Everybody seems to hate Fitch. They hate his grinding style, and his apparent lack of finishing ability. He is still being criticized for the Penn fight, despite setting a record for most strikes landed in a round, with 149. That's as many and GSP landed on Alves over the span of 5 rounds. Do you feel he is being unfairly criticized? I do. Especially for this performance. Also, shouldn't blame be put on his opponents? Fitch has a clearcut gameplan going into all of his fights. Is it not his opponents responsibly to stifle that gameplan?
I like Fitch yeah going like 4 years without a finish can be annoying but all the guy does is keep winning fights. What he did to Penn in the 3rd round last night was far from just grinding away. I dont think ive ever seen that many GNP punches thrown in a single round before. In alot of fights including last night you notice Fitch does setup takedowns with his strikes and he has displayed some excellent Jiujitsu skills. The guy works hard and fights hard and I respect the hell out of him.
:thumbsup He's the master of 'winning ugly' and unlike most lay n prayers Im impressed with his top control and relentless energy. Yes he doesnt finish fights and I do understand that he's not exactly electrifying at times. But to anyone who thinks he doesnt do damage, check out BJ's face at the end of the fight. And BJ never marks up easily. Also credit to Penn, he showed tremendous heart and took the fight to Fitch, but just wasnt able to keep up. Is it a stretch to say BJ is the no 3 WW in the UFC after that performance?
No its not Stoo. BJ I think, could comfortably defeat any WW if he keeps his head up and work like he wants it.
I personally think Fitch won the 2nd hence the fight, but it was close. But the fact it's even a discussion is a massive credit to Penn. The training with Hughes really paid off and for BJ to try to adapt to fighting the wrestlers at WW shows the old dog still has some life left in him. Glad the vague hints at retirement in the post fight interview with Rogan seem to have passed
When he almost sunk in that rear naked, I jumped out of my seat and screamed like a little girl at a Bieber concert. His takedown defense is still there and he showed alot of strength by taking down a huge welterweight like Fitch.
:rofl Brilliant! Yeah Im sure if I watch it again I may even give the round to Penn. I dont see why people are complaining, was a great battle of wills and ground/clinch work. Not every fight is one for the highlight reel but still found it compelling none the less
Yes !!! Johh Fitch despite what Joe Rogan says is immensly talented , his wrestling ability and transitioning in shooting for a take down is second only to St Pierre himself in the UFC P4P , on that one , there would be a few front runners for that accolade but its heat of the moment stuff !!! For me i gave Penn rounds 1 and 2 , 2 (just) , and i had Fitch 10 - 8 in the final round , therefore i also had a draw , im gonna go back on what i said about Fitch post Alves 2 , i said Fitch is the closest thing we have at the moment to a realistic threat on St Pierre , im now gonna take that back , he's not !!! , nobody is . That said , GSP has got to fight somebody at 170 in the future , i cant see him vacating all together , i think the UFC would like him to say on as WW champion and flit between the divisions , how can you crown somebody a WW champion when St Pierre is still active , it would be a farce , and i cant see Dana White letting it happen , therefore while St Pierre has a hole in his ass , Fitch will always be the #1 contender nearly man who could never get past George St Pierre , no shame in it , its just the way it is . In summary , superb gameplan and execution from Penn rounds 1 and 2 , but ultimatley Fitch rides off into the sunset with an absolute beat down in round 3 , and maintains his status as the number 2 WW in the world , for now !!! (Carlos Condit) ???
I think CC's got the heart and the striking to give Fitch a good run for his money. Is a lil bit of a slow starter sometimes and that may work against him if he lets John establish the grind early
Very true it was a close round , aggression and octagon control for me went to Penn , why ?? he secured the TD that eventually led to Fitch gaining top position , and he had Fitch's back for over 45 seconds and looked as though he had a RNC at one point , that for me was more decisive than Fitch's reversal / sweep and the 1:15 of G & P that ensued . If you actually watch all of BJ's fights , and the rare chances you get to see a TD , Pulver 2 , Florian , Edgar , Serra , Uno 1 , his wrestling technically is very sound , he at some stage decided to just stop using it , im not sure it was the direct result of the training with Hughes , more that Penn actually wrestled in his training camp and got the muscle memory and cardio back that goes along with prelonged wrestling in training camps , to say while Penn still had air in his lungs he was out wrestling JOHN FITCH , is huge , and a massive credit to Penn . Looking at his body language after the fight i could of cry'd , the guy has no fight left in him , he's fighting for money , he got himself into semi decent shape for Fitch and IMO won 2 rounds , is that enough for a guy like BJ Penn , do we want to have this conversation about Penn in 3 months time when another WW has rolled over him , i dont , i said in the build up to this fight i could see it in Penn's eyes on the build up show , he was expecting a defeat , you could see he had other ideas once the technique and ability shown over John Fitch rounds 1 and 2 , but after the fight it was as though he had his retirement speech ready !! , that isnt BJ Penn the prodigy , thats BJ Penn with not much left to give , not a sight i ever want to see again , he clearly does not want to cut to 55 again , give him a tomato @70 and let the man ride into the sunset :deal
If Condit fights Fitch on the front foot and avoides TD's , he's in with a big big chance , but hey , tell us something we dont know , another top fighter primed for the Fitch grinding machine
His wrestling is very sound, only Hughes, GSP and JF in the 3rd are the only examples of Penn being out wrestled for significant periods, no shame there. But I think the Matt Hughes strength and conditioning which is geared to out muscling guys (for want of a better term) would benefit BJ at WW in addition to his undoubted agility which his ground game has always been built on previously. And this was made obvious by BJ's control of Fitch by long stretches of the fight as you mentioned. He should invite Hughes to train with him more regulaly imo