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Dana White Says Jon Fitch Is on the Downside of Career and Release Is Justified

The mixed martial arts world reacted with great shock on Wednesday when UFC President Dana White revealed a list of 16 fighters released from the promotion with former welterweight contender Jon Fitch leading the way. Fitch fought for the UFC welterwei…

Fitch fought for the UFC welterweight title in 2008 and has been ranked among the top fighters in the division for several years. He amassed a 14-3-1 record as well, but with a 1-2-1 record over his last four fights, Fitch found himself without a job this week.

White explained when speaking to reporters from Bleacher Report on Tuesday why Fitch was let go, and he says it was nothing more than simple business.

“This is a f—king sport just like NFL, Major League Baseball, NBA or any other sport. The Green Bay Packers just cut (Charles) Woodson, and a million other guys are getting cut, traded and everything else. Jon Fitch is ranked No. 9, whether you think it’s right, it’s wrong, the rankings are bulls—t or whatever, he’s ranked No. 9 right now. Now this isn’t a case where Jon Fitch was ranked No. 9, No. 7, No. 6, No. 4, No. 2 and then we cut him. He was ranked No. 1, he fought for the title, then he was ranked No. 2, then he was ranked No. 3, 6, 7 and now he’s 9. That’s called the downside of your career,” White explained.

“He’s lost two fights, one draw and won one fight (in his last four).”

When Fitch’s release was revealed, there were a million conspiracy theories as to why he was let go from the UFC. Was it Fitch’s wrestling style that resulted in more than a few decisions that traditionally were not very exciting? Did it have to do with a contract dispute that Fitch had with the UFC a few years ago where he didn’t want to sign over likeness rights to the promotion for a video game that resulted in his short-term termination?

White shoots down all of the accusations being launched at him following Fitch’s dismissal and says it had nothing to do with a personal grudge or anything else. According to the UFC President, Fitch was a fighter making a lot of money and he was likely headed to the preliminary card on the downside of his career.

His release meant nothing more and nothing less.

“Jon Fitch gets paid a lot of money to put Jon Fitch on a f—king prelim, or to put Jon Fitch over here. The difference between Jon Fitch and Charles Woodson that just got cut, Jon Fitch can get a couple more fights and come back to the UFC. Happens every f—king day. There’s nobody in the history of this business that I hated worse than Tito Ortiz. Every time I’d sit down in my chair and watch a fight, I’d be like ‘beat his ass’. That’s how bad I hated this guy. He ended his career in the UFC,” said White.

“I don’t have one ounce of hate for Jon Fitch. I don’t hate the guy at all, I don’t even dislike him. I like Jon Fitch.”

White says the door isn’t closed for Jon Fitch to return to the UFC, but he can happily go out now and test the free-agent market and see where he can land. This wasn’t personal, it was just about business, and White promises it won’t be the last fighter they have to part ways with.

“He can go out on the free market and find out exactly what he’s worth,” said White. “This isn’t the first guy we’ve ever cut.”

Damon Martin is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report and all quotes were obtained first hand unless otherwise noted.

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In the Wake of Jon Fitch, 6 UFC Fighters Who Should Worry About Being Released

Even before Jon Fitch’s unceremonious UFC exit on Wednesday, I fancied myself a rare aficionado of the man’s body of work.There’s something about his signature brand of slow-motion pulverization that, to me, is just plain nasty. I mean, the g…

Even before Jon Fitch’s unceremonious UFC exit on Wednesday, I fancied myself a rare aficionado of the man’s body of work.

There’s something about his signature brand of slow-motion pulverization that, to me, is just plain nasty. I mean, the guy is a freakin’ road grader. It’s the slowness that makes his attack so frightening. He’s like The Melvins of MMA fighters.

Anyway, whatever the actual cause of Wednesday’s George Washington-level bloodletting at UFC HQ, it had to be discomfiting for the fighters. And you know what? If I were any of these six men, I’d probably be particularly discomfited. At least, that’s what I think, sitting here in my chair with no information whatsoever about the promotion’s internal thinking. Get ready for wild speculation at its finest!

