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.
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