Fitch: WSoF working with me, not against me
On Feb 20, the UFC confirmed with MMAFighting’s Ariel Helwani that 16 fighters had been released including Jacob Volkmann, Vladimir…
On Feb 20, the UFC confirmed with MMAFighting’s Ariel Helwani that 16 fighters had been released including Jacob Volkmann, Vladimir Matyushenko, and Jon Fitch. Many fans were surprised at the release of Fitch, as, despite going 1-2-1 his previous four fights, he was ranked #9 in the UFC’s top 10 list.
One person who was not surprised was Fitch himself.
He now has a new home in WSoF, and will debut in the main event vs. Josh Burkman on June 14, on the NBC Sports Network.
Earlier today on a media call Fitch discussed his past and future.
“From very early on, I was fighting for my job every single fight,” said Fitch. “They made it very clear that they didn’t like me or want me around. That’s one reason I’m so excited about being with World Series of Fighting right now. They want me around and they’re giving me a great push. It’s awesome to have people working with me instead of against me.”
“There were times throughout my career with contract negotiations, there were threats of, after agreeing to terms of contracts, they were like, ‘It doesn’t matter anyway, as soon as you lose, we’re going to cut you and sign you back for half as much,’ type of statements. And just things said under their breath around me, things said behind my back to the media. Without ever sitting me down like a man and talking to me. To me that’s a clear sign of not wanting somebody around, not being appreciated, and not having a place at the table.”
Fitch is now in what he calls the second half of his career.
“It feels good,” said Fitch. “You can’t put a price tag on respect.”
“I’m proud of my history, I’m proud of what I’ve done. I’m even more proud of what I’ve done under the circumstances. It’s not easy to be successful in a hostile work environment. Anyone who’s worked in any profession that had to go through that knows that for a fact. I feel like I have double the wins because of the circumstances that I fought against.”