Report: Jon Fitch signs multi-fight contract with World Series of Fighting (WSOF)

Former No.1 Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Welterweight contender and consensus Top 10-ranked mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Jon Fitch has inked a deal with World Series of Fighting (WSOF), according to ESPN.com.

The American Kickboxing Academy (AKA)-trained standout has reportedly agreed to a four-fight contract.

Fitch has kept a low profile since his stunning UFC release, most likely because he is a quiet winner and, well, he was training in Japan when the bad news was announced. When reached for comment about his untimely UFC departure, Fitch simply replied to MMAmania.com, "[UFC] were making me not like fighting. I will be happier elsewhere."

"Elsewhere" is now confirmed for WSOF. And while the upstart NBS Sports-backed promotion doesn't boast a "Who's Who" of 170-pound talent (who does besides UFC?), Fitch certainly has early options.

In fact, it's not a stretch to assume that Fitch will face the winner of Aaron Simpson vs. Josh Burkman who are scheduled to collide later this month (March 23, 2013) at WSOF 2 in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Fitch already holds a trademark submission win over Burkman back in 2006. And he was expected to fight Simpson at UFC 149 back in July 2012 before a shoulder injury knocked him out of the contest.

The former Purdue University wrestling captain, a walk-on, suffered a lopsided, smothering unanimous decision loss to Demian Maia at UFC 156 just last month (Feb. 2013), which marked his controversial release that companay president Dana White passionately argued was not personal (read more on that here).

Fitch lost a five-round unanimous decision to (still) reigning division champion Georges St. Pierre at UFC 87 in Aug. 2008.