Going into UFC 153, former #2 Welterweight Jon Fitch had looked like he lost a step. His last UFC win came with a unanimous decision win over Thiago Alves. It was a win, but his infamous grinding style lost him a contendership. After that he fought B.J. Penn to a draw then lost via 12 second KO to Johny Hendricks. In the October event he was set to face up-and-comer Erick Silva who had yet to make it out of the first round in the UFC.
At 34 years old, Fitch managed to dominate the rising Welterweight. Soon after he was scheduled to face former Middleweight contender Demian Maia at UFC 156. He talked ESPN about the upcoming match (via MMA Mania):
It will be an interesting matchup. I haven’t created too much of a game plan but I think I’ll overwhelm him with everything that I bring to the table. He’s really a monster at 170. I was surprised at how big he was down in Rio [at UFC 153]. I think as far as depth, 170 has always been the best weight class.
Following a widely criticized run after his UFC 112 title fight, Maia has put together back-to-back first round finishes at 170 lbs. First he pulled off an odd submission over Dong Hyun Kim who was injured by a throw from Maia. Then at UFC 153, Demian Maia choked out Rick Story. Even for an experienced grappler and Guerrilla Jiu Jitsu black belt like Fitch, Maia’s world class Brazilian Jiu Jitsu will pose a big problem.
UFC 156 is coming up Super Bowl weekend on February 2. In the main event, Jose Aldo and Frankie Edgar will battle for the Featherweight title. Heavyweight Alistair Overeem is expected to make his return from suspension against Antonio Silva as well.