UFC Releases Jon Fitch

No need to do a double take, Jon Fitch is being released by the UFC.  Jon Fitch recently fought Georges St Pierre for a title shot at UFC 87 but was unsuccessful in gaining the belt.  Fitch was rumored to be on the UFC 94 fight card taking on opponent Akihiro Gono. 

All of that came to a screaching halt when the fighter and the UFC could not come to agreements regarding using his name with lifetime rights on the UFC video game.

MMA Weekly reports:

According to sources close to the situation, Fitch was in negotiations with the UFC about a lifetime contract for likeness rights for their upcoming video game release and future video games. An agreement could not be reached and the Indiana native was subsequently released from his fight contract.

MMA Junkie released an article this morning with quotes from Fitch and Dana White.

“Working for free and selling our rights away for lifetime, that’s a little different,” said Fitch, who said he hasn’t spoken with White but plans to call him. “We tried to negotiate five- or 10-year deals with them, but it wasn’t good enough. It was all or nothing. He wanted our lifetime. He wanted our souls forever.”

Dana White doesn’t want to work with any AKA (American Kickboxing Academy) fighters and it’s rumored that Josh Koscheck could be next in line to be cut and he has an upcoming fight on December 10th.

“We’re looking for guys who want to work with us and not against us, and frankly I’m just so fucking sick of this shit it’s not even funny,” White said from Honolulu, where he flew Wednesday from Toronto to hold a news conference to announce the B.J. Penn-Georges St. Pierre fight for UFC 94 on Jan. 31 in Las Vegas.

“Affliction is still out there trying to build its company. Let [Fitch] go work with them. Let him see what he thinks of those fuckers. Fuck him. These guys aren’t partners with us. Fuck them. All of them, every last fucking one of them.”

“There are a lot of guys who help us and work with us and are great partners with us, and they’re the ones we’re going to remember and take care of,” White said. “Do these guys understand what is going on in this world? I’ll tell you, this economy is fucked up. It’s totally fucked up. It’s bad, real, real bad. The [television] networks are in trouble and don’t have money. The sponsors are in trouble, and they have no money. If they don’t have money, they go out of business.

“It’s a whole other world out there, believe me, and let these guys go out there and see what they find.”

So there’s the tale of the tape on the Fitch issue.  Look for other AKA fighters to be released soon as well.  Mike Swick looks to be safe as he called Dana White. Josh Koscheck is treading thin ice right now.

Last 3 posts by Mat Houchens

• Gina Carano is Back! Carano vs Cyborg August 15
• Kimbo Slice on TUF 10
• Affliction 3 Press Conference June 1

Similar Posts

• The UFC Needs A Fighter’s Union
• ESPN MMA Live Episode 31
• ESPN MMA Live Episode 30