UFC
Jon Fitch's injury worse than expected, out 4-6 months after surgery next week
Apr 19, 2011 - 11:30:56 PM Jon Fitch's injury worse than expected, out 4-6 months after surgery next week

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

UFC welterweight Jon Fitch will be out of action a bit longer than he was hoping, as the former title challenger posted on his Twitter account on Tuesday that he will need to undergo surgery next week on his injured shoulder.

Fitch's injury forced him out of a UFC 132 bout with B.J. Penn, a rematch of their UFC 127 headlining bout that ended in a draw. He was hoping to rehab and return to training, but after meeting with his doctor today he got the bad news.

"This is the longest I've ever gone without training. Hope the doc has good news today," Fitch wrote early in the day. Then came the bad news:

"Looks like I will be getting shoulder surgery next week. Not the news I was looking for."

When asked on Twitter how long he would be out for, Fitch revealed it's now expected to be four to six months after surgery.

Penick's Analysis: Penn won't be out nearly as long, so I think we'll see him return to action early in the fall against someone else, and a rematch with Fitch could come either later in the year or early in 2012. Hopefully for Fitch the surgery goes off without a hitch and he can rehab the shoulder back to health sooner rather than later. This is definitely unfortunate news, but Fitch is a resilient fighter and he'll get back as soon as he's able.

[Jon Fitch art by Cory Gould (c) MMATorch.com]