Pop quiz: Who is Jon Fitch standing in front of in this photo?
That is Chris Wilson. He went 1-3 in the UFC before being released. Wilson is one of eight men who Fitch defeated en route to becoming the No. 2 welterweight in the world. That streak also includes wins over Roan Carneiro, Luigi Fioravanti and Kuniyoshi Hironaka.
Do you see a pattern of unimpressive opponents that Fitch has bested?
Now, I'm not suggesting that all of Fitch's wins have been against fighters outside of the top 10. He did defeat Thiago Alves in 2010 and also beat Diego Sanchez via split decision at UFC 76 back in 2007.
However, let's take a look at the fighters who Fitch has not beaten, but somehow leaped over in the rankings. Everyone in this list was ranked in the top 10 at some point in time while Fitch was considered to be the No. 2 welterweight in the world:
Josh Koscheck, Carlos Condit, Martin Kampmann, Matt Hughes, BJ Penn, Chris Lytle, Matt Serra, Rick Story, Rory MacDonald, Anthony Johnson, Mike Swick, Ricardo Almeida, Marcus Davis, Nick Diaz, Paul Daley, Dan Hardy, Dong Hyun Kim and Jake Ellenberger.
Ignore the hype. Until Jon Fitch beats fighters in the top 10, he does not deserve the inflated rankings he has been handed for years. Thankfully, Johny Hendricks knocked Fitch out and removed him from his unwarranted position.
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