Jonathan Parker Fitch (born February 24, 1978) is an American retired

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

. He has competed in the

Welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like Muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify the ...

divisions of the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

(UFC), the

Professional Fighters League The Professional Fighters League (PFL) is an American mixed martial arts league founded by venture capitalist Donn Davis in 2017 and launched in 2018, following the acquisition and restructuring of the former World Series of Fighting (WSOF) promot ...

(PFL), and most recently for

Bellator MMA Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) is an American mixed martial arts promotion (entertainment), promotion founded in 2008 and based in Santa Monica, California, owned and operated as a subsidiary of television and media cong ...

. In the UFC, Fitch compiled a record of 14–3–1 and once challenged for the

UFC Welterweight Championship Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight classe ...

. In the PFL, Fitch achieved championship success when he won the PFL Welterweight Championship, and he also once challenged for the Bellator MMA Welterweight World Championship.

Background

After graduating from Carroll High School (Fort Wayne, Indiana), Fitch enrolled at

Purdue University Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...

in 1997 and graduated in 2002 with a bachelor's in physical education and a minor in history. As a walk-on to the

Purdue Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

team, Fitch – a four-year

letterman Letterman may refer to: * Letterman (sports), a classification of high school or college athlete in the United States People * David Letterman (born 1947), American television talk show host ** ''Late Night with David Letterman'', talk show that ...

– wrestled under the tutelage of

Tom Erikson Tom Erikson (born July 6, 1964) is an American former amateur wrestler and mixed martial artist who competed in the super heavyweight division. Weighing between and throughout his career, "The Big Cat" began wrestling at an early age and was ...

and eventually became the team captain of his wrestling squad. Fitch secured a starting spot early on in his career, but struggled to find initial success. Compiling an 8-23 record his sophomore season, Fitch impressively turned that around to compile an 18-12 record in his final year. He finished with a 45-51 record overall for his collegiate wrestling career.

– a former

PRIDE Pride is defined by Merriam-Webster as "reasonable self-esteem" or "confidence and satisfaction in oneself". A healthy amount of pride is good, however, pride sometimes is used interchangeably with "conceit" or "arrogance" (among other words) wh ...

fighter – would occasionally bring other mixed martial artists to the wrestling gym, and Fitch would be introduced to such fighters as

Mark Coleman Mark Daniel Coleman (born December 20, 1964) is an American retired mixed martial artist, professional wrestler and amateur wrestler. Coleman was the UFC 10 and UFC 11 tournament champion, the first UFC Heavyweight Champion, and the Pride ...

and

Gary Goodridge Gary Henry Goodridge (born January 17, 1966), nicknamed "Big Daddy", is a Trinidadian-Canadian former heavyweight kickboxer and mixed martial artist fighting out of Barrie, Ontario. Prior to kickboxing and MMA, he was also one of the top ranked co ...

. The sport, and the money that the high-level fighters were making interested Fitch, and he started his mixed martial arts career in 2002.

Mixed martial arts career

Jon Fitch began his career at

light heavyweight Light heavyweight, also referred to as junior cruiserweight or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruise ...

with a record of four wins, two losses and one No Contest. Understanding that the sport required

cross training Cross-training is athletic training in sports other than the athlete's usual sport. The goal is improving overall performance. It takes advantage of the particular effectiveness of one training method to negate the shortcomings of another. In gen ...

in various martial arts, Fitch soon left for

San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popul ...

to train with the

American Kickboxing Academy The American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) is a martial arts gym based in San Jose, California. It is one of the pioneering schools of mixed martial arts (MMA). In 2014, AKA opened the ''AKA Thailand'' gym in Phuket, Thailand. Prominent trainers ...

. In his next seven fights, Fitch fought at

Middleweight Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to . Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have be ...

and amassed wins over fighters such as

Shonie Carter Mearion Shonie Bickhem III (born May 3, 1972), better known as Shonie Carter, is an American mixed martial artist. He is a former WEC Welterweight Champion, a UFC veteran, and a contestant on ''The Ultimate Fighter 4'' reality show. He has als ...

