What If He Wins? Featuring Jon Fitch

Hello again fans and friends and welcome to part one of a special one-day-only four-part mini-series focusing on the upcoming encounter between top UFC welterweights Jon Fitch and BJ Penn. Today’s four-part series will see two new entries into my “What If He Wins” series of columns, as well as a new “5 Reasons Why” two-parter focusing on the five reasons why Jon Fitch could beat BJ Penn and vice-versa. So let’s dive right in with part 1: a new “What If He Wins”, where I say what I think the future holds for an MMA fighter if he wins his next fight, featuring Jon Fitch.

If he wins, people will still dislike Jon Fitch simply because of his style.

It’s a cliché, but it also perfectly summarizes why Jon Fitch is rarely taken seriously by a portion of the MMA fanbase: haters gonna hate. Some people just don’t like Jon Fitch’s style of doing moderate damage while wearing an opponent’s defenses down with constant grappling and takedowns. Nothing will change their minds, no performance is good enough to fully silence them. Even if Fitch beats Penn, people will continue to hound Fitch about his supposedly-boring style, unless he somehow manages to pull off a highlight-reel KO, and even as a fan of Fitch, I can admit that that’s not very likely.

If Georges St. Pierre is still the UFC Welterweight Champion, Jon Fitch will beat Georges St. Pierre.

Yep, you heard me. If GSP hasn’t permanently moved up to Middleweight by the time Jon Fitch is healthy enough to get the title shot he’s being promised if he beats Penn, then I think that Fitch will find it in him to even his rivalry with St. Pierre to one win each. I just think that Fitch is on too good of a role right now: if he beats Penn there’s no stopping him. He’ll find a way to beat Georges St. Pierre.

If Jake Shields is the UFC Welterweight Champion, Jon Fitch will beat Jake Shields.

I also think Fitch will beat Jake Shields if Shields beats Georges St. Pierre in their upcoming showdown. Shields is a great grappler with good takedowns, but this is Jon Fitch we’re talking about. He’s neutralized some of the best, and the only time he’s ever been submitted was when he fought for the first time as a professional Mixed Martial Artist. It won’t be easy, that’s for sure, but Fitch will beat Jake Shields.

If Jon Fitch becomes UFC Welterweight Champion, he’ll finally get the respect he deserves.

Then and only then will people finally start warming up to Jon Fitch, because if Fitch does become UFC Welterweight Champion, there can be no denying that he’s the best in the world at his weight class. I think Fitch as champion may even spark a rebirth in the division, the same way the Lightweight division and its rankings were blown wide open following Frank Edgar’s series of victories over BJ Penn. It’ll be a whole new ballgame if Fitch becomes champion, but those wanting to step up and challenge the new King are in for a rude awakening if they think that a man that’s gone 13-1 in the world’s most prestigious MMA organization is going down without a fight.

And that’s it for Part 1, fans and friends! Stay tuned, the other parts will follow soon. But for now: what do you think will happen if Fitch beats BJ Penn?