It's widely assumed that Jon Fitch will receive the next welterweight title shot once a winner is determined in the 170-pound title fight this weekend between Matt Serra and Georges St. Pierre at UFC 83 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec.
Not so fast.
In a recent interview on "The Lights Out Show," Fitch made an interesting remark that could possibly hold some water.
Here's a snip:
"The only way I could see not getting a title shot is if they push the (Matt) Hughes vs. (Matt) Serra fight for a title (if Serra beats St. Pierre)."
Sure, it doesn't make much logical sense -- St. Pierre just thrashed Hughes in December. Meanwhile, Fitch has patiently waited for his crack at the title, going undefeated in eight fights inside the Octagon.
In fact, Hughes recently admitted to the Canadian Press that he feels his immediate title chances are slim. And he is actually rooting for St. Pierre so that he can take care of some unfinished business with "The Terror" that extends back to their stint as opposing coaches on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 6 season.
Here's another snip:
"The welterweight division is very tough right now and there's been a lot of guys kind of waiting to get that title shot. So I don't think I'll fight the winner, to be honest. This is not coming from the UFC, this is just coming from a guy that's been in the UFC for what seems like forever now. I just think they've got to give the title shot to somebody else. Maybe (Jon) Fitch or somebody like that."
It's important to remember that the UFC runs a business ... a very successful one at that. So while even though Hughes may not deserve the next title shot, from a business perspective, it's not outside the realm of possibility that he fights Serra win or lose on April 19.
Put simply, Hughes vs. Serra is a much more marketable fight than Fitch vs. Serra. The two have a bitter history and the promotion has already sunk a ton of money into building the showdown. In addition, Hughes is in the twilight of an amazing Hall of Fame caliber career.
Perhaps most important, it's a fight that more fans would more than likely pony up to see.
Money talks. And so do Serra and Hughes ... very well. Don't be too surprised if we see that match up sooner than we expect.
The good news is that we should have an answer one way or the other in the coming days and weeks. Especially if St. Pierre comes away with a win.
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