Alex Serdyukov Alex Serdyukov (born May 24, 1980) is a retired Russian mixed martial artist who competed in the Welterweight division. A professional from 2003 until 2009, he competed for the WEC and Palace Fighting Championship. Championships and accomplis ...

and Jeff Joslin. After failing to make the selection process for the first season of ''

The Ultimate Fighter ''The Ultimate Fighter'' is an American reality television series and mixed martial arts (MMA) competition produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Pilgrim Media Group currently airing on ESPN+. It previously aired for fourteen s ...

'' – a last-minute decision by the production team that left Fitch stranded in an airport with his luggage already boarded – he earned a shot in the

on October 3, 2005, where Fitch defeated

Brock Larson Brock Orville Larson (born August 23, 1977) is a retired American professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Welterweight and Middleweight divisions. A professional competitor from 2002 until 2016, Larson has formerly competed for the ...

by unanimous decision in a middleweight fight.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Drop to welterweight

Soon after, Fitch dropped down to the welterweight division and won his next seven fights. With victories over

Josh Burkman Joshua Ray Burkman (born April 10, 1980) is a retired American professional mixed martial artist formerly competing in the Welterweight division. He formerly competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the World Series of Fighting, the XFC, ...

, Thiago Alves,

Luigi Fioravanti Luigi Fioravanti (born January 22, 1981) is an American mixed martial artist who last competed in 2016. A professional since 2004, he is perhaps best known for competing in the UFC, but has also fought for M-1 Global and the Maximum Fighting Cham ...

, Diego Sanchez, and Chris Wilson (tying the record set by

Royce Gracie Royce Gracie (; born 12 December 1966) is a Brazilian retired professional mixed martial artist, a UFC Hall of Famer, and a Gracie Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. A member of the Gracie family, he is considered to be one of the most influential figures ...

for most consecutive wins in the UFC), Fitch was seen as a top welterweight contender. UFC President

Dana White Dana Frederick White Jr. (born July 28, 1969) is an American businessman who serves as president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a global mixed martial arts organization. In August 2019, White's net worth was estimated at $500 milli ...

praised Fitch's performances inside the Octagon, and indicated that Fitch would fight the winner of the Georges St-Pierre vs. Matt Serra Welterweight title fight.

Championship fight

Fitch was defeated by

Georges St-Pierre Georges St-Pierre (; born May 19, 1981) is a Canadian actor and former professional mixed martial artist. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest fighters in mixed martial arts (MMA) history. St-Pierre was a two-division champion in the Ult ...

via unanimous decision (50–43, 50–44, and 50–44) at

UFC 87 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. After the fight GSP spoke to Fitch about the growth that his own loss prompted and said that Fitch's experience should be no different. Had Fitch beaten St-Pierre he would have had a nine fight winning streak in the UFC, surpassing

's streak of eight straight wins (a record that has since been broken by

Anderson Silva Anderson da Silva (; born 14 April 1975) is a Brazilian-American mixed martial artist and boxer. He is a former UFC Middleweight Champion and holds the record for the longest title reign in UFC history at 2,457 days. This started in 2006 an ...

, whose winning streak ended at 16 on July 6, 2013). The loss also snapped Fitch's 16 fight winning streak, both in and out of the UFC.

Back to title contention

Fitch was released from the UFC on November 20, 2008. The dispute was over his reluctance to sign a lifetime contract to allow his name and likeness to be used in a video game the UFC released with THQ. In the end, Fitch ended up signing a licensing agreement that will allow the UFC to feature him in their ''UFC Undisputed'' video game release and returned to the UFC. Fitch's exile from the UFC lasted less than 24 hours. Fitch dominated Pride Fighting Championships veteran

Akihiro Gono (born October 7, 1974) is a Japanese mixed martial artist currently competing in the Lightweight division. A professional competitor since 1994, he is best known for his clever and deceptive fighting style, and for his flashy ring entrances. Gon ...

en route to a unanimous decision victory at

UFC 94 ''UFC 94: St-Pierre vs. Penn 2'' was a mixed martial arts (MMA) pay-per-view event promoted by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on January 31, 2009. The card featured five televised MMA bouts, as well as five un-aired preliminary bouts. I ...

