the feet, and both cut considerably to get down to 170lbs. Give Penn a smaller welterweight in his next, and challenge the Indiana native with a skill-set more similar to his own; it's been a while.
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