So Jon Fitch was cut by the UFC.  Why should you care?  Sure you're going to miss out on a couple big fights.  You might be angry because this is one more example of Dana White's tyrannical rule over the mma universe.  Jon Fitch is a great fighter who did nothing to deserve to get cut aside from refuse to give the UFC his lifetime video game rights.  This is a perfect case for any Zuffa hater to point at as a reason the UFC is exploiting fighters and ruining mma.

All moral outrage and anti-Zuffa rhetoric aside, I would argue that the significance of Jon Fitch's release is much bigger than Fitch himself.  Did Fitch get treated unfairly?  Absolutely, but the fact that Zuffa could treat him this way speaks to a problem that is much bigger than Jon Fitch, specifically the Zuffa monopoly over national mma promotions.

I have worried for a long time, as many of you probably have, about Zuffa controlled shows monopolizing mainstream American mma.  There is absolutely nothing to give Jon Fitch any sort of leverage against the UFC.  There isn't a promotion in business right now that can sign Fitch and put him in the same sort of high profile, lucrative bouts he would have been able to get in the UFC.  Fitch is a great fighter.  He wins and he is exciting to watch, but how popular is Jon Fitch outside of the hardcore internet fanbase?  How many casual fans will find out he was cut or even notice he was gone?  Hardcore fans may express outrage, but that ultimately won't hurt Zuffa's bottom line.  Disgusted though I may be, I'm still going to buy the next UFC pay-per-view, and I expect most other hardcore fans will too.  With no Fighter's Union to protect Fitch and others, there is really no good reason for Zuffa to not terminate Fitch's contract.  It sends a strong message to other fighters -- if it happened to Jon Fitch, it can happen to you.

There are precious few fighters who have actual leverage in negotiating with Zuffa.  Chuck Liddell, Georges St. Pierre, Brock Lesnar, Forrest Griffin are all names that have some power in negotiations, because they are such huge stars.  It is worthwhile to Zuffa to keep fighters like that happy.  A guy like Fitch who isn't a megastar gets screwed.  That's why competition, real, healthy, competition is important for mma.  Imagine for a second there was a viable competitor to the UFC.  Would Zuffa still be willing to let a top tier talent such as Fitch simply walk?  My guess would be no.  A competitive market would give fighters leverage and prevent Zuffa from using a 'my way or the highway strategy'. 

Unfortunately, fighters like Fitch have little recourse in the short term, but there may be light at the end of the tunnel.  My hope is that moves like this come back to haunt Zuffa.  It won't happen tomorrow, but sooner or later I feel like Dana will have to answer for moves like this.  Hopefully mma becomes popular enough that questionable moves get covered in the mainstream press and Zuffa gets called on them.  Getting trashed on ESPN for a move like this might be enough to sway a sizeable chunk of casual fans away from buying pay-per-views.  Zuffa would pay attention to that.  Or perhaps enough bad blood will be built up over time that eventually fighters will unionize to prevent things like the Jon Fitch release from happening.  Wishful thinking it may be, but hopefully something positive for mma eventually comes out of this.

This was my first attempt at a fanpost, so I apologize in advance for any errors.

Comments are appreciated, good or bad!