UFC 127 – Jon Fitch: “It’s kind of like, if I kill him, I get his power”

UFC welterweight contender, Jon Fitch has been surprisingly outspoken ahead of his UFC 127 main event clash with B.J. Penn this weekend in Sydney, Australia, explaining if he wins on Saturday it will be like taking the Hawaiian’s legend and power for himself.

Speaking at the pre-fight press conference, Fitch said:

“He’s been around for so long and there’s so much wealth of video and fights out there. I mean, B.J. Penn is B.J. Penn. There’s no mystery. I highly doubt that he’s gonna come out with some flying attack that no one’s seen before. B.J. sticks to what he’s good at and he’s good at what he does.”

“Everything comes in stages and steps and this was the time for this to happen. I’m embracing it now and everything worked out perfectly, I think. A lot of guys rush to opening themselves up before the skill set is there. If people love you, but you suck at fighting, you’re not gonna be around very long.

“The No. 1 rule everyone needs to remember is: everyone loves a winner. It doesn’t matter what kind of style you have. If you lose, you’re out, and no one is gonna know who you are when you lose.”

“It’s kind of like, if I kill him, I get his power. If I can destroy this legend, then I’m gonna take all of his wins and put ‘em in my back pocket. I’m gonna take that legacy and start building my own.”

Penn quickly interjected, saying:

“That ain’t gonna happen.”

Fitch is looking to put himself in a strong position in the welterweight division win a win, a division that could be without a champion if Georges St. Pierre moves up to 185 pounds to take on Anderson Silva later on in the year. Stay tuned to MMABay for more pre and post-UFC 127 news as we get it.