. Fitch next defeated formerly unbeaten Brazilian

Paulo Thiago Paulo Thiago Alencar Antunes (; born January 25, 1981) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Middleweight (MMA), Middleweight division of Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki, KSW. A professional competitor since 2005, he ha ...

via unanimous decision at

UFC 100 ''UFC 100'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on July 11, 2009, in Las Vegas, Nevada. This event was the most bought UFC pay-per-view of all time with a buyrate of 1.6million, until UFC 202 brok ...

. Fitch was expected to fight

Ricardo Almeida Ricardo Alves Almeida (; born November 29, 1976) is a Brazilian-American former mixed martial artist and current Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu grappler residing in Bordentown, New Jersey. Almeida is a veteran of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, PRID ...

on November 21, 2009 at

UFC 106 ''UFC 106: Ortiz vs. Griffin 2'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on November 21, 2009 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Background As with UFC 103 and UFC 104, a portion of the preliminary card ai ...

but, due to a knee injury sustained by Almeida, the fight was cancelled. Fitch was then scheduled to face Thiago Alves in a highly anticipated rematch on December 12, 2009 at

UFC 107 ''UFC 107: Penn vs. Sanchez '' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on December 12, 2009 in Memphis, Tennessee at the FedExForum. Background On October 21, it was announced that a previous matchup betwe ...

. However, Alves suffered an injury and was replaced by

Mike Pierce Michael Pierce (born September 1, 1980) is a retired American professional mixed martial artist. He formerly competed as a Welterweight in the UFC and also competed in a one-fight stint in the WEC. Personal life Pierce is married and has two c ...

. Fitch won via unanimous decision. Fitch was expected to finally face Thiago Alves on March 27, 2010 at

UFC 111 ''UFC 111: St-Pierre vs. Hardy'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on March 27, 2010 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, United States. Background The ''UFC Primetime'' series returned t ...

, but on March 25, 2010, Alves was forced off the card due to a brain irregularity that appeared on a pre fight CAT scan. However, Ben Saunders, who was previously scheduled to fight on the same card against

Jake Ellenberger Jacob Steven "Jake" Ellenberger (born March 28, 1985) is an American retired mixed martial artist and former United States Marine who was known for competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor from 2005–2018, ...

, requested that he fight Fitch instead and that fight took place on the main card. Fitch won the fight via unanimous decision. The Alves/Fitch rematch finally took place at

UFC 117 ''UFC 117: Silva vs. Sonnen'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 7, 2010 at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California, United States. Background UFC President Dana White announced via ESPN on Jim Ro ...

. This fight was confirmed to be the number one contendership for the welterweight championship (to fight the winner of the St-Pierre/Koscheck bout). Alves again failed to make weight, weighing in at 171.5 lbs, meaning he had to give up 20% of his fight purse. Fitch went on to defeat Alves via unanimous decision. Dana White later made remarks that the manner of Fitch's victories (primarily judges' decisions rather than finishes) and lack of connection with the UFC fans has put Fitch's number one contender status in doubt. Following

Jake Shields Jake Sequoyah Shields (born January 9, 1979) is an American mixed martial artist and submission grappler. He was the last Rumble on the Rock Welterweight Champion, the only Elite XC Welterweight Champion, a former Shooto Welterweight ...

' victory over

Martin Kampmann Martin Kampmann Frederiksen (born April 17, 1982) is a retired Danish professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is a former Cage Warriors World Middleweight Champion. Background Originally from Aar ...

UFC 121 ''UFC 121: Lesnar vs. Velasquez'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on October 23, 2010 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, United States. The event was the fourth time the UFC has hosted at the Hon ...

, White confirmed Shields as the next in line for the Welterweight title shot, leaving Fitch's status in the division unconfirmed. Fitch thought this funny, considering that Shields' victory was mostly the same as Fitch's previous performances. Fitch was expected to face

on February 5, 2011, at

UFC 126 ''UFC 126: Silva vs. Belfort'' was a mixed martial arts pay-per-view event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on February 5, 2011 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background Former Light Heavyweight Champion Vitor B ...

. But after

B.J. Penn Jay Dee "B.J." Penn III (born December 13, 1978) is an American former professional mixed martial artist and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. Penn competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and in K-1. Penn was the first American Go ...

defeated Matt Hughes at

UFC 123 ''UFC 123: Rampage vs. Machida'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 20, 2010 at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It was the first UFC event in the Metro Detroit area since ...

