UFC 141 Results: 5 Questions We Have About Jon Fitch

Perennial top-five welterweight Jon Fitch suffered perhaps the most devastating loss of his entire career at UFC 141 when he was knocked out in just 12 seconds by up-and-comer Johny Hendricks.

Fitch came into the bout as a big favorite against Hendricks, who was expected to be outwrestled and grinded to a decision, but Hendricks had other thoughts. All week, he told the media that he had a powerful left hand and was a dangerous striker in addition to being a very good wrestler.

It only took one punch from that left hand, and Fitch was out.

The knockout loss marked the first time since August 2008 that Fitch had tasted defeat, a streak which included six fights against UFC-level competition, including former top contenders Thiago Alves and BJ Penn. It was only the second loss of his UFC 16-fight career, the first coming against Georges St-Pierre.

With the loss, questions now surround the once-dominant grinder. There are quite a few questions that fans have about him, but these five are perhaps the most intriguing regarding the future of Jon Fitch in the UFC.

Does He Still Have “It"?

After going 13-1 to start his UFC career, Jon Fitch went just 0-1-1 in the Octagon in 2011.

Of course, those two fights were against some very good competition in Johny Hendricks and BJ Penn, but now the questions about whether or not he has fallen off will begin.

There is absolutely no question in this writer’s mind that Fitch is still an elite fighter, but it’s getting increasingly difficult to argue it after two disappointing performances in a row.

Can He Put Friendship Aside?

One of the most frustrating things about Jon Fitch’s time in the UFC has been that he has absolutely refused to fight his teammate and fellow welterweight top contender Josh Koscheck.

It’s not often that a teammate-versus-teammate fight makes a ton of sense in the UFC, but this one has made sense for years now, as both fighters from the American Kickboxing Academy have essentially run through the rest of the welterweight division, with the only real exceptions being Georges St-Pierre and one another.

UFC President Dana White has come out publicly and said that he would like to see Fitch and Koscheck fight one another eventually and even that it would go a long way in giving one of them another title shot, but both fighters have flat-out refused.

Now, after Fitch’s loss to Hendricks and Koscheck having lost twice already to St-Pierre, it’s becoming increasingly obvious that if these two ever want to fight for the title again, they may need to put aside their friendship for one night and touch gloves in the cage. 

Can He Still Finish His Opponents?

Jon Fitch’s ability to win fights has never been doubted before now. Even now, most still believe that he’s one of the premier welterweights in the world.

But in his 16 UFC fights, Jon Fitch has never been accused of being a finisher.

Sure, he has a few TKO and submission wins, but the vast majority of his wins have come by way of decision, typically in fairly boring fights that have even turned fans away from the UFC product and MMA as a whole.

In fact, despite competing in 10 fights since, Jon Fitch has not successfully finished an opponent since he submitted Roan Carneiro in June 2007. That’s 54 months of competing, and Jon Fitch hasn’t finished even one opponent.

Not only is that unpleasant to watch for many, but not finishing your opponents leaves open a lot of opportunity to lose a fight. As Chael Sonnen showed in his bout against Anderson Silva, a guy can dominate the first 23 minutes of a fight, but it only takes one slip-up for a top-level fighter to put an end to the fight in an instant.

If Fitch wants to get back to the elite level, he’d be wise to start looking to finish more opponents.

Will the UFC Ever Give Him Another Title Shot?

Even if Jon Fitch does ever get back into being a top-three welterweight, one has to really wonder whether or not the UFC will ever give him another title shot.

It took him eight wins in a row to earn his first title fight against Georges St-Pierre at UFC 87, and after a disappointing loss in that fight, it became increasingly difficult to justify giving him another shot.

He went on another five-fight win streak in fights that were mostly one-sided and was on his way to a second shot at the title if he could beat BJ Penn at UFC 127. That didn’t happen, though, as Fitch was unable to finish Penn in a crushing third round that many believe should have been a 10-8 on the judges’ scorecards.

That inability to finish Penn cost Fitch a title shot, and he had to try to get things started again against Johny Hendricks at UFC 141. The knockout again knocked him further down the rankings.

With Dana White’s public criticisms of Fitch’s style, it’s hard to believe that Fitch will be quick to get another title shot anytime soon. He might need another six-plus fight win streak, which could take him years to achieve, and by then, his skills may have degraded below championship caliber.

How Close Is He to Getting Cut?

This one might catch some people off guard, but it's a very legitimate concern.

Certainly Fitch isn’t in danger of being cut right now, but if he were to lose another fight or two in a row, there is a real chance that Dana White and Co. might truly consider giving the axe to the fighter who many have called the most boring fighter in the entire sport.

The bottom line is that although MMA is a sport, the UFC is a business that is all about making money. If they can do that by promoting the best fighters in the world, they will do that. But if there is more money to be made by promoting fighters who maybe aren’t the best in the world, they’ve never shied away from doing that.

Think about it: James Toney, Kimbo Slice, even Brock Lesnar. All of them were essentially considered to be freak shows when they came to the UFC. One of them turned out to be completely legitimate and a future champion, but the other two were laughing stocks.

The thing that connected all of them, though, was the fact that they all made the UFC a bunch of money because fans wanted to see them fight.

The truth is that Jon Fitch simply does not draw in many fans to watch his fights.

So, if he’s not winning, what is the point of keeping him around?

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