A shocking knockout loss to Johny Hendricks at UFC 141 has questions circling over the head of former No. 1 contender Jon Fitch.
The smothering welterweight, known for his grinding and sometimes difficult-to-watch style, has long been considered the No. 2 welterweight in the world. However, following the loss, suddenly the critics are out in full force, ready to drop him down the rankings.
MMA rankings are always completely subjective and it’s hard to blame anyone for dropping Fitch a bit after his loss when so many of the other top 170-pounders have avoided falling into the “loss” column in 2011. However, it is important to not be a prisoner of the moment in situations like this.
Make no mistake about it, Jon Fitch is still an elite welterweight.
Some of you might be thinking, “Of course he is, who is saying he isn’t?”
Well folks, you might be surprised to hear it, but I have personally spoken to numerous MMA analysts who are ready to drop Fitch out of their top five. One even told me that he is dropping him from his top 10 entirely.
I mean no disrespect to Johny Hendricks, who came in and did exactly what he said he was going to do, but unexpected knockouts happen. It’s a hazard that practically no one in the sport has been able to avoid throughout their entire career.
Even current UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre suffered a surprise knockout loss to Matt Serra back in 2007. Though the loss still counted on his record, the fact that so many analysts were quick to drop St-Pierre from the No. 1 ranking goes to show that MMA rankings can be absolutely crazy at times.
Serra went from barely being a top-10 welterweight to suddenly skyrocketing to No. 1, even though just about everyone agreed that it was a fluke knockout. Serra held the title for another year with an injury keeping him from ever defending the title before he fought St-Pierre again in one of the most dominant, one-sided and almost embarrassing beatdowns that has ever happened in the Octagon.
St-Pierre proved that even though he lost a fight, he should have never dropped from the No. 1 ranking.
Jon Fitch’s loss to Johny Hendricks should be looked at in much of the same way. While it’s understandable that some people will drop him down a few slots, Fitch should still be firmly entrenched in the top five at 170 pounds.
MMA analysts should remember not to let their personal dislike get in the way of reality. This guy is 13-2-1 in his UFC career and is an absolutely terrible matchup for just about anyone in the division other than Georges St-Pierre.
Crazy knockouts happen in MMA all the time. Don’t let one punch be the reason that you look ridiculous in 2012 when Fitch gets back to grinding out decision win after decision win against UFC opponents.
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