(Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
Dana White has confirmed the rematch between top welterweight contenders is back on, Sherdog reports.
Last night, Jon Fitch announced that his fight with Ricardo Almeida was off, and that it had been replaced by a bigger and better fight. It was shortly after that that I proclaimed the rematch with relative certainty, while various other MMA sites were quickly predicting a match between Fitch and Matt Hughes.
Hate to say "I told you so."
This fight instantly becomes the biggest fight in the welterweight division.
The storylines are pretty awesome as well.
Fitch dominated their first encounter with his wrestling ability, and the end came when he unexpectedly knocked out Thiago Alves with an up-kick.
Despite getting the win, Fitch has been eagerly anticipating a rematch. People tell him that he didn't beat Thiago Alves the destroyer, but rather, he beat the old Thiago Alves, who didn't know how to wrestle or do Jiu Jitsu.
Since that fight, Alves really has improved his wrestling and BJJ, so the rematch certainly looks to be a lot more competitive. But Jon Fitch hopes to silence the doubters by defeating Alves once again.
Alves' most impressive performance might have been against Fitch's teammate, Josh Koscheck. Alves dominated the striking exchanges, while Koscheck, an NCAA Division I champion, couldn't even take Alves down.
A rematch would give Alves a chance to avenge his loss to Fitch, while Fitch can get a little revenge on behalf of his teammate, Koscheck.
It was no accident that Jon Fitch was scheduled to fight on the same night that Georges St. Pierre fought Thiago Alves.
If Fitch and Alves had both won that night, the UFC would have instantly been able to promote the rematch between the champ and the last man to defeat him. Instead, Fitch and Alves are now fighting for another probable shot at the champ, St. Pierre.
The UFC has been hesitant to put this match together because it wanted to build both fighters back up to the point where they feel that they can once again be marketed for a title shot against Georges St. Pierre, the man who defeated both without losing a round.
It looks like the injury to Ricardo Almeida has forced the UFC to re-think its plans for the welterweight division, similar to how it re-examined the strategy for Tito Ortiz once Mark Coleman got injured.
Personally I am very happy with the decision to book this fight, as it would have been a minor tragedy if Fitch and Alves never got the opportunity for a rematch.
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