AMADI: Refusing fights won't get Jon Fitch any closer to another UFC Welterweight Title shot

By: Jason Amadi, MMATorch Columnist

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To earn his 2008 title fight with Georges St. Pierre, Jon Fitch had to match the UFC record for consecutive wins in the Octagon. After Fitch was badly beaten and generally outclassed by the sport's greatest welterweight at UFC 87, most fans wondered what hoops the UFC would make Fitch jump through to earn a second crack at Georges St. Pierre.

Three years and six fights later, we are really no closer to answering that question. Jon Fitch believes the answer might be refusing to fight guys who aren?t champions or haven't held a championship, but in reality, Jon Fitch without an impressive quantity of victories loses his biggest bargaining chip.

What's most impressive about Jon Fitch is his ability to make all of his opponents look exactly the same. Fitch presses forward, takes his opponents down, and grinds out decisions. Heading into his fight title fight in 2008, most people thought that Jon Fitch would give GSP fits with this grinding style, but that couldn't have been further from the truth. Georges St. Pierre absolutely lathered Fitch for five rounds, and beat Fitch worse than he's ever beaten any fighter during his UFC tenure.

It's hard to imagine how the UFC could sell a rematch of that fight, especially given St. Pierre's recent slump of dull fights, and it isn't as if Jon Fitch has given the UFC much to work with. After the destruction that St. Pierre put on him, Fitch just went back to business as usual and back to the grind. He hasn't shown any new wrinkles to his game, and GSP hasn't proven to be any more susceptible to Fitch's style than he was the first time.

Perhaps the UFC withholding a title shot from Jon Fitch might be the best thing for him, for now. Fitch might be deserving of a title shot, but if he were to actually get one, that would be somewhat of an "all in" proposition for him. The UFC can't have Fitch lose to GSP again and then just go on picking off welterweight contenders, unless they're willing to give Fitch three title fights.

For now, Jon Fitch is an ace up the UFC's sleeve. He's a very talented fighter, has a 13-1-1 record in the Octagon, and Georges St. Pierre is outclassing established challengers faster than the UFC can separate the wheat from the chaff. Fitch isn't going to be the UFC's first choice, and quite frankly maybe he shouldn't be. But if Fitch decides to take advice on how to get a title shot from Rashad Evans, who has only had three fights in three years (and still isn't getting a title shot), then he could wind up eliminating himself from the discussion altogether.

Reader Question: Who would you like to see Jon Fitch matched up against next? Web visitors, comment below in our new Reader Comment Area (linked to Facebook). App users, send us your thoughts at mmatorch@gmail.com or visit our desktop website to comment.

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/amadis_take/article_9494.shtml

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The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale Results: An Average Night Of Fights Marred By Clay Guida's Bizarre/Boring Performance

With the conclusion of ?The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale? came a very mixed bag of feelings. The free ufc event on Spike TV was preceded by more free fights on Facebook. All of the ?TUF 13 Finale? fights, every single one of them, had a decent-to-great amount of potential. But in the end, the event [...]

Source: http://www.fighters.com/06/05/the-ultimate-fighter-13-finale-results-an-average-night-of-fights-marred-by-clay-guidas-bizarreboring-performance

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Best Performance Of The Night: Tony Ferguson At "The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale"

It?s that time once again, fans and friends. Another major MMA event has come and gone, and it?s time for my unofficial ?Best Performance of the Night? award. Unfortunately, many of the fights of ?The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale? would end up going to a decision. Although some were good fights, the event suffered from [...]

Source: http://www.fighters.com/06/06/best-performance-of-the-night-tony-ferguson-at-the-ultimate-fighter-13-finale

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Jorge Santiago on UFC 130 loss to Brian Stann - "I thought it'd be easy and I lost focus"

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

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Jorge Santiago's return to the UFC at UFC 130 went about as well as his last stint ended in 2006, with him on the receiving end of a TKO loss to Brian Stann.

Reflecting on the loss in an interview with Tatame.com, Santiago said he believes he came into the fight too confident, and his overconfidence caused him to lose focus.

"I guess what went wrong is that I was too confident," Santiago said. "I didn't feel the pressure by the fans, of having everybody staring at me. I was too at ease, I thought it'd be easy and I lost focus."

"I didn't do what I could've done. The guys that train with me and are part of my team, like Gesias [Cavalcante], said I didn't do half what I could. It was his big day. Next time I won't let it happen."

Santiago says he hasn't heard anything from the UFC yet on his next fight, though with a medical suspension until November or until he's cleared there's no rush on that end. But with winning a "Fight of the Night" bonus despite the loss, Santiago isn't concerned, and gives credit to Stann for a big performance on Saturday.

