5. Jon Fitch
Forever in George St. Pierre’s shadow, Fitch nevertheless carved out a path of tremendous success during his prime years. The Fort Wayne, Indiana, native arrived in the Ultimate Fighting Championship in 2005, pieced together an eight-fight winning streak and challenged St. Pierre for the welterweight crown at UFC 87 on Aug. 9, 2008 in Minneapolis. It was a forgettable experience for Fitch, who wound up on the wrong side of a lopsided unanimous decision against an all-time great. However, he went on to compile a 14-3-1 record inside the Octagon before parting ways with the UFC and landing in the World Series of Fighting’s lap. Early reviews were mixed under the WSOF banner -- he sandwiched submission losses to Joshua Burkman and Rousimar Palhares around decision victories over Dennis Hallman and Marcelo Alfaya -- but hit his stride thereafter. Fitch has since rattled off three straight wins, culminating with a unanimous decision over Jake Shields on New Year’s Eve that brought with it the WSOF welterweight championship.
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