Text Box: Alves vs. Fitch II By Mark Ona A fight that was destined to happen will come to pass on Saturday, August 7th at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California when two of the top welterweights meet for a second time in the octagon. Jon Fitch and Thiago Alves, who hold top spots in Cage & Ring Fan’s welterweight pound-for-pound list will exchange much more than words when they unite in a very anticipated, and sure to be electrifying rematch, on UFC 117: Silva vs. Sonnen. Fitch (22-3), who is fighting out of the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, California, has rallied back to his winning status with four straight victories since his loss to Georges St. Pierre. Of the four victories, his most notable win comes against welterweight top contender Paulo Thiago where he fully controlled the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt with his own jiu-jitsu skills and dominant wrestling ability. In his next fight, Fitch was due to face Alves in a rematch at UFC 107: Penn vs. Sanchez, until an injury forced the “The Pit bull” to vacate the card. Instead, Fitch earned a unanimous decision win against tough replacement Mike Pierce. With another win over Alves, Fitch makes a tremendous statement as the next contender for the welterweight title. Pit Bulls were bred in early 20th century America for their physique and fighting prowess. The same can be closely said for the young and very aggressive Thiago “The Pit Bull” Alves. Alves (16-6) is a fierce Muay Thai striker, who competed and won his first professional fight in his home country of Brazil at the age of 15. Until his most recent loss at UFC 100 against welterweight king Georges St. Pierre, Alves was on a destructive path, eliminating all who he opposed including top 170 lb. fighter Josh Koscheck and future UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes. His loss to St. Pierre has fueled his hunger to complete two very important missions in the UFC: one, fight and beat the welterweight champion, and two , probably the more important of the two, avenge his TKO loss against Jon Fitch. Since their initial meeting in June of 2006, both fighters have evolved into perennial athletes. They bring to the table remarkable skills and talents. Expect nothing less than a great battle between these two combatants as they stake their claim for top contention towards the welterweight title. Mark can be reached at cageandringfan.com for questions and comments.