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Jonathan Parker Fitch (born February 24, 1978 in Fort Wayne, Indiana) is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter. He fought Georges St-Pierre at UFC 87 for the welterweight title.[1]
Fitch received his Guerilla jiu-jitsu black belt under Dave Camarillo (the founder of Guerilla jiu-jitsu, which culls Brazilian jiu-jitsu and judo together and gears it toward mixed martial arts) on July 2, 2008.[2]
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.
In his next seven fights, Fitch amassed wins over fighters such as Shonie Carter, Alex Serdyukov, and a disputed decision win over 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 1, 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.[3] 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.[4]
Fitch was defeated by Georges St-Pierre via unanimous decision with scores of 50–43, 50–44, 50–44 in UFC 87.[5] St-Pierre retained his UFC welterweight title over a durable Jon Fitch, After the fight GSP spoke to Fitch about the growth that his own loss prompted, and said that Fitch's experience should be no different. Had Fitch beaten St-Pierre he would have gone on a nine fight winning streak beating Royce Gracie's streak of eight and tying Anderson Silva's streak of nine.
Fitch was released from the UFC on the 20 November 2008.[6] The dispute was over his reluctance to sign a lifetime contract to allow his name and likeness to be used in a video game the UFC released with THQ.[7][8] In the end, Fitch ended up signing a licensing agreement that will allow the UFC to feature him in their UFC Undisputed video game release and returned to the UFC.[9][10] Fitch's exile from the UFC lasted less than 24 hours.[11]
Fitch dominated Pride Fighting Championships veteran Akihiro Gono en route to a convincing unanimous decision scored 30–27, 30–27 and 30–26 at UFC 94.[12]
Fitch defeated Paulo Thiago by unanimous decision at UFC 100.
Fitch was expected to fight Ricardo Almeida on November 21, 2009, at UFC 106 but due to a knee injury sustained by Almeida, the fight was cancelled.[13] Fitch was then scheduled to face Thiago Alves on December 12, 2009 at UFC 107 in a highly anticipated rematch.[14] However, Alves suffered an injury and was forced off the card. Mike Pierce stepped in to fight Fitch instead. Fitch later defeated Pierce via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).[15]
Fitch was expected to finally face Thiago Alves on March 27, 2010 at UFC 111: St.Pierre vs. Hardy[16], but on March 25, 2010, Alves was forced off the card due to a brain irregularity that appeared on a pre fight CAT scan. Jon Fitch will now replace Jake Ellenberger on the card and face Jeet Kun Do fighter Ben Saunders.[17]
Personal life[]
Jon and his longtime girlfriend Michelle Cao got engaged the day after UFC 100.[18]
Other media[]
Jon Fitch appeared on the November 5, 2008 episode of MythBusters, "Coffin Punch". The MythBusters were attempting to determine if someone could punch their way out of a coffin. For his part, Jon Fitch laid on his back and punched up into a sensor, attached to a punching bag that was a few inches above Fitch, allowing his arm only three inches of travel before contact with the sensor. The sensor read that the power behind Fitch's punch was just over 1400 pounds of force (6.2 kN).[19] His first name was misspelled as "John" on the onscreen graphics during this episode.
Trivia[]
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- According to a recent interview, his preferred nickname is "OOUAH", which was given to him by a group of Thai fighters he was training with. Due to the fact that he threw up several times in his first practice with the team, they made the name up as a way to playfully mock Fitch. The name itself, "OOUAH", is meaningless except as an onomatopoeia of the sound of a man vomiting.[20]
- He was tied with Anderson Silva and Royce Gracie for most consecutive wins in the UFC, which was 8. Anderson Silva has since set a new record with 10 consecutive wins.
