The Fighting Life: UFC Welterweight Jon Fitch

Hard work a staple of former title challenger

The life of a professional fighter is filled with uncertainty. Their successes and failures play out in the public eye for all to see. When the cage door closes and the battle of wills begin, it becomes a matter of opportunity. One walks away victorious, the other defeated – the outcome sometimes determined by only the slightest of margins. What happens under the bright lights is what the fans are left to debate, but rarely are they given a glimpse into what it takes to make the walk to the cage in the first place. This is what the climb looks like – told in the fighter’s words. This is “The Fighting Life.

Several miles outside of Fort Wayne, Ind., the view from the interstate tells the story. The late spring sun draws a glaring reflection from the downtown skyline while multiple shades of rust become highlighted on the city’s more dated structures. The buildings are fingerprints that remain from a time when industry was the city’s life force. While time brought about challenges and changes, the edifices stand like blue-collar monuments and are sources of pride to the hard-working population.

Just beyond the city limits, industry gives way to agriculture, and the hustle and bustle of 256,000 people submits to the lush green expanse of the country. The proximity of farmland and urban expansion creates a unique paradox. While the differences are many, the common tie that binds the population is an unstoppable work ethic that allows people to persevere despite circumstance.

Much like his hometown, UFC welterweight and Fort Wayne native Jon Fitch embraces the struggle. The former Purdue University wrestler has crafted one of the most impressive records in UFC history en route to becoming one of the top 170-pound fighters on the planet. But despite his success inside the Octagon, Fitch has oftentimes found himself on the outside looking in as title opportunities have been elusive.

No matter the circumstance or opposition, Fitch carries on with pride and purpose. He credits the unwavering values of his home town and understands hard work is the foundation for his personal success as well as the growth of the sport in general.

“It seems as if I can’t have anything come to me easily,” Fitch said. “It always takes a lot of extra hard work. Throughout my entire life, things have always been that way. I’ve always had to work two or three times harder than everybody else just to be half as good. It’s just one of those things that have shaped the attitude I have. I just keep pushing forward. I think I coined that term ‘grinding.’ I started using it to describe my style, and it’s something I know is mine.

“I’m such a motivated person; I don’t need incentive from other people. I always know that for every name you know, there are 100 you don’t who are working just as hard to get to the top. It comes from when I was younger and competing. I’m always expecting new guys to be evolving and getting better, so I know that I have to keep pushing to stay in front of them.

“When I first started, we were going out there and fighting for a few hundred dollars on an unsanctioned card – no insurance or a medical staff around for the people fighting. Things are definitely much better for the fighters nowadays.”

After honing his craft in smaller promotions all over the world, Fitch eventually worked his way onto the sport’s biggest stage. Once in the UFC, the Indiana native capitalized on the opportunity and claimed eight consecutive victories – which at the time tied a record set by the original Ultimate Fighter, Royce Gracie. The streak earned Fitch the opportunity to face champion Georges St-Pierre at UFC 87.

With the biggest fight of his career looming, Fitch decided to capture the entire journey in a documentary, “Such Great Heights.” The film’s goal was to provide an intimate look at the preparation and training Fitch underwent to prepare for his shot at UFC gold and what could undoubtedly be the biggest moment in his fighting career. He would ultimately come up short against St-Pierre, and then faced further struggle in his effort to complete the film and release it to the public.

Never one to allow an obstacle to break his will, Fitch stayed the course. Nearly four years since his fight with GSP, “Such Great Heights” will finally become available to the public this summer.

“On June 12, it is going to be available in all digital markets,” Fitch said. “It will be available On Demand, at Netflix and you can purchase it on iTunes. I’m pretty excited about it. We are going to do a little premiere of our own here in San Jose (Calif.) the week before at the San Jose Improv. We are hoping to have a good crowd there.

“Shooting the film itself was pretty painless because the things were so good about it. I made it pretty clear early on this was going to be a documentary and the film crew needed to be flies on the wall. Don’t ask me to do anything extra. Don’t ask me to stage any kind of meetings or talks. Don’t ask me retie my gloves or reapply my shin guards just because you didn’t get the shot you wanted the first time.

“I really wanted to make sure they were just going to be observing what was going on in our gym during that time period. They did an amazing job of that. It wasn’t stressful on us in any way. To be honest, it takes more out of us to do some of the media stuff we do for fights because you kind of have to put on a little act so they can get their shots. It takes a lot of effort sometimes when you are filming the promotional spots. They need you to redo something or hold a position longer, and I wasn’t going to have any of that in this movie. To do those things on a regular basis for six weeks while I’m training for the biggest fight of my life just wasn’t going to happen.

“That process really comes across in the movie and I think people are going to get a kick out of it whether they are a fan of mine or not. If they love the sport, they are going to love this movie. There are a lot of characters at (American Kickboxing Academy) and in this movie.”

Following his loss to GSP, Fitch immediately set about working his way back toward the top of the division. As he dominated the opposition fight after fight inside the cage, battles outside of the cage seemed to affect his ability to regain another opportunity to compete for the welterweight title. After notching four consecutive victories, a rematch was scheduled with fellow top contender Thiago Alves at UFC 117.

Prior to the fight UFC president Dana White said the winner would earn the next title shot, but the waters became murky when Alves failed to make the specified weight limit for the bout. Fitch would go on to work Alves for three rounds en route to a lopsided victory, but once the fight concluded, the talk of title contention faded.

