UFC 141 Fight Card: Is the UFC Giving Jon Fitch the Shaft?

Remember when Jon Fitch was a top contender for the UFC welterweight title?

Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

It’s clear Fitch has run into some hard times of late. After all, take a look at his next scheduled opponent. No offense to Johny Hendricks, who is a dangerous fighter, but he is merely nibbling at the edges of the welterweight Top-20 rankings.

Remember back when Fitch always fought top guys like B.J. Penn and Thiago Alves? That was, what, three years ago? Four?

Like Fitch, Alves has taken a nosedive in losing three of his last four. Penn, meanwhile, remains at the top of his game and division, as evidenced by the fact that his next matchup comes against fellow contender Nick Diaz.

Meanwhile, fighters like Carlos Condit—who will fight Georges St-Pierre for the strap at UFC 137—and Rick Story have surpassed Fitch in the pecking order. Story faces fellow Top-10 welterweight Martin Kampmann at UFC 139. What's more, UFC 139 is taking place in Fitch’s hometown of San Jose, California. Fitch repeatedly expressed his desire to fight in San Jose. So what does he get? Well, not San Jose.

Wow. Fitch can’t even seem to get a contender on the phone, much less in the cage.

What happened?

A quick look at his record tells the story.

In his last six fights, Fitch has...not lost. What? He fought Penn to a draw? His last defeat came against St-Pierre? Outside of that, he has never lost a fight in the UFC and hasn’t lost overall in nearly nine years?

Oh, wait…now I see it.

Here’s your problem, Fitch: your last nine fights went to decision. You never work for the finish. You take guys down and lie on top of them until the horn sounds. I’ve also noticed a major shortage of backflips in your post-victory routine.

Yes, a Penn rematch was scheduled, but Fitch pulled out with an injury. Don’t you know that time waits for no man, Fitch? As a result of your misfortune, you don’t get to fight in front of your home crowd and you get an opponent 15-or-so spots lower in the rankings than your originally scheduled opponent. Standard operating procedure. 

One more thing, Sir Lay N’ Pray. If you think you’re getting the shaft, feel free to take it up with Bellator. I’m sure they, for one, would love to hear your concerns.