MMA record[]
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 28 | 21 wins | 3 losses |
| By knockout | 5 | 1 |
| By submission | 5 | 1 |
| By decision | 11 | 1 |
| No contests | 1 | |
| Result | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes | ||
 Ben Saunders
|
UFC 111: St-Pierre vs. Hardy | 2010-03-27 | Newark, New Jersey, US
| ||||||||
| Win | 21-3 (1) | Mike Pierce
|
Decision (Unanimous) | UFC 107: Penn vs. Sanchez | 2009-12-12 | 3 | 5:00 | Memphis, Tennessee, US
|
|||
| Win | 20–3 (1) |  Paulo Thiago
|
Decision (Unanimous) | UFC 100 | 2009-07-11 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, US
|
|||
| Win | 19–3 (1) |  Akihiro Gono
|
Decision (Unanimous) | UFC 94: St-Pierre vs. Penn 2 | 2009-01-31 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, US
|
|||
| Loss | 18–3 (1) |  Georges St-Pierre
|
Decision (Unanimous) | UFC 87: Seek and Destroy | 2008-08-09 | 5 | 5:00 | Minneapolis, Minnesota, US
|
For UFC Welterweight Championship, Won Fight of the Night | ||
| Win | 18–2 (1) | Chris Wilson
|
Decision (Unanimous) | UFC 82: Pride of a Champion | 2008-03-01 | 3 | 5:00 | Columbus, Ohio, US
|
|||
| Win | 17–2 (1) | Diego Sanchez
|
Decision (Split) | UFC 76: Knockout | 2007-09-22 | 3 | 5:00 | Anaheim, California, US
|
|||
| Win | 16–2 (1) | Roan Carneiro
|
Submission (rear naked choke) | UFC Fight Night: Stout vs. Fisher | 2007-06-12 | 2 | 1:07 | Hollywood, Florida, US
|
|||
| Win | 15–2 (1) | Luigi Fioravanti
|
Submission (rear naked choke) | UFC 68: The Uprising | 2007-03-03 | 2 | 3:05 | Columbus, Ohio, US
|
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| Win | 14–2 (1) | Kuniyoshi Hironaka
|
Decision (Unanimous) | UFC 64: Unstoppable | 2006-10-14 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, US
|
|||
| Win | 13–2 (1) | Thiago Alves
|
KO (Up kicks and Punches) | UFC: Ultimate Fight Night 5 | 2006-06-28 | 2 | 4:37 | Las Vegas, Nevada, US
|
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| Win | 12–2 (1) | Josh Burkman
|
Submission (rear naked choke) | UFC: Ultimate Fight Night 4 | 2006-04-06 | 2 | 4:57 | Las Vegas, Nevada, US
|
(170 lb) UFC Debut at Welterweight | ||
| Win | 11–2 (1) | Brock Larson
|
Decision (Unanimous) | UFC: Ultimate Fight Night 2 | 2005-10-03 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, US
|
185 lb | ||
| Win | 10–2 (1) | Jeff Joslin
|
Decision (Split) | Freedom Fight – Canada vs USA | 2005-07-09 | 3 | 5:00 | Hull, Quebec, Canada
|
170 lb | ||
| Win | 9–2 (1) |  Alex Serdyukov
|
TKO (Strikes) | MMA Mexico – Day 1 | 2004-12-17 | 2 | 2:15 |  Ciudad Juarez, Mexico
|
170 lb | ||
| Win | 8–2 (1) | Jorge Ortiz
|
Decision (Unanimous) | MMA Mexico – Day 1 | 2004-12-17 | 3 | 5:00 | Ciudad Juarez, Mexico
|
170 lb | ||
| Win | 7–2 (1) | Mike Seal
|
TKO (Injury) | MMA Mexico – Day 1 | 2004-12-17 | 2 | 2:35 | Ciudad Juarez, Mexico
|
170 lb | ||
| Win | 6–2 (1) | Kengo Ura
|
Decision (Unanimous) | Venom – First Strike | 2004-9-18 | 2 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, US
|
170 lb | ||
| Win | 5–2 (1) | Shonie Carter
|