, UFC president Dana White decided to match Fitch up against Penn at

UFC 127 ''UFC 127: Penn vs. Fitch'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Sunday, 27 February 2011 at Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia. Due to the time zone difference it aired live on Saturday, 26 February in Nort ...

in Australia instead. At the end of the fight the scorecards of the judges were (29–28 Fitch, 28–28, and 28–28). It was declared a majority draw. When asked by Joe Rogan if Fitch would like a rematch, Fitch replied that he wants another title shot more than anything. No confirmation of a rematch resulted from the interview of either fighter. A rematch with Penn was expected to take place on July 2, 2011, at

UFC 132 ''UFC 132: Cruz vs. Faber'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background UFC 132 was originally set to feature a rematch between B.J. Pe ...

., but in late March, Fitch pulled out of the bout with an injury. After months of dealing with a shoulder injury, Jon Fitch is back in business. “I’m back! Dr. Kavitne gave me the ok to fight,” he tweeted. Fitch has made no small secret of his desire to fight on the UFC 139 fight card that takes place in his city of residence, San Jose, Calif. Fitch fought

Johny Hendricks Johny Harvey Hendricks (born September 12, 1983) is an American former mixed martial artist and collegiate wrestler. He competed in the welterweight and middleweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship and is a former UFC Welterwei ...

on December 30, 2011, at

UFC 141 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. He was knocked out 12 seconds into the fight. Fitch was expected to face Aaron Simpson on July 11, 2012, at UFC on Fuel TV: Munoz vs. Weidman. However, Fitch pulled out of the bout citing a knee injury and was replaced by returning veteran

Kenny Robertson Kenneth Duane Robertson (born February 14, 1984) is an American mixed martial artist. A professional mixed martial artist since 2008, he has also competed for the UFC and Bellator. Before MMA In high school he wrestled for Metamora Township H ...

. Fitch defeated rising prospect

Erick Silva Erick Vinicius Silva (born June 21, 1984) is a Brazilian former mixed martial artist who competed in the Welterweight division. A professional from 2005 till 2019, he competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Bellator MMA, and Jungle Fight, ...

via unanimous decision on October 13, 2012, at

UFC 153 ''UFC 153: Silva vs. Bonnar'' was a mixed martial arts pay-per-view event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on October 13, 2012, at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Background Vitor Belfort was expected to face Alan Belcher a ...

, with the back-and-forth bout receiving ''Fight of the Night'' honors. In a prefight interview, Fitch mentioned that he was experiencing tremendous financial difficulties and that losing the fight would force him to end his full-time training so that he could get a day job to help support his family. After winning the fight, he said the victory had saved his MMA career. Fitch next faced

Demian Maia Demian Maia (born 6 November 1977) is a Brazilian professional submission grappler and mixed martial artist. He competed in both the Welterweight and Middleweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Maia is regarded as one ...

on February 2, 2013, at

UFC 156 ''UFC 156: Aldo vs. Edgar '' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on February 2, 2013, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Paradise, Nevada. Background A bout between Dan Henderson and Lyoto Machida was brie ...

. Fitch lost by unanimous decision and was subsequently released from the promotion, despite being a top 10 ranked welterweight and having a 14-3-1 record with the promotion overall. Fitch's release from the promotion caused much debate about the UFC "code of conduct" and the general "skill-demand" in UFC, as most commentators had not expected a single loss to lead to a release from the promotion.

World Series of Fighting

On March 7, 2013, it was announced that Fitch signed a four-fight contract with

World Series of Fighting The Professional Fighters League (PFL) is an American mixed martial arts league founded by Venture capital, venture capitalist Donn Davis in 2017 and launched in 2018, following the acquisition and restructuring of the former World Series of Fight ...

