The first time these two fought the match ended with a Fitch up-kick in the second round. Since that time, Alves has been looking for a rematch to avenge the loss. Stylistically, this matchup is very interesting because Alves looks to stand and overwhelm his opponents early on with powerful strikes and Fitch is very resistant to that type of attack.
Jon Fitch has only been stopped once very early on in his career and is very hard to put away. Even Georges St-Pierre couldn’t stop Fitch with five full rounds to do it. He even likened Fitch to “the terminator” who just keeps coming despite what you throw his way. Everyone knows Fitch is a grinder and very durable, but one question that lingers in the minds of fans is whether or not Fitch has what it takes to put his opponents away, with his last seven fights ending in a decision.
Alves has had no trouble finishing his opponents, with the majority of his wins coming by knockout or TKO. In his favor, Alves is also a very large welterweight and is able to put much of his size and strength behind his punches to create devastating knockout power. Even though he likes to strike, Alves hasn’t had any trouble beating wrestlers like Matt Hughes and Josh Koscheck. Fitch, being a strong wrestler, presents the typical striker-grappler conflict, but it’s nothing that Alves hasn’t easily dealt with in the past.
With a grudge match/rematch like this there are sure to be fireworks in the cage. Most likely, Alves will begin with an onslaught of leg kicks and punches hoping to catch Fitch early and end with a knockout or TKO. Fitch will most likely try to survive the initial barrage that Alves brings and then look for a takedown and attempt to transition into some type of submission or ground-and-pound. No matter what the strategies of the fighters are, this bout should be a treat for all MMA fans.
Tags: UFC, Welterweight
