UFC 117: 8 straight decisions for Jon Fitch
Jon Fitch got his first takedown of Thiago Alves 45 seconds into their welterweight bout at UFC 117 in Oakland.
If you know your Fitch, you know what happened next. Correct! Fourteen minutes and 15 seconds more groundwork (give or take a few kicks).
By winning a unanimous decision, Fitch proved he's the top contender at welterweight. He's most deserving of a title shot against the Georges St-Pierre-Josh Koscheck winner.
That poses a problem either way. Should Koscheck pull the upset over GSP, he and Fitch are friends and teammates at American Kickboxing Academy. Should GSP defend his title, UFC president Dana White will cringe as he announces that fight. Why? Because you can forget the pencil, just ink in the five-rounder and the judges' decision now.
Ranked No. 5 on Newsday's pound-for-pound list, Fitch (26-3) controlled Alves for all three rounds en route to his eighth straight decision. Nothing too exciting. Nothing exciting at all, actually. Just generic groundwork and controlling of Alves (22-6).
Alves missed weight on Friday, coming in at 171.5 pounds. He declined to lose that last half-pound, costing him 20 percent of his purse for the fight (10 percent goes to Fitch, 10 to the California State Athletic Commission). Such a refusal confirmed all the reports the past week that said Alves was struggling to cut weight.
Watch the UFC 117 live video press conference at 1:20 a.m. EDT.
