Luigi Fioravanti (10-1) stepped up to face Jon Fitch (12-2) at UFC 68 after a host of other welterweights looked the other way when called upon, according to fcfighter.com.

Cowards.

Here's a snip from Fitch:

"[UFC matchmaker] Joe Silva told my manager Bob Cook [that] he's having a harder time finding fights for me than anybody he's ever had. [Other fighters] know that win or lose, when you fight me, you get hurt. Other than my very early fights, I have not been in a fight where the guy came out clean on the other side."

Indeed, his UFC wins over Thiago Alves (10-3), Brock Larson (19-1), Josh Burkman (7-3) and Kuniyoshi Hironaka (10-3) were lopsided. He's a gritty fighter who pushes the pace during fights and dishes out some serious punishment.

Hironaka endured 15 minutes of pain with Fitch at UFC 64 back in October 2006. And, when all was said and done, his face looked like a hamburger patty.

Fitch didn't escape the fight unscathed, however, breaking his nose badly toward the end of the bout. The Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) suspended him until April after the fight. Fitch will need to prove to the Ohio commission that he is healed and fit to fight on March 3.

The Fitch- Fioravanti fight has all the makings of a war. Both of these guys are tough and neither of them back down. If it doesn't make the pay-per-view broadcast it'll be an outright disgrace.

Casual UFC fans and viewers know next to nothing about Fitch because he isn't effectively marketed and is rarely featured on television. Clearly, he's earned the respect of fellow fighters in the division because he's an absolute animal.

It's time that fans see what other fighters see.

For crying out loud, he's Fitch, bitch.

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