Jon Fitch Vs. Thiago Alves II: Will Jake Shields Await The Victor?

The welterweight rematch is finally going to happen.

Jon Fitch will face Thiago "Pitbull" Alves in a bout that will no doubt have implications toward the UFC Welterweight title.

Of course, the news of the day (and probably the weekend) is that Jake Shields is close to being signed, but the details aren't ironed out yet.

Still, the hottest free agent in MMA is on the fast track to becoming one of the most talked about and most watched welterweights in the sport's history.

When Jake signs with the UFC, the first question will be "who is he fighting first?"

Well here's a question:

Why not have him face the winner of the Fitch-Alves rematch?

I've touched a bit on the idea of Fitch or Alves welcoming Shields into the UFC, but that was a touch.

This is the full monty.

See, we know that both Fitch and Alves have fought GSP in the past and that both are looking to face him again for the belt.

I say that they both are looking to face GSP, but it doesn't take a philosophical analysis to know who Fitch will be pulling for or what he'll do even if he beats Alves.

So just in case Koscheck does win the title but he loses it in his first defense... how would the thought of facing Shields sound to Fitch?

Seriously, how would that fight sound?

Personally, I think it would be great.

Fitch has a Cesar Gracie fighter in front of him, but he could neutralize the BJJ of Shields if he takes Shields to the ground and control him on the ground.

He could take Shields out of his own element while Shields is in a place that he usually likes to be.

Then again, Shields could do the same to Fitch, who is known more for his Wrestling and his reputation as a "grinder" than he is for finishing fights in the UFC despite having beaten all his previous opponents aside from the current champ.

Of course, Alves Vs. Shields provides me with a less advantageous situation involving Shields.

"Less advantageous" meaning "Shields is in more danger with Alves than Fitch."

Aside from Anthony "Rumble" Johnson, Alves is one of the heavier welterweights in the UFC — so much so that he even missed weight for the Matt Hughes fight.

That aside, Alves brings a tough striking game to the table against Shields.

Shields may not only have to be the stronger athlete in the cage, but also the quicker fighter in the cage.

A vastly improved striking game could also help Shields out against Alves. Shields is considered a top fighter in the sport, but he's not the world's best striker.

Striking was the one thing that Shields needed to get past in the Dan Henderson fight and he almost didn't get past that.

He'll need to work on that if he winds up fighting Alves.

Fitch will flow right past the strikes and take Shields down if Shields does that against Fitch.

That didn't work for Ben Saunders, so I don't see a striking game scoring a win for Shields unless he can time his shots accurately.

Of course, there's a long way to go before we talk about Shields versus the winner of the UFC 117 affair between the AKA mainstay and the ATT striker.

Jake Shields still has to sign the contract first.