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I'm alarmed by the fact that my fellow columnist, Matt Pelkey, would suggest that a top level fighter such as the consensus number two welterweight in the world should be cut. Jon Fitch is a top level competitor, and has thoroughly dominated all of his opponents in the UFC with the exception of the reigning champion, George St. Pierre. That is all that matters. At the end of the day, the excitement levels of his fights are of no consequence.
Fighters who finish fights get fast tracked to title shots, and they should, seeing as how finishing fights is a more impressive display of skill than grinding out a decision. However, complete domination is not without merit. I'll be the first to admit that my eyelids feel as heavy as Shane Carwin's hands during a Jon Fitch performance, but as I struggle to keep them open, I often catch glimpses of Fitch imposing his will on an overmatched opponent. I'm afraid I don't understand why Fitch's opponents should remain under the UFC banner when they lose, but Fitch be cut when he wins?
Sometimes, the whole "spectator sport" mindset gets taken entirely too far . The only effect fans should have on the sport is whether or not they choose to invest their time and put down their dollar to watch it. Fitch's opponents don't have the skills necessary to stop him from doing what he wants to do, so they deserve to lose and he deserves to win. He's not a terribly exciting performer, but his opponents find his technique so overwhelming that they often crumble and wind up broken by the relentless blanketing of the former Purdue wrestling captain.
Cutting Fitch would be an incredibly dangerous precedent for the sport. The incentive to be exciting is already huge. A bigger fan base, perhaps better endorsements, perhaps more money, and faster title opportunities are already huge incentives for fighters to up the excitement level. But if those things don't matter to you or reaching that level of excitement is out of your reach, it doesn't mean that you should be eliminated altogether. However I do believe that there is a "sport" that requires constant entertainment, and rewards excitement and charisma, but I also believe that industry is captained by Vince McMahon, and not Dana White.
I must say that I find the loss to Georges St. Pierre to be a comical and convenient excuse for ridding the UFC of one of its least exciting fighters. I doubt we'll hear many people calling for the more dynamic Kenny Florian to be ousted from the organization after succumbing to the dominance of B.J. Penn, so I think Fitch is just fine where he is. Much like in the case of Benjamin Button, I'm afraid that I don't find the case of Jon Fitch to be very curious at all.
RELATED ARTICLE: PELKEY: The Curious Case of Jon Fitch: Could Cutting Him be Best for All Parties?: [CLICK TO READ FULL ARTICLE]
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