Jon Fitch: The Working Class Hero

UFC 87 has come and gone and with that, we found out what kind of mma fighter George St. Pierre really is.  Dominant, explosive, talented, athletic, and right now, one of the top two pound for pound fighters in the world (the other being Anderson Silva).  But with all that being said, GSP's unanimous decision wasn't the most impressive thing I took away from the August 9th Welterweight Title fight.  It was Jon Fitch's heart.

Any true MMA fan knows that it's not always about who punches the hardest, who is stronger, or who knows the most submissions.  Conditioning and breaking a fighter's will are two aspects of the fight game that play a huge role in whether a fighter who maybe is the more talented fighter on paper, actually walks away with a W. 

Take Gabriel Gonzaga for instance.  Last January, he took on a very talented fighter in Fabricio Werdum.  Werdum, a veteran of the PRIDE fighting championships, was a tough test, but many believed, including myself, that Gonzaga was the future of the Heavyweight division.  He just lost a tough fight against (still) UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture and to get that shot at Couture, he brutally knocked out the heavily favored Mirko Cro Cop by head kick.  The buzz around this guy was out of the stratosphere.  The problem was, after winning the 1st round against Werdum, Gonzaga gassed and Werdum began to pick him apart in the 2nd, finally stopping Gonzaga by TKO.  Gonzaga, no matter how much talent he had, or how good he was on paper, he was conditioned properly and if you ask me, he gave up in that fight.

Jon Fitch could of done the same thing against GSP, especially for the amount of punishment he took, but that is no what Jon Fitch is made of and not what Jon Fitch has built his name around.  Fitch showed a determination that I don't think I have ever seen in a MMA fight.  The fact of the matter is this; Fitch was punished for five rounds, couldn't see out of his left eye after the 2nd round, and was in some bad positions on his back with GSP having mounted him.  Fitch never stopped fighting.  He wanted this fight so badly and most insiders and media types weren’t giving him a chance to defeat St. Pierre.  But as I was watching the fight, admittedly rooting for Fitch (I love GSP too!), I couldn't help but wonder what was keeping Jon Fitch up.  Why did he continue in the third, fourth, and fifth rounds when he was getting battered and punished.  Then it hit me, Jon Fitch doesn't know any other way to go about things.  He goes all out, never quitting, and has the will of a champion, even if he doesn't carry around the gold.

So when UFC 87 comes out on DVD and you watch that main event with GSP v.s Jon Fitch, watch it to see how truly great George St. Pierre is and ask yourself if there is anyone in the welterweight division that can beat him.  Then watch the fight again and be amazed at what kind of character, resilience and balls Jon Fitch has and ask yourself if there is any other fighter in the world that has a bigger heart than Jon Fitch.  I have a feeling the answer to both those questions is a resounding "NO".