Fitch fit for Alves rematch
Jon Fitch, the perennial No. 2 fighter in the UFC’s welterweight division, is heading down the home stretch for a…
Jon Fitch, the perennial No. 2 fighter in the UFC’s welterweight division, is heading down the home stretch for a rematch with Thiago Alves at UFC 117 on Aug. 7.
But you can’t blame him if he keeps his fingers crossed the next two weeks, hoping the fight comes off as planned.
Fitch, for the first time in his career, is in the position of being the hometown star of a major event, held at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., about 40 miles from his base in San Jose. He’s in the semi-main event match on the show, underneath Anderson Silva’s middleweight title defense against Chael Sonnen.
But it’s been an eight-month journey getting ready for this battle of the consensus No. 2 and No. 3 fighters in the world at 170 pounds behind champion Georges St. Pierre, as the fight has been postponed three times.
We were first supposed to fight in December in Memphis, said Fitch over lunch after a recent training session at the American Kickboxing Academy gym. Then he suffered a knee injury. Then we were supposed to fight in March.
Out of the several cancellations, the March delay left Fitch most irritated. Alves waited until almost the last minute to submit medicals in New Jersey, which is known for its strict athletic commission. After completing a hard camp, Fitch remembers being in New Jersey three days before the fight and being woken up and told he needed to talk with UFC president Dana White immediately.
An abnormality was found in Alves’ CT scan, finding a congenital brain issue, so he would need surgery and fighting was out of the question. Fitch ended up fighting and defeating Ben Saunders, who took the match on short notice.
For all the young fighters, there is a lesson to be learned, he said. Get your medicals done on time.
The Alves fight was then scheduled for June 12 in Vancouver, but Alves, after surgery, wasn’t cleared in time.
Fitch and Alves have fought before, on June 28, 2006, long before either became a star in the sport. Fitch stopped a then 22-year-old Alves via ground and pound in the second round.
He’s a lot better fight now, said Fitch, whose 12-1 record in UFC competition is the second best won-loss record for any veteran fighter in company history, behind only Silva at 11-0. He’s bigger, he’s stronger and he’s got much better wrestling. He’s got wicked knees and leg kicks.