. He made his promotional debut on June 14, 2013, at WSOF 3, in a rematch against

. Fitch was knocked down by a punch and then finished by Burkman due to a guillotine choke submission. Burkman became the second man to defeat Fitch by a submission, the first being Mike Pyle. Fitch faced Marcelo Alfaya at WSOF 6 on October 26, 2013, winning via split decision. Despite spending most of the first round trapped in a body triangle defending against submission attempts, Fitch showed improved striking in a back-and-forth fight, dropping Alfaya and following up with heavy ground-and-pound in the third. In his third fight for the promotion, Fitch faced

Dennis Hallman Dennis Lloyd Hallman (born December 2, 1975) is an American former professional mixed martial artist who competed from 1996 to 2015. A veteran of 75 fights, he competed in various promotions including the UFC, Strikeforce, IFL, the World Series o ...

on July 5, 2014 at World Series of Fighting 11. He won the fight via unanimous decision. In July, Fitch was scheduled to fight

Rousimar Palhares Rousimar Christian Palhares (;, born February 20, 1980) is a Brazilian mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 2006, he has competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, UFC, World Series of Fighting, and ...

WSOF 11 World Series of Fighting 11: Gaethje vs. Newell was a mixed martial arts event held on July 5, 2014 in the United States. This event aired live in prime time on NBC. Background Rousimar Palhares was set to make his first title defense against fo ...

for the

WSOF Welterweight Championship Professional Fighters League (formerly the World Series of Fighting, or "WSOF") is an American mixed martial arts promotion, and the following is a history of its champions in each weight class. As well as championship history for their Internation ...

. However, on April 30, 2014, Palhares pulled out of the fight due to personal reasons. The title fight was rescheduled for WSOF 16 on December 13, 2014. He lost the fight by kneebar in the first round. After the fight, it was revealed that Fitch had failed the

California State Athletic Commission The California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) regulates amateur and professional boxing, amateur and professional kickboxing and professional mixed martial arts (MMA) throughout the State by licensing all participants and supervising the events. ...

's pre-fight drug testing. The positive test results of Fitch, who had previously been vocal in his criticism of PED users in MMA, were almost certainly due to synthetic testosterone. Following his nine-month suspension, Fitch returned to the promotion on October 17, 2015 at WSOF 24. He faced

Yushin Okami is a Japanese mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 2002, Okami has competed for the UFC, PRIDE, Pancrase, M-1 Global, World Series of Fighting, DEEP, Professional Fighters League, and ONE Championship. Mixed martial arts caree ...

in the main event for the chance to fight for the vacant Welterweight title. Fitch won the bout by unanimous decision. Fitch was lined up to face

for the vacant WSOF welterweight championship at

WSOF 30 World Series of Fighting 30: Branch vs. Starks was a mixed martial arts event held on at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background The event was headlined by a WSOF Middleweight Championship fight between champion David Br ...

on April 1, 2016. Though they have never competed together in an MMA contest, Shields holds a victory over Fitch in a submission grappling match. However, the match was later cancelled due to contract issues between Shields and the company. Fitch went on to face João Zeferino for the vacant

. He won via unanimous decision. On September 13, 2016, it was announced that Fitch would defend the

against

on November 12, 2016 at WSOF 34. On October 17, 2016, it was announced that the fight was then rescheduled to take place on December 31, 2016 in the co-main event. Fitch won the fight via unanimous decision. In his second title defense for the now renamed league, Fitch faced Brian Foster on June 30, 2017 at Professional Fighters League 1, He won the fight in the second round due to submission, his first finish in ten years.

Bellator MMA

Fitch was signed by

, vacating WSOF Welterweight title, on March 1, 2018. Fitch made his promotional debut against

Paul Daley Paul Anthony Daley (born 21 February 1983) is a British former mixed martial artist and kickboxer. A professional competitor from 2003 to 2022, Daley competed for the UFC, Bellator MMA, Cage Rage, Final Fight Championship, Strikeforce, Elit ...

at Bellator 199 on May 12, 2018. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Fitch next challenged Rory MacDonald in a welterweight title fight that was simultaneously the first round of Bellator Welterweight World Grand Prix at Bellator 220 on April 27, 2019. The back-and-forth bout ended in a majority draw. Due to the fight ending in a draw, MacDonald retained the title and advanced to the semifinals. Fitch faced

Neiman Gracie Neiman Gracie Stambowsky (born December 12, 1988) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner. A two-time Pan-American champion in coloured belts, Gracie medalled at the 2013 black belt World No-Gi Championship be ...

at Bellator 246 on September 12, 2020. He lost the bout via second round submission and subsequently announced his retirement following the bout.

