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[stevequalude]

Jon Fitch will face Thiago Alves at UFC 111 in a bout that Fitch thinks gives him a clear opportunity to earn a shot at welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre.

"If I stop him, I don't see how they could deny me a shot at GSP," Fitch said on HDNet's Inside MMA. "At that point I would have stopped someone twice that GSP couldn't finish in five rounds, so I think that's a very strong argument for me to get a title shot."

On merit, Fitch has a very good argument: If he beats Alves he's indisputably the No. 2 welterweight in the world, and if he stops Alves, it'll be his second time doing so. Fitch previoulsy beat Alves by second-round TKO in 2006. When you're the No. 2 guy in the world and you've stopped the No. 3 guy twice, you've got a good case that you deserve a fight with the No. 1 guy.

But there are a couple of other issues. For starters, Fitch is just assuming that St. Pierre will still be the UFC welterweight champion. Dan Hardy will have something to say about that in the main event at UFC 111.

And the more significant issue is that Fitch already had his shot at St. Pierre, and he was thoroughly dominated. The UFC wants to put St. Pierre in the Octagon with someone it can sell as a legitimate threat, and after the way St. Pierre whipped Fitch, that'll be a tough sales job. If Paul Daley beats Josh Koscheck at UFC 113, I think Daley would get the next crack at St. Pierre's welterweight title, because Daley has a fighting style that makes him an easier sell as a threat to the champ.

Still, Fitch sees his fight with Alves as a fight for a title shot.

"We're both fighting for another crack at GSP, so we both have something big that we want," Fitch said.

And Fitch added that he thinks both he and Alves are better fighters now than they were in 2006.

"Mentally he's matured a great deal in that time period," Fitch said. "He was pretty young when we fought. ... His wrestling defense is much better and he's harder to take down. He's stronger and I think he's matured physically. Maybe he's a little bit slower. We'll see. ... I'm a much better athlete than I was a couple years ago. I'm a much improved fighter from when I first fought, and so is he."

Jon Fitch: If I Stop Thiago Alves, I'm Next for GSP -- MMA Fighting

[MickeyKnox]

I like Fitch.... but i hope Alves takes it to his ass this time around. This is a hard fight to call. I want to see someone actually knock Fitch the fuck out, that guy can take a beating to his face. Last time Alves was in the cage though was with GSP, so its been a little while. Hope he can come in and explode on Fitch.

[Mac]

I agree with Fitch, he should get the next shot after he beats Alves. If GSP is going to fight Anderson, I would like to see Fitch clown Daily in the meantime.

[Fedorlei Gomipierre]

I think Fitch beating Alves is a mighty big IF.

I like Fitch, but his game has looked a tad sloppy as of late and he really sqeeked past that third round against Mike Pierce. If he does that against Thiago, he may take a nap and the pressure to be a little more "explosive/exciting" may lead him to stray from his gameplan in order to actually finish a fight, at which point, I think he's seriously leaving himself open against Alves. I think the one big IF in this fight is how Alves makes weight. If he's drained, Fitch'll have an awfully easier time pushing the pace and securing the ground attack and velcro himself to Alves.

BUT.....if Alves comes in bright eyed and bushy tailed, I see Fitch having a helluva time getting him to the ground and just absorbing a lot of punishment trying to take it to the ground. Of the two of them, I'd wager to say that Alves has looked better than Fitch since the last time they fought and I think I'll take Alves over Fitch on his way to a showdown with somebody like Daley or Rumble or maybe BJ, while I really see GSP being preoccupied with Akiyama by years end, who I'm more and more anticipating a drop to 170 and an automatic title shot.

[U shut ur FACE]

I think that the UFC will try to put either winners up against Daley if he gets past Kos

[KevoOnTheRadio]

The best scenario would be Fitch and Kos fighting if they both win their next fights. Winner gets GSP. Never happen though. So if Kos beats Daley, I see him getting the next shot. It took Fitch 7 wins in a row to get his first shot at the belt, I can't imagine how many it's gonna take for him to get a rematch against GSP.

[jlruthven84]

Originally Posted by Fedorlei Gomipierre

I think Fitch beating Alves is a mighty big IF.

I like Fitch, but his game has looked a tad sloppy as of late and he really sqeeked past that third round against Mike Pierce. If he does that against Thiago, he may take a nap and the pressure to be a little more "explosive/exciting" may lead him to stray from his gameplan in order to actually finish a fight, at which point, I think he's seriously leaving himself open against Alves. I think the one big IF in this fight is how Alves makes weight. If he's drained, Fitch'll have an awfully easier time pushing the pace and securing the ground attack and velcro himself to Alves.

BUT.....if Alves comes in bright eyed and bushy tailed, I see Fitch having a helluva time getting him to the ground and just absorbing a lot of punishment trying to take it to the ground. Of the two of them, I'd wager to say that Alves has looked better than Fitch since the last time they fought and I think I'll take Alves over Fitch on his way to a showdown with somebody like Daley or Rumble or maybe BJ, while I really see GSP being preoccupied with Akiyama by years end, who I'm more and more anticipating a drop to 170 and an automatic title shot.

Mike Pierce, we've found, is no joke. Just because he's not a top name yet doesn't mean that WWs shouldn't be having trouble with him.

Honestly, I'm not sure this fight goes down much different from the last, minus the upkick KO. Kos lost to Alves because (besides taking the fight on short notice) he tried to stand with him too much, and because his wrestling is very shot-reliant. Fitch is more of a grinder, and his wrestling is more clinch-based, and he has no illusions about how his striking compares to Alves'.

Fitch by UD. On a final note, I'm not sure I want to see a Fitch/GSP rematch yet. Maybe after a GSP/Silva superfight.

[snakebite]

fitch shouldnt get the next shot! shows how much talent there is when every proposed title fight is a rematch

[slayer6]

***ALERT TO JON FITCH*** Nobody in the MMA world wants to see you fight GSP again. By the way Jon, when is the last time you finished someone? I believe you may hold the record for most decision wins and most boring fights in the UFC. Rock on son.

[IceCold48]

Originally Posted by Mac

I agree with Fitch, he should get the next shot after he beats Alves. If GSP is going to fight Anderson, I would like to see Fitch clown Daily in the meantime.

if fitch were to fight daley i think it would basically be the welterweight version of the velasquez kongo matchup at ufc 99 where kongo landed a couple of haymakers but got taken down early in every round and just could not get out and valesquez destroyed him from the top