“There is a little bit of frustration and motivation in a situation like that,” Fitch said. “It’s kind of like having the rug pulled out from under you. You are told you are getting one thing and I felt like I had one of the best performances of my career that night. Then you don’t get the title shot and it sucks, but you can’t let yourself worry about those things too much.

“I don’t really understand the situation. I tend to focus on the fight I have immediately in front of me because it’s easy to get distracted in this game, and I focus on what is in front of me and not so much on the trajectory I’m putting out. If I keep getting wins, then I’ll keep moving forward.”

Throughout his career, Fitch has preferred to let his performance inside the Octagon represent him. Never one to get caught up in pre-fight trash talk or go on wild tangents in interviews, Fitch has allowed his record to speak for itself. Despite the ever-increasing trend of fighters using words and outbursts to elevate their statuses, Fitch prefers to keep his nose to the grindstone and pays no attention to what the critics have to say.

“I haven’t been paying enough attention to the sport to know what other guys are doing or if, in fact, the squeaky wheel is getting the grease,” Fitch said. “I don’t know who is squeaking or not. My daily life consists of me training my ass off and spending time with my family. I don’t go outside that bubble. Going to the UFC in New Jersey was the first time I had done anything like that in a while. I’m in the fight environment if I’m fighting or if I have a teammate fighting. Otherwise, I don’t pay much attention.

“If people think that I’m not beating people up in there, all they have to do is look at my opponent’s face after the fight. If I’m not doing work in there, then how did their face get so f***ed up?”

As the welterweight division experienced a surge of contenders battling their way toward the top, Fitch had to stand his

ground to defend his position in the weight class’ upper tier. After fighting to a draw with former multi-divisional champion BJ Penn, then being defeated by upstart Johny Hendricks, the path to UFC gold seemed further than it had ever been. But rather than allow the situation to compile, Fitch relied on his mental toughness and got back to work.

“Your mindset changes from fight to fight and different occurrences,” Fitch said. “The losses to GSP and Johny Hendricks are both motivating in entirely different ways. I think they all come down to mental mistakes and you have to keep pushing yourself to keep a high output and make sure your body is always ready to go. You can’t ever relax and back off.

“I try to keep things simple. Your mind can run all over the place when you are getting ready for a fight or even in training. I have two mantras that go through my head that I focus on and they are: ‘Pull the trigger’ and ‘Be in the moment.’ If I’ve trained right and I’m in shape, if I do those two things, I’m going to win the fight.”

With the division being more competitive than it has ever been, getting back into the win column holds the utmost importance. Every fight will be under the microscope, and if welcoming fellow wrestler Aaron Simpson to the division wasn’t motivation enough, the opportunity to compete in San Jose has Fitch elated.

Since moving to San Jose over a decade ago, the city has become Fitch’s world. He is excited to give something back to the fight-loving community and vows to put on the type of fight local fans can be proud of.

“It’ll be the first time I get to fight in front of my hometown, and San Jose hasn’t shown me anything but love,” Fitch said. “It’s going to be awesome to fight in San Jose. I can’t wait. I’ve been here almost 10 years. I’ve bought a house here, married a woman and I want to give back to this town because they’ve done nothing but show me love.

“It’s going to be nice to roll out of my own bed then go cut weight. I’ll have all the food I need, which is usually one of the hardest parts. Making sure you have the right food and having your diet right the week of the fight is so important. I fought once in Oakland, which is kind of the same area but it’s going to be awesome fighting in San Jose. The Bay Area is definitely a fight town. These people have been watching fighting for a long time and they really get it. Whether it’s kickboxing, boxing or whatever – they love fights up here and I want to put on one hell of an ass whooping for them.”

Whether or not a victory over Simpson puts Fitch back into the title picture isn’t something that concerns him. Just like every fighter in the UFC, becoming a champion carries a certain level of importance. But at the end of the day, it is the respect he receives from his peers that matters the most.

“Overall, respect means a lot,” Fitch said. “For what all the fans think they know, the fighters themselves actually know it. When you get respect from your colleagues, it means a lot because those are the guys who are going through the same things you are, making the same sacrifices you make and have dealt with some of the same circumstances and they can empathize with what you are going through.

“To have respect from those guys is a big deal. I always tell people one of the coolest things that has ever happened to me came years back when I got into a van with Minotauro (Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira). He came up to me and said, ‘Hey I know you – you are that tough guy.’ For him to call me a tough guy was a highlight of my career.”

Jon Fitch certainly has made a reputation for being all business inside of the cage, but outside of work he is anything but. He has a Twitter account dedicated to his gaming adventures on Skyrim and his hostility toward banana trees is a popular YouTube video. In addition to these extracurricular activities, his signature “Fitch Face” is a go-to photo opp used throughout the MMA community.

“It’s something I’ve been doing my entire life,” Fitch explained about his signature expression. “We just got some pictures from my mom the other day and one of them is from when I was two years old and I’m doing the ‘Fitch Face.’ It has a lot of different meanings. It’s my war face because everybody needs their war face. It’s part smile because I enjoy fighting and what I’m doing. I think it’s funny when guys mean mug when they try to stare you down, so I use it there and it gets a few laughs. I used to be a smartass as a kid, and when they would tell me to smile for pictures I would do it. It’s multi-faceted.

“I want to get some new banana trees, but those other ones we were getting rid of. I want to get some new ones to put in. The funniest thing about that video where I was kicking the banana tree is the people who thought I was trying to be serious. People were giving me crap about how many kicks it took. I was cutting them down with a saw beforehand and wearing jeans. I think people were a bit anal with their banana tree kicking critique.”