Filed under: UFC
Jon Fitch‘s upcoming fight against B.J. Penn at UFC 127 on Feb. 27 will be an opportunity for the longtime American Kickboxing Academy member to fulfill a personal mission within his gym.
“Coming out of AKA,” Fitch said Monday on The MMA Hour. “B.J. has kind have been the older brother or the older cousin that you never really knew, but everybody always talks about.”
Before Fitch arrived at the San Jose gym around 2003, Penn had already left the gym to branch out on his own, but not before leaving a lasting impression with AKA owner Javier Mendez and then-AKA star Frank Shamrock, among others.
“It’s kind of like I’ve been chasing that reputation my whole career,” Fitch added. “It’s a huge thing for me to fight B.J. Penn.”