Fitch’s win might not clear path to title shot

Despite prefight talk about the winner of Saturday night's bout between Jon Fitch and Thiago Alves being next in line for a shot at the UFC welterweight title, Fitch's victory settled little in the division.

Fitch used his superior wrestling skills to earn a relatively easy unanimous decision win, his fifth victory in a row and 13th in 14 UFC appearances.

The victory should put Fitch in position to fight the winner of the Georges St. Pierre and Josh Koscheck championship bout, which will probably take place in December.

But it might not be that clear-cut.

"I don't know. What happens is timing is everything," Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White said after UFC 117 Saturday night in Oakland, Calif. "Koscheck and GSP are going to fight after their season of 'The Ultimate Fighter.' (Fitch is) a winner tonight. (Jake) Shields is going to fight (Martin) Kampmann (in October). We'll see how this whole thing plays out."

There are two potential problems. Fitch's style is not exactly thrilling. He's had a great deal of success, but his last seven wins have come by decision.

"He's not the exciting fighter you hope for, but the guy's so dominant, so what are you going to do? You've got to give him his respect. He's one of the best guys in the world," White said.

Fitch has also said he doesn't want to fight Koscheck, his friend and training partner, though White thinks the two would fight if a belt was on the line.

Fitch was evasive when asked if he would ever fight his teammate.

"The only thing on my mind right now is getting married in three weeks," he said. "That's my focus. I'm going to enjoy my win tonight. I'm going to enjoy my wedding, and then I'll deal with the future in the future."

Alves' future might be even cloudier.

He missed weight for a second time, after testing positive for a diuretic following a 2006 victory and admitting that he had used the substance to drop weight.

White said it's time for Alves to admit he's too big for the 170-pound weight class. At the postfight news conference, the UFC president said Alves had sent him a text message after the bout to apologize for his weight problems and the lackluster performance.

"He says, 'I'm sorry about that. I'll come back stronger,' " White said of the text. "I said, 'Yeah, at 185 you will.' He said, 'No, I want to stay at 170.' "

White indicated staying at welterweight might not be an option for the 5-foot-9-inch Alves.

"He belongs at 185 pounds. That's where I'd like to see him," White said. "It's (expletive) to have guys make weight and guys not make weight, especially at this level."

■ TWITTER BEGGING -- Vitor Belfort has made it clear that he thinks he deserves the next shot at UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva.

"Dana please give me the fight that every one wants to see. This fight will be the fight of the century. Give me Anderson," the Las Vegas-trained fighter posted on Twitter in a message directed at White.

Belfort was in line for the shot before both he and Silva suffered injuries. Silva instead successfully defended his title against Chael Sonnen on Saturday night.

Belfort wants to make sure he gets his shot before Sonnen is granted a rematch.

■ UFC 118 PRELIMS -- Spike TV (Cable 29) will carry live preliminary fights from UFC 118 in Boston on Aug. 28.

Two lightweight bouts will air on the broadcast, and other undercard bouts might be shown depending on the length of the fights.

Joe Lauzon will meet "The Ultimate Fighter: Season 5" castmate Gabe Ruediger, who returns to the UFC after being dismissed from the reality show following a memorable struggle to make weight.

Ruediger has won six straight fights on the California minor league circuit. Lauzon was scheduled to face Terry Etim, who was forced to withdraw from the bout because of injury.

Also, Nik Lentz will face Andre Winner.

The broadcast will air live at 6 p.m. The network did not broadcast any fights from UFC 117.

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509.