Sherdog’s Top 10: Most Prolific Strikers in UFC History

2. Jon Fitch

Fitch has his critics, but he has remained unapologetically committed to his craft.

A consummate grinder who once captained the Purdue University wrestling team, the Fort Wayne, Indiana, native made his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut at UFC Fight Night 2 on Oct. 3, 2005 and took a three-round unanimous decision from Brock Larson at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Operating out of the star-studded American Kickboxing Academy, Fitch won his first eight bouts inside the Octagon and emerged as the No. 1 contender for the welterweight championship. His path to the top forever blocked by the incomparable Georges St. Pierre, he bowed to “Rush” in a lopsided five-round affair at UFC 87 in 2008.

During his 18-fight stay in the UFC, Fitch accumulated 2,185 total strikes, the vast majority of them via ground-and-pound. His skills were on full display in a February 2011 draw with B.J. Penn at UFC 127, where he connected on 231 of his 287 attempted strikes; he landed 149 of them in the third round alone.

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