Personal life

Jon and his longtime girlfriend Michele got engaged the day after UFC 100. The couple were married on September 4, 2010 and had 2 children together, but later divorced in late 2018. On December 16, 2014, Fitch was listed as one of three MMA fighters who filed a class-action lawsuit against Zuffa, LLC., the parent company of the UFC. The suit alleges that the UFC participated in anti-competitive practices that hindered fighters and their mixed martial arts careers.

Film and television

Jon Fitch appeared on the November 5, 2008, episode of MythBusters, "Coffin Punch". The MythBusters were attempting to determine if someone could punch their way out of a coffin. For his part, Jon Fitch laid on his back and punched up into a sensor, attached to a punching bag that was a few inches above Fitch, allowing his arm only three inches of travel before contact with the sensor. The sensor read that the power behind Fitch's punch was just under 1,500 pounds of force (6672 N). Fitch also made a brief cameo in the award-winning mixed martial arts documentary ''

Fight Life ''Fight Life'' is a feature-length documentary on the sport of mixed martial arts. The film is directed by independent filmmaker James Z. Feng and produced by RiLL Films. The film focuses on the lives of professional mixed martial arts fighters ou ...

'' sparring with

. The film was directed by James Z. Feng and released in 2013. Fitch is the main subject of the movie ''Such Great Heights'' which documents his preparations to fight Georges St. Pierre at UFC 87. The film was directed by Jonah Tulis and released in 2012.

Championships and Accomplishments

** Fight of the Night (Two times) **Fought for UFC Welterweight Title (

) *

(One time) **Two successful title defenses **Oldest Champion in WSOF/PFL history (38 years 40 days) **Most decision wins in WSOF/PFL history (5)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 32–8–2 (1) ,

, Submission (heel hook) , Bellator 246 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:47 ,

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, United States , , - , Draw , align=center, 32–7–2 (1) , Rory MacDonald , Draw (majority) , Bellator 220 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 32–7–1 (1) ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 199 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 31–7–1 (1) , Brian Foster , Submission (bulldog choke) , PFL: Daytona , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:12 ,

Daytona Beach, Florida Daytona Beach, or simply Daytona, is a coastal Resort town, resort-city in east-central Florida. Located on the eastern edge of Volusia County, Florida, Volusia County near the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic coastline, its population ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 30–7–1 (1) ,

, Decision (unanimous) , WSOF 34 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

New York City, New York New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 29–7–1 (1) , João Zeferino , Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 28–7–1 (1) ,

, Decision (unanimous) , WSOF 24 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Mashantucket, Connecticut Mashantucket is a census-designated place (CDP) in the northeast part of the town of Ledyard, New London County, Connecticut, United States. It consists of land held by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe. The Foxwoods Resort Casino Foxwoods Resort ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 27–7–1 (1) ,

, Submission (kneebar) , WSOF 16 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:30 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 27–6–1 (1) ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 26–6–1 (1) , Marcelo Alfaya , Decision (split) , WSOF 6 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Coral Gables, Florida Coral Gables, officially City of Coral Gables, is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The city is located southwest of Downtown Miami. As of the 2020 U.S. census, it had a population of 49,248. Coral Gables is known globally as home to the ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 25–6–1 (1) ,

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, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 24–4–1 (1) ,

, KO (punch) ,

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Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

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, Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 24–3 (1) , Thiago Alves , Decision (unanimous) ,

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Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

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Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.Mike Pierce Michael Pierce (born September 1, 1980) is a retired American professional mixed martial artist. He formerly competed as a Welterweight in the UFC and also competed in a one-fight stint in the WEC. Personal life Pierce is married and has two c ...

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Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

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Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 19–2 (1) , Chris Wilson , Decision (unanimous) ,

UFC 82 ''UFC 82: Pride of a Champion'' was a mixed martial arts (MMA) event that took place on March 1, 2008, at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Background The main event was a UFC & Pride FC middleweight title unification match between UFC mid ...

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Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

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UFC 76 '' UFC 76: Knockout'' was a mixed martial arts (MMA) pay-per-view event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The event took place on September 22, 2007, at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Although the event was advertised with the ...

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Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most p ...

