Former UFC number one welterweight contender Jon Fitch fights this weekend at UFC 141 and in an interview with Ariel Helwani this week, he discussed Mixed Martial Arts vs. Professional Wrestling and why he will do everything he can to make sure his sport doesn't go the way of the WWE:
"For me, I want to make sure we stay true to the sport and I don't want to see this become pro wrestling because I hate pro wrestling. I was betrayed by pro wrestling when I was a child and I don't want to be doing that to some other kid now who's watching fights and UFC fights and watching me and other guys and thinking that it's real. I want to make sure that it's real. When I went to my first wrestling practice in the fourth grade, I found out that pro wrestling was fake. And that was the worst, ultimate betrayal I could have ever encountered in my life at that time. Since then, shut 'em off, threw all my wrestling stuff away that day. I was just over it. I want to make sure (MMA) stays a sport."
"For me, I want to make sure we stay true to the sport and I don't want to see this become pro wrestling because I hate pro wrestling. I was betrayed by pro wrestling when I was a child and I don't want to be doing that to some other kid now who's watching fights and UFC fights and watching me and other guys and thinking that it's real. I want to make sure that it's real. When I went to my first wrestling practice in the fourth grade, I found out that pro wrestling was fake. And that was the worst, ultimate betrayal I could have ever encountered in my life at that time. Since then, shut 'em off, threw all my wrestling stuff away that day. I was just over it. I want to make sure (MMA) stays a sport."
