Prepare yourself Bill, Jon Fitch has been cut!

Along with these other fighters

http://www.mmafighting.com/2013/2/20/4009518/jon-fitch-among-16-fighters-released-from-ufc-on-tuesday

Wagner Prado, Mike Russow, Jacob Volkmann, Vladimir Matyushenko, Che Mills, Jay Hieron, Terry Etim, Paul Sass, Jorge Santiago, Mike Stumpf, Simeon Thoresen, C.J. Keith, Motonobu Tezuka, Josh Grispi and Ulysses Gomez.

thanks man. next time i'll try to use my eyes and ****** look hahaha

Um, wow.  I got home from work and this was the first thread I jumped into and it took me 45 minutes and a really nice 9% double black IPA to read.  This is Dana being Dana, meaning that you don't cross him or you will be ostracized (see Couture, Randy; Shamrock, Frank; Militich, Pat).  Not only was there the fact that Fitch wasn't the most exciting fighter (am I being generous?), but there was the business bit as well (image licencing).  Dana thinks you're boring and you've ****** with his money?  Bye-bye.

As for the rest, guys like Sass, Etim, Mills and Volkman string together a couple wins in BAMMA, WSOF or the AXS group and they'll be back.  The rest frankly, deserve to be let go.

If the UFC is pushing fighters to be exciting or they're cut, it's really terrible for job security. What COULD happen, is fighters start signing else where, where they don't have to risk their health to keep their jobs.

Interesting.

Jon Fitch would make 132,000 dollars as a base salary + win bonus if he were to win his next fight. He has fallen out of the title picture and only serves to kill hype trains, so it's not a huge surprise that he's been cut. Jon Fitch just makes the UFC lose a lot of money, look at what he did to their latest star Erick Silva and look at what he could've also done with other fighters looking to rise in the promotion. This was a money issue.

With that being said, Jon Fitch is still a legend of the sport and the greatest fighter to never win a world title. Like Brad Park to Bobby Orr or Joe Frazier to Muhammad Ali, Jon Fitch will be overlooked in the future but the ones who do recognize him will recognize what he has done for this sport.

I also have a gripe with how everyone in this thread seems to be mentioning Bill for some reason. Oh Bill this, Bill that, I wanna see Bill's reaction, the ******* thread's called Prepare Yourself Bill for ****'s sake. Bill Burgess threw Jon Fitch under the bus, Bill Burgess doesn't care about Jon Fitch, Bill Burgess isn't a fan of Jon Fitch, why are you idiots mentioning his name repeatedly? Please, show some respect to Jon Fitch by not associating him with the cheat who betrayed him in his time of need.

With that being said, war Fitch. *****.

My 2nd expected novel.... @bill and @Anik did NOT disasppoint.

next guys gone are the TRT fighters. hendo, mir, etc....................... i know dana read how to win friends and influence people. Lol.

Anik, I think Cro Cop is the best fighter who never won a title.

I don't agree with the UFC cutting Fitch, it's disappointing.  I still rank him in the top ten, and I don't understand why they would cut a top ten fighter.

I think Anik has a point when he talks about money being part of it.  I think being utterly outclassed by Maia was another factor.  

I am not happy about sass and i dont like that they cut fitch why?

your avatar tells the whole story ^^^^^ when in the octagon, BRING the PAIN.

* Edited at 02.20.2013, 10:31 PM ET *

Jon Fitch is the only fighter I've ever seen who's literally made other fighters look like they're about to cry.

No one is better at psychologically DECIMATING his opponents, just watch round 3 of the Silva fight. Gives me goosebumps watching the hope just leave Silva's body, so grim.

Jon Fitch is the only fighter I've ever seen who's literally made other fighters look like they're about to cry.
 what about Koschek and his eye pokes?? 

Silva did looked mentally defeated after rd 2

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Fitch

Jon Fitch lost 3 fights since 2003.  Ten years.  He was universally ranked #2 WW in the world from March 1, 2008 to December 30, 2011, when he lost by flash knock-down by Johny Hendricks.  That is 3.5 years fighting guys like Gono, Paulo Thiago, Mike Pierce, Thiago Alves, BJ Penn.

After his fisrt loss in 3.5 years, he was never allowed to face a top contender ever again.  Not even close.

He was a master at breaking his opponents will, sucking the life out of them, grinding them into hopelessness.

He was ranked in the Top 10 by Tapology, Sherdog and the UFC.  

Jon Fitch Highlight reel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oFOHiFGS7g

MegaDave wrote a very nice tribute to Jon that I think bears repeating.  Here it is.

