It would mark the Octagon debut for the red-hot Team Quest fighter if and when bout agreements are finalized.

Wilson is a veteran of the International Fight League (IFL) and Bodog Fight. He has strung together four straight wins against solid competitors such as Rory Markham, Jay Heiron and Derrick noble during that stretch.

He’s a tough guy who will be thrown in the deep end against an experienced UFC veteran like Fitch in his Octagon debut. It’s an incredible opportunity, however, to make an instant splash in the organization much like Houston Alexander did when he burst onto the scene to dash the title chances of Keith Jardine.

Fitch, however, is undefeated (7-0) in the Octagon since his debut in 2005. He has also not lost a professional fight since 2002 — more than five years. His rise to the top of the division has been long and hard and it didn’t get much easier with this fight … it’s dangerous.

In the recent past, we’ve called for Fitch to take on Karo Parisyan and Marcus Davis, who are top guys and well-known among fans. Those fights are not going to happen in the immediate future. Therefore, we’ll have to just sit tight and hang on for the ride.

This should actually be a tough fight for both guys if the Wilson who appeared in the footage that I’ve seen shows up in Ohio in top form.

For the latest UFC 82 fight card click here.

Jon’s journey north was plagued with frustration because he was held up at San Jose, Calif., airport with frost on the wings of the plane. Apparently, the guy on salary whose job it is to de-ice the wings isn’t very busy down in California and was nowhere to be found.

Jon had some time to chalk it up to an experience and laughed it off when he came into the Diesel Playhouse in Toronto.

His girlfriend’s luck, however, was just a bit worse as her luggage failed to transfer with her into Toronto. Nonetheless, she was in good spirits with her arms full of shopping bags carrying a new weekend wardrobe.

Evidently she looked at this as an opportunity to do some shopping, whereas it would have ruined my weekend.

For an afternoon showing, there was a great turnout with approximately 230 fans coming out. ‘Showdown’ Joe Ferraro was the MC for the afternoon and kept the crowd pumped, showing the reason he is Canada’s leading MMA media personality.

Jon and Joe took to the stage between fights and had some question and answer periods where Jon tossed out some great advice to up-and-coming fighters.

In addition, Jon stated that because he’s had an opportunity to watch Matt Hughes and his fellow American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) member, Josh Koscheck, fight and lose to Georges St. Pierre that he has an upperhand at formulating a gameplan to beat him when the time presents itself.

Jon called out Karo Parisyan from the stage, but in the same breath gave “The Heat” the benefit of the doubt as to the reason the fight that most fans are clamoring to see didn’t happen.

There were some great giveaways provided by Staredown Fight Wear during the event as well.

Jon was a class act and signed autographs and took pictures with his fans, with many asking for the infamous ‘scowl’ for their photo opportunity.

While talking with Jon at the booth, we got on the subject of his last fight in Canada against Jeff ‘The Inferno’ Joslin at Freedom Fight 2005 in Quebec. I had spoken with Joslin only a week ago, and I had an opportunity to broach the subject with him as well.

For those who are unaware, this fight did end in controversy but both of these guys had only respect for each other. In fact, Jon admitted that that fight was the first ‘war’ he was ever in.

In addition, after Koscheck beat Joslin at the Air Force base in Miramar he called Jon and they were in agreement that Joslin was one tough guy.

Jon continued by saying that if Jeff would get healthy and get in the Octagon and rattle off a string of wins, he could see the two of them fighting for the title someday.

The next day Jon hosted a seminar at Ultimate Martial Arts in Toronto. Jon is obviously passionate about teaching what he has learned over the years. It’s part of the reason he’s so stoked about MMAInstructional.com.

He was scheduled to end at 3 p.m. and we had to basically cut him off an hour later. He focused on all points of the game, but zoned in on the importance of wrestling and the transitions and defensive positioning that a solid wrestling background provides.

About 30 eager up and coming Canadian fighters were there to take in what Jon was teaching. MMA Fight Gear Canada provided all of the students with a personalized autographed picture of Jon.

Jon was a fantastic guest, and we’re looking forward to having him back in the future. Jon left the seminar to head home just as a fresh blanket of snow began to cover everything. On that note, we may have him back when it’s a bit warmer next time.

Before leaving he was good enough to sit through one last interview. During this discussion he talked about the injury to Akihiro Gono, which has forced him out of an upcoming bout with Jon at UFC 82 on March 1.

We asked him about his thoughts on a replacement, including Marcus Davis. Not surprisingly, Fitch said he wouldn’t want the fight unless Davis would be at his best, saying seven weeks between fights could be not enough time for him to “decompress” and be in top form.

To check out the entire video interview click here.

Sean McManus is the Director of Media Relations for MMACanada.net. For more information on the MMA scene up in Canada check out MMACanada.net.

Karo Parisyan is busy.

Marcus Davis is victorious (again … and unhurt … and a hometown boy).

Jon Fitch is lonely.

Make it happen, Joe Silva.

Here’s the snip:

“I have a pain in my right hand from November(UFC debut fight) so I could not train enough. I wondered it,Doctor checked my hand again, and this condition was so bad, doctor ordered me to stop fight and all training. And operation is done maybe in January. I am very sorry,my fans and John Fitch….. I will announce operation schedule and come back time.”

Fitch and representatives from his American Kickboxing Academy training camp are actually unaware of this latest news.

We’ll keep on top of this story to determine if this report is indeed accurate, and if so, what it means for Fitch and Gono down the road.

Stay tuned.

We first passed along the possibility of the match up back in November 2007. Since that time it is believed that his representives were pushing hard for a showdown with Karo Parisyan.

