Back in 2008, Jon Fitch stepped into the Octagon against UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre. Fitch had been on a tear of the UFC’s welterweight division, going on an 8-fight win streak that saw him defeat notable opponents such as Thiago Alves and Diego Sanchez.
Fitch, who was widely regarded as having some of the best grappling in the UFC, ultimately dropped a unanimous decision to St-Pierre at UFC 87. Following the loss, Fitch rattled off 5 straight wins before going to a draw with BJ Penn. Following his draw with Penn, Fitch went 1-2 in the UFC before making the jump to World Series of Fighting.
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Now, with former UFC welterweight kingpin Georges St-Pierre claiming that he is a free agent, Fitch, who is the WSOF welterweight champ, believes the time could very well be now for a rematch with St-Pierre, nearly a decade later.
He spoke to Champions.co:
“(St-Pierre) retired a champ,” Fitch told our partners at Champions.co. “Champion vs. champion – a World Series champ. I would be interested in that fight for sure, and I think the fans should be allowed to see those type of fights.”
Fitch, who has been very supportive of fighters unionizing, spoke about the magnitude of someone like St-Pierre becoming a free agent:
“It kind of disrupts the monopolizing of champions,” Fitch explained. “You have guys that win a championship belt for one company and they’re stuck in a contract with that company to defend their belt. Well, that’s the most valuable that fighter is at that time. (St-Pierre) should be allowed to be a free agent.
“One of the things that the Ali Act encompasses is that those champions will be able to go to the free market after winning the belt. If the company wants to keep him, they’re going to have to bid for him with the other companies. So now you’ll get champion vs. champion. You won’t have to see guys stuck with just one company.”
While St-Pierre has claimed to be a free agent, he has remained in Las Vegas, while reports of a fight with Michael Bisping at UFC 206 continue to surface.