Fitch on Penn: ‘If I Kill Him, I Get His Power’

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If Jon Fitch is intimidated at the prospect of fighting a mixed martial arts legend, he isn’t showing it.

With just days to go before his main event bout against B.J. Penn at UFC 127 in Sydney, Australia, the rangy welterweight seems to feel he has “The Prodigy” sufficiently sussed out. Fitch, who trains at American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, Calif., said there is little to be gleaned from working with a number of Penn’s old running mates.

“He’s been around for so long and there’s so much wealth of video and fights out there,” Fitch said during Wednesday’s prefight press conference. “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.”

Fitch is equally unconcerned with any tricks Penn may have picked up from legendary boxing trainer Floyd Mayweather, Sr., with whom the Hilo, Hawaii, native has trained for the impending scrap.

“He’s probably gonna pick up some good skills from working with somebody who’s that good, but it’s not boxing,” said Fitch. “I think it’s wrong to even compare boxing with mixed martial arts. Just ‘cause there are punches involved in both, I don’t think they’re anything alike. I think there’s a lot of bad habits you could pick up if you come in and just box in this sport.”

Still, if Penn were to bust out an otherworldly maneuver during their match, it might not surprise Fitch all that much. That’s because the AKA standout views his upcoming fight as a video game -- at least in terms of what he will acquire if he can best the former two-division UFC champion.

“It’s kind of like, if I kill him, I get his power,” explained Fitch. “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.”

“That ain’t gonna happen,” Penn interjected from the other side of the dais.

Fitch’s bold comments may come as a surprise to some, as the former Purdue Boilermaker has not been the most outspoken or colorful fighter during his five-year, 13-1 run in the UFC. However, with his skills refined and his stock nearing its peak, Fitch believes it’s the right time to show fans his true personality.

“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,” said Fitch. “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.”

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