"If I stop [Thiago Alves], I don't see how they could deny me a shot at GSP. At that point I would have stopped someone twice who GSP couldn't finish in five rounds, so I think that's a very strong argument for me to get a title shot. We're both fighting for another crack at GSP, so we both have something big that we want. Mentally, he's matured a great deal in that time period. He was pretty young when we fought.... His wrestling defense is much better and he's harder to take down. He's stronger and I think he's matured physically. Maybe he's a little bit slower. We'll see ... I'm a much better athlete than I was a couple years ago. I'm a much improved fighter from when I first fought, and so is he."

-- Former number one contender, Jon Fitch, makes the case in HDNet's "Inside MMA" that he deserves another crack welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre if he turns in a convincing winning performance against Thiago Alves at UFC 100 on March 27. Fitch -- who stopped a much younger (and smaller) "Pitbull" back in 2006 via technical knockout -- lost a punishing five-round unanimous decision to "Rush" at UFC 87: "Seek and Destroy" in 2008. He's since reeled off three consecutive wins. And he's won 19 of his last 20 -- St. Pierre is the lone blemish during that span. So does another stoppage of Alves earn Fitch another title shot or is the winner of 170-pound between Josh Koscheck and Paul Daley more deserving?