Jon Fitch: No Longer the Bridesmaid

Jon Fitch has accomplished much in his career, having spent years on the precipice of a world championship. At one point, he was the best welterweight in the world not named Georges St. Pierre.

Fitch failed to dethrone St. Pierre at UFC 87 in August 2008 but rebounded with a five-fight winning streak. However, he was released by the Ultimate Fighting Championship after posting a 1-2-1 record across his next four appearances. From there, Fitch signed with the World Series of Fighting and soon found himself battling Rousimar Palhares for the organization’s welterweight crown. He submitted to a kneebar from the Brazilian leg lock specialist at WSOF 16, his championship aspirations once again on hold.

As Fitch drifted into his late 30s, it seemed as though one of this generation’s most successful fighters might never reach the mountaintop. However, the Fort Wayne, Indiana, native kept Father Time at bay, defeated Yushin Okami in a title eliminator in late 2015 and then completed his unlikely climb with a unanimous decision over Joao Zeferino at WSOF 30 that brought with it the vacant welterweight championship. Fitch’s undying persistence had finally paid dividends.

“Winning that title was great because it was an accumulation of everything I had been through up to that point,” he told Sherdog.com. “I had a rough training camp for the Joao fight because I had a bulging disc in my back. I wasn’t sure going into that fight. If I got hit once, would I lose all feeling in one of my limbs or would I make my bulging disc even worse? To win that fight, to finally get that championship, was incredible.”

It was part coronation, part culmination for the 38-year-old Fitch.

“I moved away from my family in Indiana about 14 years ago [and] left most of my friends, but you have to sacrifice a lot in order to do that,” he said. “All these years, I had that empty space with all of my awards; that was that belt. Now, I finally I have it, and it’s amazing. Athletes compete for titles, to be the best. That title belt is the representation of being the best.”

Now that Fitch has marked winning a major MMA title off his to-do list, he can turn his attention to his next challenge: WSOF 34 (current odds). There, he will defend his welterweight belt against former Strikeforce, Shooto and EliteXC champion Jake Shields in the co-main event on New Year’s Eve at Madison Square Garden in New York.

“It’s pretty exciting to be fighting in New York,” Fitch said. “I didn’t think I’d expect to ever be in this position over the years, but to now be able to fight in Madison Square Garden is an excellent thing to put on my list of accomplishments. Defending my title there is going to be awesome.”

Shields mirrors Fitch in many ways. A grinder by design, the Cesar Gracie protégé has spent a significant chunk of his career succeeding in St. Pierre’s shadow. Like Fitch, Shields lost a decision to St. Pierre and submitted to Palhares; and their records are eerily similar: Fitch at 28-7-1 and Shields at 31-8-1. That their paths have yet to cross in MMA seems like something of a bizarre anomaly.

“We’ve had two grappling matches a long time ago, but yeah, we’ve never actually fought before,” Fitch said behind a grin. “We’ve been circling each other in the water for a long time and we’ve trained together a lot over the years, but we’ve never actually fought. I think we are both very professional-type of guys. I think we can go out there, beat the crap out of each other and then have a beer after.”

Shields, 37, owns one of the sport’s best resumes, with wins over Demian Maia, Tyron Woodley, Dan Henderson, Robbie Lawler and Carlos Condit. Fitch knows what to expect from the longtime Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt.

“Jake’s a great grappler, and he’s awesome when he gets top control,” he said. “I don’t think he’s going to vary at all from what he’s good at, and I don’t see any reason for me to vary from what I’m good at. That said, I think this fight will come down to who is able to impose his will the best and who makes the first mistake.

“Jake is very systematic, but he’s very good within that system,” Fitch added. “He’s like a crocodile, where you know exactly what a crocodile will do; he’s going to snap at you and then death roll you, but it’s very hard to stop that from happening. I’m prepared for him, and I think I match up well against him style-wise. I think it’s going to be a great fight.”