One of the more intriguing fights that has been recently announced is the matchup between Akihiro Gono and Jon Fitch in the newly dominated Welterweight division. Months ago, we were talking about how the Middleweight division was suffering from a case of one man completely smashing the competition and the division had yet to catch up. After UFC 79, it seems that the potential matchups to determine the next contender were all but thrown out the window as matches we should care about. This was the exact same thought after Silva devastated Franklin for the second time. What fight does the fanbase really want to see now that Silva has went through nearly every contender with relative ease? The same is now being said about Georges St. Pierre. Unless Serra pulls off another huge upset win over St. Pierre, we will be seeing two divisions in the UFC that have dominant champions and a huge gap between the top and middle of the pack.
Contender spot, Welterweight title picture
Fortunately for many fans out there, the Welterweight division has a matchup that is actually more intriguing than many give it credit for. Akihiro Gono, who submitted Tamden McCrory by an unorthodox armbar at UFC 78, will take on Jon Fitch at UFC 82 for what is most likely to be a contender spot.
Many of you may be asking the question as to why this fight is interesting at all. St. Pierre looked nearly unstoppable, but Hughes is getting older and age is definitely becoming a factor in his skillfulness in the cage. Serra is a survivor in many of his bouts, but he doesn't have the all-around skill that Pierre has. To be honest, there isn't too many fighters who possess the skillset that St. Pierre exhibits in his fights. Serra has the chance to beat Pierre again, but it would be another enormous upset.
With the top spots in the division up for grabs, Gono vs. Fitch becomes a pivotal bout in determining where Hughes, Serra, or even Pierre go. Serra vs. Hughes seems likely, and the winner of Fitch vs. Gono may be up for Pierre next considering he would have beaten Hughes twice and just beaten Matt Serra.
Styles and Historical points
The implications that the fight has in the division are only the tip of the iceberg. The matchup offers an interesting style matchup as well, and is intriguing if you look at the historical aspects of the bout. Gono has an underrated submission background due to the vast amount of decisions he has been in. He has had some success in the past with his striking, but we'd have to trek back to '03-'04 to see any significant wins by TKO/KO. Overall, he's a fairly well-rounded fighter, but lacks knockout power.
Fitch is stylistically similar in many ways. Fitch's background centers around wrestling though. He also exhibited the skills to TKO his opponents early in his career, reminiscent of many wrestlers. Other than the actual specific style differences, Fitch has a decent submission game and some power in his hands, but has had trouble finishing opponents in the past. Looking at both records, skillsets, and experience, this is a great matchup for both fighters.
Fitch can gain a title shot and a solid win over a very experience PRIDE veteran. Gono can solidify a spot for the title as well, and show that PRIDE fighters SHOULD be dropping weight when they move to the UFC.
On that note, the matchup looks much more interesting when looking at historical aspects. Gono is a PRIDE veteran with nine fights in the Bushido series. He's also fought much tougher competition than Fitch. Opponents such as Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, Daniel Acacio, Dan Henderson, Hector Lombard, Gegard Mousasi, Denis Kang, and Yuki Kondo all matched up against Gono within the last 3-4 years of his career. He came out of his era with PRIDE sporting a 6-3 record, losing to existing or eventual champions only.
Fitch, on the other hand, on paper has faced lesser competition. He has managed to rattle of 14 straight wins, but recently has some trouble with Diego Sanchez. He has some big wins over Brock Larson, Thiago Alves, Luigi Fioravanti, and Roan Carneiro also, but it's arguable which fighter has more quality wins. In either case, it's going to come down to whether Gono can handle Fitch's wrestling ability. Gono could surprise some fans, and for that reason, the matchup should be a very good test for both fighters.
Look forward to this matchup. It may be one of the last intriguing matchups we see for awhile in the Welterweight division. Hopefully Yoshiyuki Yoshida pays off.