"No matter if I win or lose a fight, you will be beat up afterwards. Some guys submit you or knock you out and a couple of hours later, you're okay. Not my fights. I make it gritty and beat up on you. I think that's key. No one has ever really fought GSP like that and made it a real gritty fight and that's what I plan on doing," stated top UFC welterweight contender Jon Fitch as he talked about his long-awaited opportunity to face welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre. Check out what he had to say about St-Pierre, the fight and his thoughts on Serra, Hughes, Alves and much more.
PC: A lot has happened since we last spoke. Let's start with your reaction to Karo being knocked out. Were you surprised?
JF: Um, no! I actually thought he would be stopped. Not in that manner, but I thought Thiago would put it on him and control the fight. Karo is a tough dude. He was winning the fight until that moment. I knew Thiago was going to win that fight.
PC: Before his fight with Thiago, he said based on your fight with Wilson, St-Pierre would maul you. With all of the talk, do you wish you could've gotten the opportunity to fight Parisyan?
JF: Yeah, I mean, that was the ideal matchup. Not only does it suck for me, but it sucks for the fans. That should've been the fight that they got to see, you know? It wasn't my doing. I was the one asking for the fight. I don't know what happened on the other end so I'm not going to make any statements about nobody ducking or whatever. I have no idea what's going on with that end of it, but it was the fight that I wanted and I didn't get it.
PC: What did you think of St-Pierre's performance against Matt Serra?
JF: I thought it was awesome. He did exactly what I said he was going to do. I picked that fight exactly except I was one round early on the stoppage.
PC: Do you think Serra's layoff had something to do with it or was it too much Georges?
JF: I think Matt's too small for welterweight. I think he is an extremely gifted, tough guy, but he's much more suited at 155. I think he could be a contender there instead of just a fighter at 170.
PC: You're finally getting the title shot you've been waiting for. I think you're one of the most patient and calm demeanor fighters that I speak with, but what's the anticipation like for you right now?
JF: Dude, I'm excited man. I just want to be in the gym all of the time, watching fights all of the time and thinking and strategizing. It's just exciting. I never thought that I lost any excitement for the sport at all and then this opportunity comes around and the excitement just doubled. I'm more excited about the sport than when I started. It's been a long time coming and everything that you've been working for accumulates and you finally get your chance to fight for a title.
PC: In your last fight, you fought a guy that was relatively unknown to UFC fans. Will you prepare any differently now that you're fighting a guy that you can get a ton of film on and know some of the things he brings to the table?
JF: Absolutely. In the Chris Wilson fight, there was a lot to lose by not performing well, losing or getting caught. This is a fucking title shot, you know; there are no second thoughts. It's just pull the trigger and go and throwdown to walk out of there with your hand raised with that belt around your waist.
PC: You have the opportunity to not only take the title from Georges St-Pierre, but at the same time, defeat a top 3 pound-for-pound fighter...
JF: Yeah, it's so much riding on this fight. I have a 9-fight winning streak in the UFC without a loss so I've broken that record. Beating George St-Pierre and slipping into the pound-for-pound ranking and opening everybody's eyes up to what I'm capable of...it's the perfect opportunity for me.
PC: Jon Fitch may be okay right now, but how is he going to handle UFC Countdown and All Access and the pressures of promoting and possibly headlining a PPV card?
JF: I'm fine with it. I had the Road To 76 with Diego. I had camera crews following me around, interviews and all of that stuff, so I'm fine with it.
PC: A lot has been made over GSP's much improved wrestling skills. Do you still think your wrestling is far and beyond his?
JF: GSP is a tremendous athlete and has improved in his wrestling, but it's not a wrestling match. I think that I'll be able to find more clever ways to use my wrestling abilities to counteract his. It's not always head-to-head in the things that we do; it's some wrestlers that are really good at certain games. It's a different style, different game and different approach. You have to push up to what that other guy's game is.
PC: You have Koscheck in your camp. He has a fight with GSP under his belt. Do you think it will be difficult to find someone to emulate the athleticism of GSP?
JF: No, we have enough guys in our gym to where we have a wide variety of styles to train against. We switch them out pretty often and that prepares you for almost anything. I have Koscheck in my camp as well, who gave GSP one of his toughest fights outside of his losses to Serra, Hughes and when he fought Penn. We have a very good balance at AKA.
PC: If you could map out a perfect fight against GSP, how do you see it going?
JF: I just want to make it a gritty fight. That's what I do. No matter if I win or lose a fight, you will be beat up afterwards. Some guys submit you or knock you out and a couple of hours later, you're okay. Not my fights. I make it gritty and beat up on you. I think that's key. No one has ever really fought GSP like that and made it a real gritty fight and that's what I plan on doing.
PC: This will be your first 5 round fight. How will you condition yourself for that?
JF: It's going to be a bitch training for a 5 round fight, but I'm up for it. I'll be in great shape and ready to go.
PC: What do you think about Alves and Hughes fighting?
JF: I think that's a very interesting fight. I'm anxious to see that fight. I think this fight will let Hughes determine one way or the other what he needs to do as far as his future is concerned. This is a do-or-die type of fight for him and I can't wait to see this fight.
PC: Well, congratulations on earning this title shot. We'll talk again when the date is set. Is there anything you want to say in closing?
JF: I want to thank all of my sponsors for everything; Everyone that has been supporting me all of this time. I finally get my title shot and we don't have a date yet, but I will be ready. Thanks for all of the support!
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]