A "Brief" Essay Entitled "In Defense of Jon Fitch"

Firstly let me say this, I only really became a fan of Fitch during his fight with GSP,  before I had only known him as the other guy who had beaten Diego.   
Why I like Fitch as a fighter.Personally I like a fighter who is an ultra hard worker, and I think one would be ignorant to say that Jon Fitch does not have one of the toughest working mentality in the UFC.  Secondly I like a fighter who has no real natural gift that gives them a leg up on "normal people," i.e. people who are just naturally gifted ala Jon Jones BJ Penn, (nothing but respect for these fighters but I prefer non gifted fighters).  Jon Fitch has said himself that he has no natural athletic gift, but he says that he works harder than anybody, that wins him two points in my book.  To use a cliche, he is a hardworking blue collar fighter, yet I really respect something like that.  I also like it when someone overcomes challenge not through natural gifts, but through simply hard work and dedication.  Jon Fitch is the embodyment of this style, he only has four losses total, two early in his career and two more recently, and only one draw against BJ Penn (the mma gods gifted that to penn, but returning from that tangental stream of thought), he has looked incredible against good competition, I can't help but respect that in Jon Fitch.   In defense of the "grinding style."
I wrestled in high school and practiced Jiu Jitsu in college and I will say that I am biased towards the ground game, but I can of course appreciate the art that is performed by striking specialists like Anderson Silva and Junior Dos Santos.  I do enjoy a spectacular KO or submission as everyone does, but I think that Fitch's style is enthralling.  It is certainly one think to destroy someone and render him unconscious.  However, you know what to Fitch is going to do.  He going to out wrestle and make you quit.  You can't stop him.  The second Thiago Alves fight is a perfect example of this.  About midway through the third round, Fitch has Alves's back and Alves has an expression of despair.  A fighter who can epically dominate from bell to bell like that makes me like him all the more.  His opponents have three rounds.  Three rounds to make something happen, and they almost never do.  They break.  Alves broke (twice), Saunders, Thiago, even Penn during the third round of that fight all broke.  I find that much more compelling than a twelve second KO. 
I appreciate those who read this all the way through.

In the words of Joe Rogan, "Jon Fitch wins ugly and it's beautiful to watch." 

But now we've lost him thanks to Dana White's philosophy that it's better to look good and lose than to win looking ugly.  Style has now replaced results.  Appearance has replaced substance.   Head's up, fighters.  Better not lose, better finish fights, better learn to strike. What a shame.  What a waste. Goodbye, Jon.  Best of luck with people who value you and treat you well.  I miss you already.

* Edited at 02.20.2013, 11:20 PM ET *

Fitch will never be a champion in the UFC, maybe he can be one outside of it. This is his chance to be King of a division that doesnt have GSP at the top of the mountain.

You ask why his list of opponents during his #2 tenure wasn't more impressive?  Simple.  They didn't want him derailing any of the hype train rising stars.  Which, of course, was bull crap, and wasn't his fault.

I don't think it's just about becoming a champion to fighters like Jon Fitch.  Every fighter dreams of fighting in the UFC these days.  Just like every hockey player dreams of playing in the NHL and trying to win that Stanley Cup.  Most players never do, but it doesn't mean they'd rather fly over to Russia to play in the KHL and try to win whatever trophy they've got.

I thought that Fitch compiled a record in the UFC that might have earned him the right to choose whether or not he'd rather fight for a belt elsewhere.  The UFC showed him very little respect for years now.  Dana couldn't even commend Fitch for his fight with Silva without giving Silva more credit for 'forcing' Fitch to fight that way.  Fitch said himself he was going into that fight to win FotN and I believe it.

Bill look at the bright side. Most likely Fitch will go to Bellator where they will market him as their best fighter. He will probably get a title shot right away against Askren which true mma fans will be really excited to see. Bellator is on cable t.v. so you won't have to worry about buying a pay per view to see Fitch fight. He will fight more often and although it won't be against UFC caliber guys there are still some good fights for him that people will be excited to see. Bellator will respect him and he won't have to beg for fights anymore. 

Usually I'm behind the decisions that the UFC makes but lately there's been too many head scratching moves. Like with regards to Chael and Pettis getting title shots without ever fighting in that weight class. It just totally ****s on everyone in that division that has been winning fights trying to get their chance at a Jon Jones or Jose Aldo. I understand the Sonnen situation a little more because nobody wanted to fight Jones when given the chance other then Chael. Now today with the Fitch cut it just makes me wonder who has lost their mind within the UFC brass. I don't blame it all on Dana. Dana is the face and the voice but Lorenzo Fertitta and Joe Silva make decisions too. Fitch is a UFC level of a fighter and he should be in the UFC until he proves he's not at that level anymore. 

Dana White is at the Lakers game right now and just cut Dwight Howard. #UFC

— MMA Roasted (@MMARoasted) February 21, 2013

lol this rules

Holy ****** ****! I was busy with work but just heard John ******* Fitch got cut. How is this reasonable? This has gotta be one of the worst cuts ever.

**** Volkmann, Sass, Mills? Can't they keep these dudes?

May your heart be at peace, Jon Fitch.  A nicer guy is hard to find.  A tougher fighter is hard to find.  

Someone said the UFC is cutting 100 fighters.  So, buckle your seat belts.  Might get bumpy.  With a division 40 guys deep, they couldn't think of a less qualified guy to cut?  

The also just recently released Aaron Simpson.  Big, strong wrestlers need not apply.  

But everything happens for a reason.  But as p4p said, he will no longer have to grovel to fight someone as good as him.  The UFC is now only about the money.  If sports-building is to happen for MMA, it will have to happen in other organizations, and that doesn't look promising, either.  Money is very important but so is respect and treating people right.  

We all will so what we reap and let's see what the future brings.  I would not wish ill on anyone, but if ill comes to certain people, don't stone the messengers.  It was the actions of the foolish that brings down the mighty.