Jon Fitch

MMAstatsbox|name= Jon Fitch


nick= Two Face
height=6 ft. 0 in. (183 cm)
weight=170.5 lbs (77 kg)
nationality=American
birthdate=birth date|1978|2|24|mf=y
died=
fightingfrom=San Jose, California
hometown=Indianapolis, Indiana
fightteam=American Kickboxing Academy
fightstyle=Wrestling
wins=19
losses=3
draws=0
nocontest=1
ko=4
submissions=8|

Jonathan Parker Fitch (born February 24, 1978 in Fort Wayne, Indiana) is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter. He currently fights as a welterweight in the UFC and was the number one contender for the welterweight championship. He fought Georges St. Pierre at UFC 87 for the welterweight title. [ [http://www.ufcdaily.com/2008/03/04/jon-fitch-next-in-line-for-welterweight-title-shot/ Jon Fitch Next In Line For Welterweight Title Shot | UFCDaily.com ] ]

Fitch received his Guerilla jiu-jitsu black belt under Dave Camarillo (the founder of the system of the same name that culls Brazilian jiu-jitsu and judo together and gears it toward mixed martial arts) on July 2, 2008. cite web|url=http://www.sherdog.com/news/news.asp?n_id=13504|title=Fitch Faces St. Pierre as a Black Belt|accessdate=2008-07-02]

Biography

After graduating from Carroll High School (Fort Wayne, Indiana), Fitch enrolled in at Purdue University in 1997 and graduated in 2002 with a Bachelor's in Physical Education and a minor in History. A member of the Purdue wrestling team, Fitch – a four-year letterman – wrestled under the tutelage of Tom Erikson and eventually became the team captain of his wrestling squad.

Erikson – a former PRIDE fighter – would occasionally bring other mixed martial artists to the wrestling gym, and Fitch would be introduced to such fighters as Mark Coleman and Gary Goodridge. The sport, and the money that the top-tier fighters were making, interested Fitch, and he started his mixed martial arts career in 2002.

MMA career

Fitch began his career at Light-Heavyweight with a record of four wins, two losses, and one No Contest. Understanding that the sport required cross training in the martial arts, Fitch soon left for San Jose, California to train with the American Kickboxing Academy and went undefeated until his loss to UFC welterweight title-holder, Georges St.Pierre.

In his next seven fights, Fitch amassed wins over fighters such as Shonie Carter, Alex Serdyukov, and Jeff Joslin. After failing to make the selection process for the first season of The Ultimate Fighter – a last-minute decision by the production team that left Fitch stranded in an airport with his luggage already boarded – he earned a shot in the Ultimate Fighting Championship on October 3, 2005, where Fitch defeated Brock Larson in a middleweight bout.

Soon after, Fitch dropped to the welterweight division and won his next six fights. With victories over Josh Burkman, Thiago Alves, Luigi Fioravanti, and Diego Sanchez, Fitch was now seen as a welterweight contender. On March 1st, 2008, Fitch defeated Chris Wilson by unanimous decision at UFC 82. This marked his 8th consecutive victory in the UFC, tying the record set by Royce Gracie for most consecutive wins in the UFC. [ [http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/news?slug=dd-ufcside030208&prov=yhoo&type=lgns UFC 82 notes: Eight is enough for record - MMA - Yahoo! Sports ] ] UFC President Dana White praised Fitch's performances inside the Octagon, and indicated that Fitch would fight the winner of the Georges St. Pierre vs. Matt Serra Welterweight title fight. [ [http://www.ufcdaily.com/2008/03/04/jon-fitch-next-in-line-for-welterweight-title-shot/ Jon Fitch Next In Line For Welterweight Title Shot. Fitch will take on St. Pierre at UFC 87 in Minneapolis on August 9. | UFCDaily.com ] ]

Fitch was defeated by UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre at UFC 87 by unanimous decision. Fitch received praise due to his durability and ability to stand up and keep fighting despite the savage beating that he took. In a post-fight interview, St. Pierre himself admitted that towards the third round he began to get frustrated due to his inability to finish Fitch off. Fitch even reversed a rear naked choke attempt to briefly mount St. Pierre, although his position was quickly lost. After the fight, both fighters hugged and congratulated each other on their performance, with St. Pierre telling Fitch that his loss would surely make him stronger.

MMA record

MMArecordbox
wins=19
losses=3
nocontest=1
ko-wins=5
ko-losses=1
sub-wins=8
sub-losses=1
dec-wins=7
dec-losses=1

References

# Gerbasi, Thomas. [http://www.ufc.com/index.cfm?fa=news.detail&gid=2840&pid=378 "Jon Fitch – The Best Unknown Fighter in The World?"] (June 26, 2006).
# [http://www.mmafighting.com/gettingtoknow/jon_fitch.html Getting to Know Jon Fitch] MMAFighting.com, (August 25, 2006).
# Mendoza, Ricardo. [http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=2288&zoneid=4 Jon Fitch Ready to Break out in UFC] MMAWeekly.com, (June 28, 2006).

External links

* [http://www.fitchfighter.com/ Homepage of Jon Fitch]
*sherdog|id=4865