Consensus top-two welterweight Jon Fitch has been taking some heat from fans recently with his public refusal to fight up-and-coming contender Rick Story.
The ducking by Fitch was surprising because he is generally considered a fighter who is willing to fight just about anyone at any time. When the news came out, it just didn’t seem like it was coming from Fitch himself—and as it turns out, it wasn’t.
“I kind of had a talk with Rashad Evans during the expo up in Canada. It kind of opened up my eyes to it a little bit. He was telling me I [have to] stop screwing around, I have to think about my career, and I’m a main event fighter. I should only be fighting main event people,” Fitch told MMA Weekly.
“I’m at a point in my career where I need to be fighting main events and main event fighters. And if you don’t have a belt, currently, or you haven’t owned a belt in the UFC, I’m not really interested,” he added. “I’ve gone out of my way throughout my career to just fight everybody they put in front of me and it’s cost me dearly. When you fight somebody who no one knows and don’t recognize their name, it doesn’t matter how bad you beat them.”
Story called out Fitch following his victory over Thiago Alves at UFC 130 last weekend, but has now been set to fight Nate Marquardt, who will be making his welterweight debut, in the main event at UFC on Versus 4 on June 26.
Fitch was scheduled to fight later this summer in a rematch with BJ Penn, whom he fought to a draw against in the main event at UFC 127. Unfortunately, injuries knocked both fighters off the card and the bout was scrapped.
Still, Fitch insists that there are only two fighters on his radar.
“I want BJ or GSP [Georges St-Pierre]. Those are the only two guys I care or have any interest in right now. If I [have to] sit out a year and wait for them, I’ll do it. That’s what I’m waiting to fight for.”
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com