It’s not that I’d be happy to see any of these guys go. I’m just saying that, in my own reading of the tea leaves, it appears the axe might be dangling especially low over these fighters.

These are guys who haven’t looked good lately, are past their prime, don’t have irreplaceable star power, might be problematic or irritating to UFC brass from a business or personal perspective, or some combination of any of the above.

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UFC’s Long List of Cuts Shows Need for a Secondary League

I, like many in the mixed martial arts community, was completely perplexed by Tuesday’s announcement that former welterweight top contender Jon Fitch and 15 other fighters were being released by the UFC.It just boggles my mind that a guy with a 14-3-1 …

It just boggles my mind that a guy with a 14-3-1 record inside the Octagon on a one-fight losing streak can just get kicked to the curb. But I digress.

While I could spend an entire day going over why Fitch and many others on the list deserve to keep their jobs, the recent cuts speak to an even bigger issue: There are just too many fighters in the UFC right now.

Between Strikeforce’s untimely demise and the introduction of the newly formed women’s bantamweight division, the world’s largest MMA promotion has been inundated with fresh faces in recent months. And with rumblings of a 115 division on the horizon, fans can expect to see even more new names in the UFC.

Now, I’m all for adding new weight classes and giving up-and-comers a shot, but there is simply not enough room on the promotion’s roster for everyone. What the UFC needs is a new secondary league to house both its fading and emerging stars.

Before the WEC merged with the UFC, the smaller Zuffa owned promotion acted as a perfect feeder league. Budding prospects such as Brian Stann, Carlos Condit and more honed their skills in its famed blue cage before crossing over to the big stage while fading stars like Jens Pulver found new life in the growing lighter weight divisions.

But without a sister promotion, the UFC is forced to choose between the moneymaking personalities and the hardworking vets. And with millions of dollars at stake, its understandable that Dana White and company would elect to go with the former.

Not saying it’s right, but it’s understandable.

This conversation would have likely never have taken place if Strikeforce had not gone the way of the dinosaurs. In many ways, its acquisition by Zuffa sort of turned the promotion into the new WEC before its eventual demise.

After the influx of top tier guys such as Alistair Overeem and Nick Diaz into the UFC, Strikeforce became the destination for both veterans looking to remain relevant (i.e. Keith Jardine, Nate Marquardt, etc.) and prospects looking to make a name for themselves (i.e. Ryan Couture, Tyrone Woodley, etc.).

Without Strikeforce or the WEC, the UFC is placed in the precarious position of housing every fighter from these defunct promotions, an impossible task that has unfortunately cost up-and-comers and hard-nosed veterans like Fitch their jobs.

If Zuffa is to solve this problem before anymore fighters get the boot, it needs to create a minor league of sorts—and soon.

Be sure to like me on Facebook or follow @MattchidaMMA

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And Now They’re Fired: Jon Fitch, Paul Sass, and 14 Other Fighters Axed by the UFC

(You think it would be damn near impossible to sum up an 18-fight UFC career in one image, yet here we are.)

Wow.

When we announced just hours ago that Jacob Volkmann had been cut from the UFC ~~as part of a vast, government-led ploy to disarm the public~~ following a 1-2 run in his last 3 fights, little did we know that his termination was just the precursor for one of the largest mass firings in UFC history. But that appears to be the case, as it was recently made public that Volkmann was but one of 16 fighters to be cut from the UFC today.

Among the dead are a few guys you probably wont recognize (C.J. Keith, Motonobu Tezuka (?), Simeon Thoresen), a few guys who probably had it coming (Vladimir Matyushenko, Mike Russow, Mike Stumpf) and a couple of guys who couldn’t find a win in the UFC if they sold their souls to ~~Dana White~~ Satan (the continuously underwhelming Jorge Santiago and poor, poor Jay Hieron).

However, if you were to continue looking over said list, you would find a couple inclusions that would not only make you scratch your head, but possibly shave your head, eyebrows, body hair, and nipples off in a hallucinogenic stupor. After the jump, we’ve compiled our own list of the most shocking entries.

(You think it would be damn near impossible to sum up an 18-fight UFC career in one image, yet here we are.)

Wow.

