UFC 68: Jon Fitch vs. Luigi Fioravanti?

UFC welterweight contender Jon Fitch (12-2) will join his American Kickboxing Academy training partner Mike Swick on the UFC 68 fight card in Columbus, Ohio, on March 3, according to recent reports.

He will most likely face Luigi Fioravanti (10-1) — a one-time middleweight fighter who recently dipped down to try his luck in the loaded 170-pound division.

Here's a snip from Fitch's MySpace blog:

First hard week of training for my fight in March. I haven't signed my bout agreement yet so I cant formally announce the fight. I can say there is a good chance that I will be fighting Luigi Fioravanti (sorry if I spelled it wrong Luigi) on March 3rd in Columbus Ohio. I am hella tired from this weeks training. I cant wait for my day off on Sunday. I plan on sleeping all day and dreaming of beatdowns.

This showdown has been talked about and discussed for the past few weeks. And while still unofficial, all indications point to this fight being agreed upon soon.

Fitch is a tough opponent for Fioravanti. He took out his American Top Team broham, Thiago Alves (10-3), at UFC Fight Night 5 back in June via strikes.

And he's also defeated Brock Larson (19-1), Josh Burkman (7-3), Kuniyoshi Hironaka (10-3), going a perfect 4-0 in the Octagon since his debut in late 2005.

In his most recent bout against Hironaka at UFC 64, Fitch broke his nose and was forced to take some time off to let the injury heal. It appears as if he has been cleared to resume "hard" training in preparation for the upcoming bout at the Nationwide Arena.

For Fioravanti, this is only his second UFC welterweight fight. He took out veteran and former UFC middleweight champion Dave Menne (39-15-2) via technical knockout at UFC Fight Night at Miramar just last month in his division premiere.

His only loss in the Octagon is to Chris Leben (16-3) at UFC Fight Night 4 — a unanimous decision that from my green couch, didn't seem so unanimous.

Both of these guys are gritty, with Fitch having the distinct advantage on the ground.

It's rumored that top welterweight contender Karo Parisyan (16-4) is also on the card the same evening — his opponent is still unknown.

If you ask me, a fight between Fitch and Parisyan would not only be more intriguing, but it would also help clear up the pecking order somewhat for a shot at current titleholder Georges St. Pierre (13-1).

Regardless, both guys love to put on a show so I'm sure it will be exciting.

And, we'll certainly give you much more insight into this match up leading up to UFC 68.

Stick around.