Revolving door finally settled, the show goes on for WSOF 11's Jon Fitch

WSOF’s Jon Fitch isn’t too bent out of shape that the promotion has gone through four potential opponents before finally landing on veteran Dennis Hallman.

This is old hat for the onetime UFC title challenger, who got his start in the “wild west” of MMA.

“The focus has been July 5 on NBC,” Fitch told MMAjunkie Radio. “I’ve been tunnel vision on that, and everything else is just details. I’ve been around; I’ve had whole shows canceled five days before the event, so it’s no big deal.”

While Fitch has taken a curveball with his final opponent, the show will go on today when WSOF 11 takes place at Ocean Center in Daytona, Fla. The event’s main card airs live on NBC following prelims on MMAjunkie.

Although originally billed as a welterweight fight, Fitch (25-6-1) vs. Hallman (53-14-2) is now scheduled for middleweight.

Despite the revolving door of potential matchups, which included Steve Carl, champ Rousimar Palhares, Josh Burkman, and finally Hallman, Fitch never considered backing out of the event to fight at a later date.

After all, he once was the guy who would pack up his car and drive across state lines just to be matched up with someone close to his weight.

“I was just telling my manager – get somebody,” he said. “I’ll be there on the 5th. I’m not going to miss an opportunity to fight on NBC.”

Fitch’s introduction to MMA was a lot less glitzier than network TV. He got his start at the nudging of Tom Erikson, who coached him as a wrestler at Purdue University. He showed up to a fight in Las Vegas without a mouthguard, a cup, or a cornerman.

“People were still trailblazing and still trying to figure it out back then,” he said. “Fighters today kind of have it a lot easier, because all the paths are kind of cut.

“Me and (MMA fighter) Brian Ebersole, we would pack up in a car and drive up to Minnesota or Iowa or whatever and hope that someone was there in our weight. The guys would go, ‘You guys are close in weight, you fight.’”

He got a cornerman, who lent him a cup. The mouthguard he bought from a local sporting goods store; he had to cut it into the right shape with a butter knife.

Fitch took on current UFC welterweight Mike Pyle and was submitted in less than three minutes. He lost the fight, but kept the cup.

Hallman brings the same breadth of experience to Saturday’s fight and, like Fitch, is now carving out a career outside the industry-leading UFC after being released from the promotion. A submission specialist, his most notable wins remain a pair of quick armbar victories over UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes.

More than one year ago, Fitch fell prey to a guillotine choke in a rematch with Burkman and went unconscious in the first round. The past always threatens to return, but Fitch remains confident in his abilities.

“I’ve been in this game so long, I don’t think anybody brings something to the table I haven’t seen before,” he said. “But he’s dangerous. You have to be tight with things. I made a big mistake with Burkman, I paid for it. Guys are so good now, you can’t make mistakes.”

Although he’s fighting on a smaller stage, Fitch still thinks he’s one of the best fighters in the world and has no plans on quitting any time soon.

Hiccups like opponent shifts are part of the lifestyle he embraced after a rough start.

“I love the life,” he said. “I love training, spending time with my family, flying to exotic places, meeting the locals and then beating them up. The whole thing is awesome. I don’t want to stop.”

For more on WSOF 11, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of the site.

MMAjunkie Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) live from Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino’s Race & Sports Book. The show is hosted by “Gorgeous” George Garcia, MMAjunkie lead staff reporter John Morgan and producer Brian “Goze” Garcia. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.