Jon Fitch needs a good PR agent. Fitch may not be the most exciting to watch, but he is a great fighter and his biggest problem may be his personality.
He needs to pick a side, to be a good guy or a bad guy.
Somehow, Fitch has found a way to be right in the middle. Many UFC fans see him as arrogant and stubborn, which suggests “bad guy.” But he is also perceived as a whiner, making himself out to be a victim.
“I have no idea what’s expected of me to get the title shots. No one’s ever come to me and said they don’t like what I’m doing or I need to do more of something else,” he told MMA Weekly . “I’m utterly and completely clueless in that regard.”
First of all, Fitch has created his own obstacles to getting a title shot by refusing to fight Josh Koscheck and by saying he only wants to face champions or former champions.
Second, Fitch had a title shot which he not only lost, but was completely out classed. While he has been successful inside the Octagon, he has shown no evidence that he would fare any better against Georges St. Pierre.
Koscheck, one of his closest friends understands the importance of being marketable and Fitch could learn a thing or two from him. No one is asking him to take unnecessary risks to please the crowd, but he needs to do something to make people want to see him perform.
Fitch’s strongest case for a title shot was his UFC record, but without having fought Koscheck, his claim to No. 1 contender status was arguable. With his recent loss to Johnny Hendricks, Fitch’s argument for top contender status is gone.
Maybe a dose of humility is what he needed to win some more fan support. It may depend on how he responds to the loss.