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Roan Carneiro Roan Carneiro Pereira (born 2 June 1978) is a Brazilian retired professional mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2000, Carneiro was ...

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UFC Fight Night 10 ''UFC Fight Night: Stout vs. Fisher'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 10'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Tuesday, June 12, 2007, at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. ...

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Hollywood, Florida Hollywood is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States, located between Fort Lauderdale and Miami. As of July 1, 2019, Hollywood had a population of 154,817. Founded in 1925, the city grew rapidly in the 1950s and 1960s, and is now ...

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UFC 68 ''UFC 68: The Uprising'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on March 3, 2007, at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Background ''UFC 68'' was the first UFC event held in the state of Ohio, and coincid ...

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Kuniyoshi Hironaka is a Japanese mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight division. He has formerly competed for the UFC, Shooto, DREAM, and Pancrase. Mixed martial arts career Early career Hironaka made his professional mixed martial arts debut in ...

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UFC 64 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

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Hull, Quebec Hull is the central business district and oldest neighbourhood of the city of Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. It is located on the west bank of the Gatineau River and the north shore of the Ottawa River, directly opposite Ottawa. As part of the Canadia ...

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Ciudad Juárez Ciudad Juárez ( ; ''Juarez City''. ) is the most populous city in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. It is commonly referred to as Juárez and was known as El Paso del Norte (''The Pass of the North'') until 1888. Juárez is the seat of the Ju� ...

, Chihuahua, Mexico , , - , Win , align=center, 9–2 (1) , Jorge Ortiz , Decision (unanimous) , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , , - , Win , align=center, 8–2 (1) , Mike Seal , TKO (punches) , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:35 , , - , Win , align=center, 7–2 (1) , Kengo Ura , Decision (unanimous) , Venom 1 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–2 (1) , Gabe Garcia , TKO (punches) , X–1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:41 ,

Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of To ...

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Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

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Solomon Hutcherson Solomon Hutcherson (born August 13, 1972) is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter currently competing in the Middleweight division. He was a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter 3, and has competed for the UFC and MFC. Background H ...

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Evansville, Indiana Evansville is a city in, and the county seat of, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States. The population was 118,414 at the 2020 census, making it the state's third-most populous city after Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, the largest city in ...

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Wilson Gouveia Wilson Gouveia (born October 3, 1978) is a retired Brazilian mixed martial artist. Gouveia formerly fought in the UFC. He is a 4th degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and is a member of American Top Team. Mixed martial arts career Gouveia h ...

, KO (knee) , HOOKnSHOOT 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:38 ,

Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fort Lauderdale () is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and largest city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 census, making it the tenth ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1 , Eric Tix , KO (punch) , rowspan=2, UW , rowspan=2, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:07 , rowspan=2,

Fridley, Minnesota Fridley is a city in Anoka County, Minnesota, United States. Its population was 29,590 at the 2020 census. Fridley was incorporated in 1949 as a village, and became a city in 1957. It is part of the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area as ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–1 , Dan Hart , Submission (guillotine choke) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:14 , , - , Win , align=center, 1–1 , Felix Alvarez , KO (punch) , MMA - Cuando Hierve la Sangre , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:10 ,

Monterrey Monterrey ( , ) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León, Mexico, and the third largest city in Mexico behind Guadalajara and Mexico City. Located at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental, the city is anchor ...

Nuevo León Nuevo León () is a state in the northeast region of Mexico. The state was named after the New Kingdom of León, an administrative territory from the Viceroyalty of New Spain, itself was named after the historic Spanish Kingdom of León. With a ...

, Mexico , , - , Loss , align=center, 0–1 , Mike Pyle , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Revolution Fighting Championship 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:35 ,

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References

External links

Official UFC ProfileHomepage of Jon Fitch
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Official Jon Fitch Facebook Fan PageOfficial Jon Fitch YouTube VideosMichele Cao Fitch BiographyOfficial Jon Fitch Tee KO Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fitch, Jon American male mixed martial artists American sportspeople in doping cases American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Doping cases in mixed martial arts Mixed martial artists from Indiana Sportspeople from San Jose, California Sportspeople from Fort Wayne, Indiana Purdue University alumni Welterweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing collegiate wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu 1978 births Living people Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters