Aaron Simpson (Josh Hedges/UFC)
Fitch gets fight in adopted hometown
A pair of wrestling standouts have agreed to meet when the UFC hosts its fourth card on the Fuel TV cable network this summer.
Jon Fitch, the former wrestling team captain at Purdue, and Aaron Simpson, a four-time high school state champion an tw0-time All-America choice at Arizona State, will fight at UFC on Fuel TV 4 in July. Simpson confirmed the rumored fight during a Monday Q&A session prior to the weigh-ins for UFC on Fuel TV: Korean Zombie vs. Poirier.
UFC on Fuel TV 4 is booked for July 11, and though not yet officially announced by the UFC, the card will take place at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.
Fitch (23-4-1, 1 NC, 13-2-1 UFC) will look to rebound from the most devastating loss of his career – a 12-second knockout in December at the hands of Johny Hendricks at UFC 141. Prior to that, he fought to a majority draw with BJ Penn at UFC 127. Add in some injury time off, and when Fitch steps into the Octagon in San Jose – his longtime training home while at the American Kickboxing Academy – he will have gone nearly two years without a win.
Simpson (11-3, 6-3 UFC) had a three-fight winning streak snapped at UFC on Fuel TV: Sanchez vs. Ellenberger in February with a split decision loss to Ronny Markes. After that loss, the longtime middleweight made the decision to drop down to 170 pounds. Simpson went 3-0 in 2011 with unanimous decision victories over Mario Miranda, Brad Tavares and Eric Schafer.
UFC on Fuel TV 4 is expected to be headlined by a middleweight contenders bout between Mark Munoz and Chris Weidman. James Te Huna and Brandon Vera also are expected to fight on the card.