His unwavering commitment to grime made him a polarizing figure,
but no one can deny
Jon Fitch’s
place as one of the most successful welterweights in mixed martial
arts history.
Fitch retired in 2020 after having compiled a 32-8-2 record across
nearly two decades of competition. The former captain of the Purdue
University wrestling team rose to prominence with a 16-fight
winning streak from July 19, 2003 to March 1, 2008—a run that
included an 8-0 mark in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship. While Fitch failed to capture
the undisputed welterweight title in a unanimous decision loss to
Georges St.
Pierre at UFC 87 in August 2008, he remained a fixture near the
top of the division for years. He later struck gold in the
World Series of Fighting before moving on to
Bellator
MMA. Fitch made what was his final appearance at Bellator 246,
where he submitted to a heel hook from
Neiman
Gracie in the second round of their Sept. 12, 2020 pairing.
As Fitch’s competitive exploits fade further and further from view,
a look at some of the numbers that accompanied him throughout his
stellar career:
43: Years of age for Fitch, who was born on Feb. 24, 1978 in Fort
Wayne, Indiana.
12: Fitch victories by knockout, technical knockout or submission,
accounting for 38% of his career total (32). His list of victims
includes
Brian
Foster,
Roan
Carneiro,
Luigi
Fioravanti,
Thiago Alves
and
Joshua
Burkman. Fitch owns 20 other victories by decision.
698: Days spent by Fitch as World Series of Fighting welterweight
champion. He captured the vacant title with a five-round unanimous
decision over
Joao
Zeferino at WSOF 30 on April 2, 2016, retained it with a
unanimous decision against
Jake Shields
at WSOF 34 on Dec. 31, 2016 and continued on as champion when the
organization became the
Professional Fighters League. Fitch successfully defended the
170-pound crown with a rear-naked choke submission of Foster at PFL
“Daytona” on June 30, 2017 and then vacated his throne to sign with
Bellator on March 1, 2018.
2: Stalemates on the Fitch resume. He fought
B.J. Penn to a
majority draw in the UFC 127 main event on Feb. 27, 2011 and did
the same with
Rory
MacDonald in the Bellator 220 headliner on April 27, 2019.
19: Consecutive calendar years in which Fitch fought at least once.
He went 3-2 in 2002, 3-0 with one no contest in 2003, 4-0 in 2004,
2-0 in 2005, 3-0 in 2006, 3-0 in 2007, 1-1 in 2008, 3-0 in 2009,
2-0 in 2010, 0-1-1 in 2011, 1-0 in 2012, 1-2 in 2013, 1-1 in 2014,
1-0 in 2015, 2-0 in 2016, 1-0 in 2017, 1-0 in 2018, 0-0-1 in 2019
and 0-1 in 2020.
2,185: Total strikes landed by Fitch as a member of the UFC roster,
placing him fifth on the promotion’s all-time list. Only
Max
Holloway (3,056), the aforementioned St. Pierre (2,591),
Frankie
Edgar (2,479) and
Nate Diaz
(2,386) have connected with more.
7: Seconds needed for Fitch to punch out
Eric Tix under
the Ultimate Wrestling banner in September 2002. Having occurred in
his fourth professional appearance, it was the fastest finish of
his 43-fight career.
6: Countries in which Fitch plied his mixed martial arts trade. He
went 26-8-1 with one no contest in the United States, 3-0 in
Mexico, 1-0 in Japan, 1-0 in Canada, 1-0 in Brazil and 0-0-1 in
Australia.
90: Professional rounds completed by Fitch as a mixed martial
artist. He went the distance on 24 different occasions and compiled
a 20-2-2 record in those bouts.
.700: Cumulative winning percentage between the eight men—St.
Pierre, Burkman, Gracie,
Rousimar
Palhares,
Demian Maia,
Johny
Hendricks,
Wilson
Gouveia and
Mike Pyle—who
defeated Fitch. They boast a combined record of 171-73-2.