Is Jon Fitch’s career coming to a close?
The former UFC fighter has had a strong career that’s been marked with unforgettable wins over Thiago Alves, Diego Sanchez, and Jake Shields, and with the 41-year-old currently in the midst of a five-fight winning streak, the only bout he’ll consider taking at the moment is for the prestigious Welterweight title:
“If they offer me more than what I’m currently contracted for, I would fight anybody. But otherwise, a title eliminator or the title – that’s what would do it,” Fitch told MMA Junkie.
However, Fitch’s reasoning for potentially hanging up the gloves stems from the sport deviating from what he grew up watching when he was young. To the Bellator MMA star, MMA feels like professional wrestling these days and he’s very frustrated over the entire situation:
“I’ve been thinking about retirement for a while because the body is beat up and the money is not there,” Fitch said. “I’ve been doing this 17 years and it’s not the sport I thought it was going to be. It’s not even a sport anymore. It’s pro wrestling without the pre-determined outcome. So it’s a frustrating thing to be bound to these promoters. You never know when you’re going to fight, or if you’re going to get a fight, or if it’s good fight. There’s no merit system at all – it’s all about entertainment. They’re just putting on a show. It’s a show. It’s not a sport, and that’s really frustrating to deal with.
That, paired with physical issues – I have kids now, so if the fights are not really appealing, it’s not worth doing. It’s not worth getting into training camp and breaking down my body for the amount of money that we’re making. There’s other jobs you can do and get by and not get brain damage. I’ve being doing this for so long that if it’s not a main event fight and it’s not for a title or title eliminator, it doesn’t really make sense.”
Read the full interview where he discusses the length of his current deal, the proudest moments of his career thus far, and so much more!