"They haven't [said] anything, but they liked the bout, and you can tell it because they considered it the best of the evening," Santiago said. "There were many good things about it, it was a busy bout, which is something that the fans enjoy."

"[Brian Stann's] a pro, a good man, who's been improving a lot and so, he's taking larger steps now. I guess that for what he knows about me, he's aware I wasn't at my best. He said [at the post-fight press conference] he hoped more from me."

Link to Original Source Article

Penick's Analysis: Santiago's got an excellent well-rounded game, but his chin has been an issue for him for awhile, and I don't think he necessarily took Stann's power as seriously as he should have into the fight. Not that he could have done much else to deal with it in this one, but his willingness to trade with Stann in the fight was probably a mistake on his part, and it led to his downfall in this return bout. That said, he can still come back strong, and he has the skills to beat a lot of the guys in the UFC's middleweight division, so hopefully we see him back this fall in another solid matchup.

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_9485.shtml

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UFC 130 surprise: Story brawls with Alves and comes out on top

LAS VEGAS - The UFC has a new contender to put in line for Georges St-Pierre. There's nothing fancy about Rick Story, but he's tough as nails and throws everything with nasty intent. Story stood toe-to-toe with one of the most feared muay thai practitioners in the division and posted a unanimous decision victory, 29-28 on all three cards, at UFC 130 in the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Alves (23-6, 10-5 UFC) is a massive 170-pounder and anyone who can wrestle generally tries to take him down. Story, a former college wrestler, mixed in a few takedowns, but his gameplan revolved around closing space with the bruiser and slugging it out.

"My goal was to be explosive because I think that's his kryptonite," Story said. "I wanted to stay on him and let him know that I wasn't going anywhere."

Story's gameplan was brilliant. His use of the clinch along the cage forced the heavily-muscled Alves to work hard. And by standing in front of him and taking his best shots, it seemed to frustrate Alves.

"I've had a lot of hard strikes landed on me and it goes back to my conditioning. My coach, Pat White, puts me in situations in training where I have to deal with adversity and have to deal with having my conditioning tested. I was prepared for everything Thiago brought tonight and the end result is a victory for me," said Story, plus-170 underdog.

Story (13-3, 6-1 UFC) is riding a six-fight win streak. His only loss came in his UFC debut against John Hathaway. Story is still behind several fighters in the UFC welterweight division, but his skillset would give him a shot against the GSP, the division's champ.

The division has ridiculous depth. The latest USA Today/Bloody Elbow has Story all the way down at No. 23. He certainly looks like he could compete with some of the top 15 fighters  like Diego Sanchez, Josh Koscheck, Martin Kampmann and Matt Hughes.

Alves appeared shocked in the cage when the decision was read.

"To be honest, I don't think he won the fight," Alves said. "I'm fair. If I thought he won the fight, I'd tell you. But tonight, I spent more time on top and landed the better shots. I'm really surprised the decision didn't go my way."

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/UFC-130-surprise-Story-brawls-with-Alves-and-co?urn=mma-wp2738

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The Ultimate Fighter 13: Episode 10 Wrap-Up

Team Lesnar Head Coach: Brock Lesnar Assistant Coaches: Luke Richardson (Strength/Conditioning), Marty Morgan (Wrestling), Erik Paulson (Jiu-Jitsu), Rodrigo Medeiros (Jiu-Jitsu), Greg Nelson (General) Fighters: Len Bentley, Charlie Radar, Tony Ferguson, Clay Harvison, Myles Jury (Injured), Chris Cope, Nordin Asrih, Chuck O?Neil Team Dos Santos Head Coach: Junior dos Santos Assistant Coaches: Lew Polley (Wrestling), Luiz [...]

Source: http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2011/06/02/the-ultimate-fighter-13-episode-10-wrap-up/

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The Ultimate Fighter 13: Episode 10 Wrap-Up

Team Lesnar Head Coach: Brock Lesnar Assistant Coaches: Luke Richardson (Strength/Conditioning), Marty Morgan (Wrestling), Erik Paulson (Jiu-Jitsu), Rodrigo Medeiros (Jiu-Jitsu), Greg Nelson (General) Fighters: Len Bentley, Charlie Radar, Tony Ferguson, Clay Harvison, Myles Jury (Injured), Chris Cope, Nordin Asrih, Chuck O?Neil Team Dos Santos Head Coach: Junior dos Santos Assistant Coaches: Lew Polley (Wrestling), Luiz [...]

Source: http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2011/06/02/the-ultimate-fighter-13-episode-10-wrap-up/

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