The Fitch Paradox

Joe Silva has a quandary before him, and it weighs 170 lbs.

The welterweight division is a big one for the UFC, but its champion just happens to be Georges St-Pierre. The man who has wrested the title of “world’s most dominant welterweight” from Matt Hughes, and put on dominant performances for the last three years. Oh, and depending in who you ask, he’s also the #1 or #2 pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

GSP has just about cleaned out his weight class, and save maybe one or two realistic “fresh” challengers (Jake Shields comes to mind), we’re at the point where his contenders are “reruns.” Guys who already had their chance but came up short. Josh Koscheck is the first to ready “syndication” in this instance. After him, topping this list is AKA teammate Jon Fitch, perhaps the world’s most paradoxical fighter.

Going into UFC 117, the rematch between Fitch and Thiago Alves was initially promoted as a #1 contender’s fight, with the winner getting a second shot at GSP. Despite Fitch’s win, immediately following the fight, White was hesitant to confirm Fitch was the man to face the winner of GSP-Kos 2. It was reminiscent of White’s fuzzy stance on Dan Henderson this time last year. After Henderson KO’d Michael Bisping in convincing fashion, many were under the impression he would be the next to get a crack at Anderson Silva for the middleweight crown. Clearly, that never came to fruition.

But whereas Hendo’s potential shot went up in flames due in part to contractual negotiations, Fitch’s is in limbo because Dana White is painfully aware of one fact: Fitch is boring.

As good a wrestler as Jon Fitch is, he causes audiences more pain than his opponents. After watching him control Ben Saunders for 15 straight minutes in person at UFC 111, I cringe at the thought of seeing him do the same to contenders in an alternate Bizarro World where he’s welterweight champ.

Fitch’s last five fights have had him winning by unanimous decision time and again. In all fairness, 3 out of GSP’s last 4 title defenses have come by way of UD, too. Heck, if BJ Penn’s corner didn’t throw in the towel after the fourth round, odds are that fight would have gone the distance as well. But the fundamental difference between St-Pierre and Fitch is that the incumbent champion does make an effort to finish his opponents. While he predictably takes them down and controls them, he’s always working. Throwing shots, looking for submissions, being active on the ground. Fitch hardly does that. Last Saturday against Thiago Alves, he started looking for a choke late in the third round. But by that point, he hard already cemented his victory by taking Alves down and controlling him every single round.

He’s grueling to watch. And yet his record speaks for itself. Fitch subscribes to the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” school of thought, and is unwavering in his methodology. But the fans have long begun to turn on him. In pro wrestling, his fight would be known as the “Popcorn Match;” a match in which the fans are unengaged and use the restrooms or get concessions.

Fitch’s dilemma shows that while you can convincingly win fights, you can’t necessarily win fans. Until he displays more thorough killer instinct, he may be second to GSP, but he will remain lost in fans’ hearts. I don't believe there are many fans out there who would want to see him defending the welterweight title, holding opponents in one place for 25 straight minutes without barely throwing a blow or going for a submission.

In a world where fans want to see Anderson Silva dropping bombs instead of dancing to wins, Fitch will forever be lost in the shuffle. Fans have cooled on him, and it's possible Dana has as well. If Fitch wants that second title shot, I'm of the mind he's going to have to show it more with one more fight. My take is that Jake Shields should be next in line should he defeat Martin Kampmann. Fitch should take the loser of that fight and show some hunger in doing so. Being the #2 in your division isn't enough. Zuffa needs to tout it's champions, which is one of the reasons UFC 112 was borderline disastrous given Anderson Silva's performance. Were it not for Chael Sonnen, UFC 117 would not have broken a million buys, period.

Besides, if Fitch does get another crack at GSP, he should know his wrestling won't do any good. One way or the other, Fitch has his own paradox before him: fight or falter. The choice should be obvious.