It apparently didn’t happen.

In addition, the American Kickboxing Academy standout has re-signed with the organization for another three bouts. He is undefeated (7-0) in the Octagon since his debut in 2005. Fitch has also not lost a professional fight since 2002 — more than five years.

MMAmania.com (www.mmamania.com) learned earlier this morning that welterweight contender Jon Fitch (15-2) has been approached about fighting Akihiro Gono (27-12-7) at UFC 82 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, on March 1.

Fitch will fight on the card; however, Gono is not a lock to be his opponent at this time. Our sources indicate that the Fitch camp is working hard to line up a showdown with Karo Parisyan instead.

A fight with Akihiro Gono makes no sense for Fitch right now while a fight with Karo Parisyan makes all the sense in the world. While I think a matchup against Gono could be interesting, the welterweight division is best served by having Fitch and Parisyan battle it out to see who gets to face the winner of GSP vs. Hughes/Serra.

The presence of Fitch is a solid addition to the card either way, but I’d rather have him fight someone meaningful. While Gono is a solid fighter, he is nowhere near the top of the ladder at the welterweight division, so the fight is a lose-lose situation for Fitch.

Fitch will fight on the card; however, Gono is not a lock to be his opponent at this time. Our sources indicate that the Fitch camp is working hard to line up a showdown with Karo Parisyan instead. That fight makes the most sense in terms of clearing up the 170-pound log jam.

In addition, it doesn’t really offer much of an up-side for Fitch — Gono just won his Octagon debut against Tamdan McCrory via submission (armbar) at UFC 78: “Validation” this past weekend. Fitch, on the other hand, is undefeated in the UFC (7-0) and has not lost a bout since 2002.

His most recent win over Diego Sanchez at UFC 76: “Knockout” moved him closer to a title shot … or so it seemed (Georges St. Pierre has the first crack against the winner of Matt Serra and Matt Hughes sometime in early 2008.)

What makes the most sense?

Have Fitch fight Parisyan in March and the Hughes/Serra winner against St. Pierre should headline a pay-per-view (PPV) shortly thereafter. Then, the Fitch-Parisyan winner would fight the winner of Hughes/Serra vs. St. Pierre later in 2008.

Not to take anything away from Gono — he’s talented and very experienced. He has everything to gain from a fight with Fitch and nothing to lose. It’s the exact opposite for Fitch.

This news makes very little sense, unless of course Parisyan earned a guaranteed spot behind St. Pierre with his recent win over Ryo Chonan and he won’t fight again until mid-2008.

Stay tuned for more details on this developing fight announcement. In the meantime, check out the UFC 82 fight card right here.

Middleweight Ed Herman cracked the orbital bone on Doerksen’s face with a knee during the first round of their 185-pound scrap at UFC 78: “Validation” on Saturday, November 17 from the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. To his credit “El Dirte” persevered through the pain until he was stopped with a crushing hook in the opening seconds of round three.

With the win “Short Fuse” avenges a loss from earlier in his career and Doerksen now has some time (at least 60 days) to figure out his next step — he’s on a two-fight skid.

The injury to Doerksen tops the list of injuries and medical suspensions that MMAmania.com (www.mmamania.com) just received from the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board (NJSACB). The only other fighter to appear on the official report is Akihiro Gono (wrist). Ghono was victorious in his Octagon debut, submitting the much taller Tamdan “Barncat” McCrory in the second round via armbar.

Chris Lytle did not appear on the report nor did he receive a suspension from NJSACB. This is a bit bizarre considering the fight was stopped before the start of the third round because of cuts to the eyes of “Lights Out.”

For all the other UFC 78-related news you can handle, including results and fights recaps, check out our archive.

***

Got a lot of questions in the stands the other night about the “new” referees. In short, familiar faces such as “Big” John McCarthy, Herb Dean, Steve Mazzagatti and others had the night off. We didn’t catch the pay-per-view broadcast; therefore, apologies if this is redundant. However, the NJSACB was responsible for staffing the referees that night and chose to go with Dan Miragliotta and Kevin Mulhall — both of whom are not “new.”

Other states such as Nevada, California and Ohio, among others, often publish the fighter purses as a matter of public record following mixed martial arts (MMA) events. The NJSACB, however, cites confidentially concerns as the reason it has never released numbers nor will it for UFC 78: “Validation” this past weekend.

Remember that the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, too, would not release the fighter payouts after UFC 69: “Shootout” in Houston on April 7, 2006.

However, during the post-fight press conference UFC President Dana White did announce individual bonuses for select bouts on the nine-fight card.

Here are the awards:

Fight of the Night: Thiago Alves vs. Chris Lytle ($55,000 each)
Knockout of the Night: Ed Herman ($55,000)
Submission of the Night: Akihiro Gono ($55,000)

Of course, these individual bonuses are in addition to the base salaries agreed upon in the fighters’ contracts (The same base salaries the NJSACB will not release).

UFC 78: “Validation” took place at the Prudential Center in Newark, N..J., on Saturday, November 17. For blow-by-blow, round-by-round coverage of the main card action click here. For a recap of the pay-per-view (PPV) event peep this.

Click the banner above or right here for up-to-the-minute results and blow-by-blow coverage of UFC 78: “Validation.”

Quick results will begin to flow at MMAmania.com around 8:30 p.m. ET and LIVE blow-by-blow, round-by-round coverage of the main card action is set for the pay-per-view (PPV) broadcast that begins at 10 p.m. ET.

If you’re going to leave comments and discuss the fights with all the other MMAmania readers be sure to do it on the main UFC 78 results post and not this one.