Jon Fitch: That’s right, the man who is currently ranked at #9 on the UFC’s “official” welterweight rankings list, which were made public all of two weeks ago, has been axed for the second time in his 18-fight UFC career. While his first exit from the promotion wasn’t exactly performance-related, it’s hard to say that his second is any different. Fitch may be 1-2-1 in his past four bouts, but that lone victory came in a thrilling match over one of the division’s hottest prospects in Erick Silva. Not to mention Fitch’s thirteen other victories in the UFC. But yeah, keep trying to convince us that those rankings are anything other than a steaming pile of (adorable) dog shit.

Che Mills: 2-2 in the UFC, Mills was more than likely fired for basically giving up in the third round of his fight with Matt Riddle at UFC on FUEL 7, a move that immediately earned him the ire of The Baldfather.

Paul Sass: Talk a bout a hype-deflation. Sass came into the UFC riding a ten-fight unbeaten streak and quickly proved that he was the real deal by submitting his first three UFC opponents. However, after being dealt a taste of his own medicine compliments of Matt Wiman at UFC on FUEL 5, Sass would drop a follow-up contest to Danny Castillo, also at UFC on FUEL 7, which was apparently enough for the UFC to sever their ties with the Brit. Speaking of Brits…

Terry Etim: 6-5 UFC, on the heels of his second straight loss to Renee Forte at, you guessed it, UFC on FUEL 7 in London. Although Etim has fought just once a year since 2009 and is best known for being on the wrong end of the greatest knockout of 2012, this is still kind of a shocking entry considering the following he had gained amongst UK MMA fans. We guess shit happens when you drop a decision in your home country.

Other fighters who find themselves unemployed as of today are…

Wagner Prado: 0-2 and 1 NC, lost both fights by second round submission.

Josh Grispi: 0-4 UFC, officially became one of the biggest busts in UFC history (as we pretty much predicted) when he dropped a UD to Andy Ogle at UFC on FUEL 7.

Ulysses “Useless” Gomez: 0-2 UFC, also dropped a decision at UFC on FUEL 7. Expect several nickname-based puns to start popping up on comment boards across the MMA blogosphere any minute now.

Jacob Volkmann: We’ve already covered this one. In short, blame Obama.

Again, Leonard Garcia is still in the UFC. That is all.

–J. Jones

Jon Fitch Cut by UFC: Does His Release Create a Credibility Issue for the UFC?

Perennial UFC welterweight contender Jon Fitch was cut from the UFC this afternoon, creating a whirlwind of emotions that has the Internet buzzing.While some are okay with the decision to release Fitch, most fans and experts seem to agree that it was a…

Perennial UFC welterweight contender Jon Fitch was cut from the UFC this afternoon, creating a whirlwind of emotions that has the Internet buzzing.

While some are okay with the decision to release Fitch, most fans and experts seem to agree that it was a shocking move that may have been done out of spite.

But even worse than that, by releasing Fitch the UFC has created a credibility issue for itself.

A few weeks back, the UFC started a campaign to further solidify the rankings of the fighters on their roster. Media members from numerous trusted sources, including Bleacher Report MMA‘s own Jonathan Snowden, Jeremy Botter and Damon Martin, were asked to rank the top 10 fighters in each weight class.

The results were then calculated to create the official UFC Fighter Rankings list.

Although no specifics were given in regards to how this list would be used, the UFC was essentially officially announcing that these were the best fighters in each weight class. As such, we all assumed there would be some sort of value given to them.

Even after two losses in his previous three fights, Jon Fitch ranked No. 9 in the official UFC welterweight rankings as of Feb. 18.

By releasing Fitch, the UFC has essentially stated that these rankings—their own official rankings—do not matter.

Again, it should be reiterated that the promotion never said that the rankings did matter, but if they don’t matter, then what’s the point of having them? Why take the time? Why put it on the website? Why promote it like they matter?

The consensus among dozens of the top analysts in the sport is that Jon Fitch is one of the top 10 fighters in the UFC’s welterweight division. He was released despite the company employing somewhere around 70 other welterweight fighters on their active roster.

