Jon Fitch says he should be next WSOF contender, but anticipates later rematch with Burkman

World Series of Fighting welterweight Jon Fitch is back on the winning track following back-to-back losses, and said he should be next for a shot at the promotion’s freshly minted title held by Steve Carl.

Down the road, however, he believes a rubber match with Josh Burkman, who Carl upset to win the belt, is still on the table.

“I don’t see anybody else that would be in a position to fight for the title right now,” Fitch told MMAjunkie Radio. “I’d love that opportunity, and get a chance to have Burkman fight somebody else. (It) could set us up down the road if I beat Carl.”

The ex-UFC fighters first met in 2006 inside the octagon, with Fitch earning a second-round submission victory. In June, the two reunited underneath the WSOF banner, and Burkman pulled off an upset when he put Fitch to sleep with a guillotine choke.

Fitch said he knew Carl was a tough opponent for Burkman when they met in the headliner of this past month’s WSOF 6, which took place in Coral Gables, Fla., and aired live on NBC Sports Network. He admitted, however, that he was surprised when Carl choked out Burkman in the fourth round of their title fight, which scrapped plans for a rubber match in a title bout.

“It kind of took the wind out of the sails a little bit, because it could have been a really big fight,” Fitch said. “But it’s still a possibility if Burkman continues to win and I continue to win. That’s still a big fight that people are going to want to see down the road.”

Lower on the WSOF 6 card, Fitch (25-6-1) outpointed the unheralded Marcelo Alfaya by split decision.

“He was a little bit stronger than I expected,” he said.

Fitch, however, said the big victory was coming into the fight in peak condition. In previous camps, his preparation has been hobbled by injuries.

“I’ve had a number of fights where I’ve had nagging injuries for a big part of the [preparation], and almost pulled me out of the fight,” he said. “The Johny Hendricks fight camp was the most difficult because you’re so limited in what you can do. You don’t really feel confident knowing you didn’t do most of the stuff you needed to do.”

While Fitch admitted that his camp for Alfaya wasn’t ideal, as he recently moved across the country to take a job and flew back to his former home of San Jose, Calif., to conduct training at his longtime gym at American Kickboxing Academy. But he got the win.

Now, Fitch will look to rebuild his career by taking the title from Carl. He hopes Burkman does the same.

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