Submission (Verbal) | Shooto USA – Warrior Spirit: Evolution | 2003-11-14 | 3 | 0:41 | Las Vegas, Nevada, US
|
170 lb | ||
| Win | 4–2 (1) | Gabe Garcia
|
TKO (Strikes) | X – 1 | 2003-09-06 | 1 | 2:41 | Yokohama, Japan
|
185 lb | ||
| Win | 3–2 (1) | Kyle Jensen
|
Decision (Unanimous) | Battleground 1 – War Cry | 2003-07-19 | 3 | 5:00 | 185 lb | |||
| NC | 2–2 (1) | Solomon Hutcherson
|
No Contest | HOOKnSHOOT – Boot Camp 1.1 | 2003-03-08 | 2 | ? | 185 lb | |||
| Loss | 2–2 | Wilson Gouveia
|
KO (Knee) | HOOKnSHOOT – Absolute Fighting Championships 1 | 2002-12-13 | 1 | 3:38 | 205 lb | |||
| Win | 2–1 | Eric Tix
|
KO | UW – Ultimate Wrestling | 2002-09-07 | N/A | N/A | 205 lb | |||
| Win | 1–1 | Dan Hart
|
Submission (Guillotine Choke) | UW – Ultimate Wrestling | 2002-09-07 | 1 | 1:14 | 205 lb | |||
| Loss | 0–1 | Phil Smars
|
Submission (rear naked choke) | RFC 1 – The Beginning | 2002-07-13 | 1 | 2:35 | 205 lb |
References[]
- ↑ Jon Fitch Next In Line For Welterweight Title Shot It says he is 19-3 but he is actually 22-3 he was 18-2 when he fought roan coneira. | UFCDaily.com Sherdog.com ranks Fitch as the #7 pound for pound fighter in the world. Fitch is also ranked as the #2 welterweight in the world by both Sherdog.com and MMA Weekly
- ↑ Fitch Faces St. Pierre as a Black Belt. Retrieved on 2008-07-02.
- ↑ UFC 82 notes: Eight is enough for record - MMA - Yahoo! Sports
- ↑ 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
- ↑ http://www.kocosports.com/absolutenm/anmviewer.asp?a=23041&z=2
- ↑ http://web.archive.org/20090429094505/www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=7626&zoneid=13
- ↑ http://archive.is/20120717162349/mmajunkie.com/news/13291/ufc-drops-jon-fitch-aka-fighters.mma
- ↑ http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/ufc-cuts-fitch-koscheck-others-could-follow-15235
- ↑ http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=7635&zoneid=2
- ↑ http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/fitch-back-in-ufc-fold-15249
- ↑ http://archive.is/20120710071031/mmajunkie.com/news/13299/report-jon-fitch-will-sign-videogame-agreement-returns-to-ufc.mma
- ↑ http://www.mmanews.com/ufc/Jon-Fitch-Vs.-Akihiro-Gono-Official-For-UFC-94:-St.-Pierre-Vs.-Penn-2.html
- ↑ Template:Cite news
- ↑ Template:Cite news
- ↑ Template:Cite news
- ↑ Template:Cite news
- ↑ http://archive.is/20120716115347/mmajunkie.com/news/18446/jon-fitch-replaces-jake-ellenberger-meets-ben-saunders-on-ufc-111-main-card.mma?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+mmajunkie+(MMAjunkie.com+Feed)&utm_content=Twitter
- ↑ Jon Fitch Celebrates UFC 100 Victory By Getting Engaged. MMA.FANHOUSE.com (2009-07-16). Retrieved on 2009-07-16.
- ↑ Jon Fitch 'Mythbusters' episode on three-inch 'Coffin Punch' coming soon (2008-10-24). Retrieved on 2008-11-05.
- ↑ Jon Fitch On His UFC 94 Bout.
- Gerbasi, Thomas. "Jon Fitch – The Best Unknown Fighter in The World?" (June 26, 2006).
- Getting to Know Jon Fitch MMAFighting.com, (August 25, 2006).
- Mendoza, Ricardo. Jon Fitch Ready to Break out in UFC MMAWeekly.com,
External links[]
ja:ジョン・フィッチ pt:Jon Fitch