WSOF 24 headliner Jon Fitch: ‘I make grown men look like children’

Tonight WSOF welterweight Jon Fitch resumes his hunt for the promotion’s belt in a title picture far different than it was two months ago.

Fitch (26-7-1) faces former UFC middleweight title challenger Yushin Okami (30-9) in a headliner at WSOF 24, which takes place at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Conn. The main card airs on NBCSN following prelims on MMAjunkie.

The bout is Fitch’s first since a submission loss this past December to champ Rousimar Palhares, who two months ago was stripped of the title following a controversial submission of Jake Shields that could result in a suspension by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

WSOF officials and Fitch call the bout with Okami a “legacy fight,” no doubt because both fighters are closer to the end of their competitive careers than the beginning. Both were denied a title during their time in the UFC, and with the winner of bout expected to take on Shields for the now-vacant belt, stakes are high.

“I think this fight with Yushin is going to show people I still belong in the top 10, maybe top five, in my weight class,” Okami told MMAjunkie. “He’s had a history of beating good guys.

“I plan on smashing him on Saturday, earning another title shot, and then fixing myself and my legacy in this sport and leaving it as a champion someday.”

Fitch and Okami have similar reputations as fighters who prefer to grind out their opponents, though Fitch is particularly known to utilize his wrestling and clinch work to force opponents to capitulate.

Once the best welterweight in the world next to the now-retired UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, Fitch said his style will be on full display on Saturday.

“I make grown men look like children,” he said. “Most people have no idea how to deal with what I do in the cage. I’m an average person, average athlete, and I do extraordinary things in the cage.”

Check out the full conversation above.

And for more on WSOF 24, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.