UFC 127 Fight Card: Jon Fitch May Be Boring, but He Knows How To Defeat B.J. Penn

It is only hours and minutes before Jon Fitch’s biggest fight on his career. An excited Fitch, shadowboxed and kicked the helpless air with force, like a dance routine waiting for its biggest stage and biggest crowd throughout his career.

More than the bright lights of the Octagon or the animated cheers in Sydney, Australia, this would be Fitch’s ultimate fight, a conclusion to his career, to his greatness and much more to his winning heart.

With only his second championship fight in his eight-year career. Fitch will be facing a legend, a fighter whose legacy has already been etched on MMA’s Hall of Fame, B.J. Penn.

Fitch is a year older than Penn and has a better fight record with 23-3-1 NC, but Jon is nowhere near Penn’s popularity. If this is a popularity contest, then, hands down, Penn wins the fight by a wider margin.

Penn became only the second fighter to win two different weight classes winning the UFC lightweight and welterweight titles. He fought with precision and risk. He doesn’t care about losing. He just did whatever he had to do to win, a big difference with Fitch, who fights with lesser risk, but carries a big heart.

Both fighters are going in different directions with different styles, but come out with just one goal, and that is winning.

Fitch was dubbed as “The Decision” because almost all of his fights are decided through decision. His fighting style has been criticized because it’s allegedly boring. However, it’s the way he fights.

He wrestles to control his opponents and fights with calculated risks. He may be boring, but he still came out effective, holding the record for most wins via decision in the UFC.

Fitch goes to the fight as a 2:1 favorite, not because he is the much talented fighter, but because he weighs much more than Penn.  Penn’s declining skills also contribute, winning only one out of his last three fights. 

This would be Fitch’s biggest fight and the biggest stage of his career. This is the fight he wants and it’s not about winning anymore—it boils down to respect. He wants the respect of MMA fans; he wants to let the world know his greatness.

More than greatness, he wants everybody to know his big heart.

He may be boring, but he never cared about it just as long as he is winning.