Contributor: Josh Hall
Ok, I know you just read the title and are trying to figure out what in the world the giant heavyweight incapable of taking punishment and the longtime #2 welterweight in the world could possibly have in common. Sapp is a hulk that was a legitimately feared fighter at one time (holding 2 kickboxing wins over the legendary Ernesto Hoost), before he merely gave up on his will to fight, electing to take good sized paychecks and fall down instead. Jon Fitch is arguably the greatest fighter in UFC history to never win a championship. He is every bit the technical grinder with tons of heart, while Sapp throws big punches and quits if the fight hits the ground, a la King Hippo.
Now, I realize all I have done so far is highlight the differences between these fighters, but that makes the similarity very important. Both of these men have, via totally different methods, been involved with a new MMA purgatory. In case you missed the explosion on the internet, the UFC gave Jon Fitch his walking papers out of the blue. All of a sudden, a guy with a career UFC record of 15-3-1 is without a job, and with shockingly few options at this point. Bellator is the #2 promotion in the sport, but they have had a number of contract disputes recently, making fighters less than eager to get involved with them. If not Bellator, then where else is there?
Unless Fitch goes to Southeast Asia and OneFC, he doesn’t have much in the way of other options. The WSOF likely can’t afford him, and with Strikeforce out of the game there isn’t much else for a fighter the caliber of Fitch. As much as he doesn’t want to, it is likely Fitch will have to consider Bellator due to the lack of other viable options. How Fitch got in this situation, however, is where the tie in occurs with “The Beast”.
The only explanation for the UFC releasing a fighter on the level of Fitch has to be for financial reasons. Fitch was reported to make $66K to show and the same as a win bonus. It’s not a giant contract, but one that the UFC clearly feels they can do without following the influx of new talent from Strikeforce. The grinding style of Fitch certainly played a factor in the cut (though he won FOTN against Erick Silva 2 fights ago), as he is not the most aesthetically pleasing fighter to watch for casual fans. Now Jon Fitch finds himself ranked #9 in the UFC rankings, and without a place to fight. Bellator can offer him less than his fair market value, because the UFC already sent him packing, and others can’t afford him. There aren’t many organizations that have money to throw around for a “boring” fighter (not in my opinion, but it is a sentiment I have heard a great deal), even if he is top 10 in the world.
I know what you are thinking. This has nothing to do with Bob Sapp. And I want you to know you are wrong. It has everything to do with him. Let me explain. If you haven’t followed the recent career of “The Beast”, he has become a running joke in the sport, having lost his last 10 fights, getting finished in the first round every time. He still carries an imposing physical presence and can throw monster strikes, but refuses to take any damage. None. If you hit Bob Sapp, he is going to fall down. Not because he has to, but because he can.
The 39 year old heavyweight carries a great deal of bitterness the way the sport has treated its pioneers, Gary Goodridge and his serious brain problems being his prime example. For that reason, he decided at some point that he could make as much money, if not more, by not taking punishment at all. Sapp travels the world going to countries where MMA is still very much developing, collects paychecks in the $30-40K range, and has no risk of getting hurt. He doesn’t exactly throw fights; he just isn’t willing to get hit.
Sapp spoke at length with Ariel Helwani last year about all of this, and his words tie his situation and that of Jon Fitch together in an interesting manner.
“So if I was to even come in on a winning record, obviously these small organizations, the last thing they would be able to do is afford my services. And on top of it, what am I going to do? Be No. 1 (in fighting) and No. 1 (in entertainment)? Okay, if I am, they’re no longer going to be able to afford me, so I’ve just won myself out of a job. Congratulations Bob.”
Think about that. Now think about Jon Fitch. All his hard work and grinding wins earned him a good rate of pay and title contention, and also made him dispensable to the UFC. If he would have lost a few more fights along the way but they were entertaining losses, he likely would still have a job. Dan Hardy lost more fights in a row than Fitch has in his UFC career and still has a job. Amir Sadollah still has a job, despite struggling with bottom tier welterweights. Hell, Leonard Garcia still has a job and he has lost 11 fights in a row. Jon Fitch is cut, and priced out of almost all other options. Congratulations Jon, you won yourself out of a job.
For years, Jon Fitch has fought to win. If he had to grind out an opponent and win a decision, he did it. Even if it wasn’t pretty, he continued to rack up wins. Now he is left with no options other than fighting guys beneath him, because everyone at his skill level is in the UFC. Meanwhile, Bob Sapp makes easy money falling down in the cage, getting rewarding handsomely for losing in entertaining and ugly fashion every time out. A lot of people, myself included, thought he was full of it when he talked about winning your way out of a job. Jon Fitch somehow found a way to do it.
Sometimes the entertainment aspect of MMA can override the sporting one. This is one of those situations. If Fitch had the reputation of an exciting fighter, he would still be in the UFC. There is no doubt about that. He has to rebuild his career, because all those wins have little value now. It comes down to his entertainment value instead, as he tries to find a minor league organization that can give him close to his fair market value. On the flip side, Bob Sapp keeps making more money as he loses more fights while putting on a show.
I’ll wrap this up by quoting Sapp one more time: “They say fight business, and I am in the business of making money. How do I judge whether I have a successful fight? Success is judged by the measure of improvement. The measure of improvement in business is money.”
All Bob Sapp quotes here
-Josh Hall can be reached @jhall282
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