We’ve heard it many times from Dana White in the past: The UFC is supposed to be the place where the top fighters come together to prove who is the best.

Releasing Jon Fitch proves that the promotion cares more about “entertainment” than it does determining the best fighter.

And that’s their choice. This is their business. Sometimes it’s easy to lose track of that. If they don’t feel that the return-on-investment is there to continue employing Jon Fitch or another fighter on the roster, then the right business decision is to release him (or her).

But if it’s all about making a dollar and entertaining the fans, perhaps it’s time to that we all admit that the UFC is starting to creep further away from proving who is the best and more toward the WWE’s brand of “sports entertainment.”

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UFC Cuts Jon Fitch: Why MMA Fans Really Shouldn’t Be That Surprised

Although Jon Fitch is one of the world’s elite welterweight talents, it didn’t stop him (along with 15 other fighters) from getting cut by the UFC.But as much as Fitch’s fans want to criticize the decision, the reality is that the American Kickboxing A…

Although Jon Fitch is one of the world’s elite welterweight talents, it didn’t stop him (along with 15 other fighters) from getting cut by the UFC.

But as much as Fitch’s fans want to criticize the decision, the reality is that the American Kickboxing Academy ace outlived his usefulness.

Let’s be frank here—the UFC welterweight division is bloated and Fitch was extra weight.

Even ignoring the fact that he’s been openly defiant to the UFC brass about his status in the company, Fitch was weight that the promotion could afford to shed. He’s not a capable headliner, but still remains a downright brilliant fighter who can knock off potential title contenders and young prospects.

There’s no point in keeping Fitch if he’s knocking off hot contenders while not challenging for the belt, as sports writer Tim Marchman accurately points out:

@itsmikefagan I can pretty confidently say this is less about money than not wanting a gatekeeper who will make prospects look like bums. — Tim Marchman (@timmarchman) February 20, 2013

Plus, with the UFC desperate to make as many compelling “superfights” as they can (no matter how loosely the term fits), the company needs talents like Nick Diaz, Ronda Rousey and Carlos Condit—capable finishers and exciting trash talkers who can put butts in seats.

Fitch is always a great supplement for a fight card, but he’s lacked the charisma to get casual fans invested in his title hunt.

Heck, he’s only recently come around to the idea of being a more “fan-friendly” talent, after years of telling fans that he doesn’t care if they don’t like him and his fighting style (via Fight Day):

Either you’re a fan of the sport or you’re not. If you’re not a fan of the sport, go the [expletive] away. Pardon my French, but go away. We don’t want you here, we don’t need you here, because there are plenty of people who love the sport the way it is. Go away. We’re not going to keep changing the rules just to appease the people who only want to see guys boxing with small gloves. Go away. Watch something else.

Eventually, Fitch wised up about his own lack of hype and came around to the idea that being exciting matters—but it’s too-little too-late.

Being a finisher matters. Having causal fan appeal matters.

Moreover, Fitch is also coming off of a horrible loss to Demian Maia, which does nothing to help his case. Had Jon Fitch obliterated B.J. Penn and smothered Johny Hendricks, things would likely be very different.

Had Jon Fitch maintained an 8-0 winning streak before his recent loss, he would’ve been safe. Unfortunately, it’s more justifiable for the UFC to dump a “boring” veteran on a 1-2 stretch in his last three bouts.

Although it’s disappointing that the UFC would cut someone ranked as their No. 9 top welterweight, this should be a big reality check for his career.

Hopefully, Fitch can keep on rolling in some regional promotions and rack up a good winning streak to keep his name alive outside the UFC bubble.

Signing a contract with Bellator would essentially mean the death of his relationship with Zuffa, but there’s plenty of other promotions out there.

Maybe Fitch can sign up with the World Series of Fighting, or win a few international title belts.

Whatever the case, he needs to make his name matter a bit more. And if Fitch wants to get back into the UFC anytime soon before he really starts to fall out of his prime fighting years, he had better learn some self-promotion tactics in a hurry.

McKinley Noble is an MMA conspiracy theorist and FightFans Radio writer. His work has appeared in GamePro, Macworld and PC World. Talk with him on Twitter.

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