Bjorn Rebney says he will not sign Jon Fitch to Bellator
When UFC Welterweight contender Jon Fitch was surprisingly cut from the UFC this week, many thought he would head for the Bellator FC cage. That was just the next logical step to take, as it would have gained the most exposure and money for the outcast grinder Fitch.
Howver, news comes today that Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney is not willing to take that course of action, and spoke up to The MMA Report on the subject:
“I have a lot of respect for Jon [Fitch] and I have a lot of respect for anyone who has to courage to do what these guys do and the athletic ability to do what they do but we are not going to be signing Jon Fitch.”
“We have a stacked welterweight division right now. We have a lot of guys that we are developing that we anticipate are going to be world class fighters and break the top ten. We want to keep guys busy.”
“We want to keep guys inside the cage and we have a plan in terms of the next year and who is going to be apart of the tournaments and it’s just not the time.”
The fact that Bellator is not willing to sign the well-known Fitch is a testament to the true entertainment aspect of MMA. Fitch is regarded as one of the most boring fighters (depending on your point of view), and while he enjoyed a wildly successful run at 170, he just has not been getting the job done enough to stay afloat in the UFC.
Bellator 90 featured a myriad of brutal knockouts last night, including an upset of King Mo by an Emanuel Newton spinning backfist. It is clear their shows are starting to become quite entertaining. Apparently, Bellator is also unwilling to pay Fitch’s high price tag. Is this the right decision? And where will Jon Fitch end up?
