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Fitch meets Hendricks at UFC 141

Hendricks is the best wrestler Fitch will have fought since meeting Georges St-Pierre in 2008.

UFC 127: Penn v FitchMark Kolbe / Getty Images
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - FEBRUARY 27: BJ Penn of the USA is pinned down by Jon Fitch of the USA during their welterweight bout part of UFC 127 at Acer Arena on February 27, 2011 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** BJ Penn;Jon Fitch
By Ariel Helwani
NBCSports.com contributor
updated 11:49 a.m. ET Sept. 13, 2011

Jon Fitch's road back to the UFC welterweight title will have to go through Johny Hendricks.

The UFC confirmed on Monday that Fitch, who underwent shoulder surgery in May, will meet Hendricks at UFC 141 on Dec. 30 in Las Vegas. That event, which will take place on a Friday night to not coincide with New Year's Eve will be headlined by Alistair Overeem vs. Brock Lesnar.

Fitch (23-3-1, 1 NC) last fought to a draw against BJ Penn at UFC 127. He was scheduled to meet Penn again at UFC 132 but a shoulder injury sidelined him for several months. Fitch has since made a full recovery and is back training at the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, Calif.

Hendricks (11-1) recently defeated Mike Pierce at UFC 133 last month via split decision. The Team Takedown member has won two in a row since losing to Rick Story in December.

Hendricks is the best wrestler Fitch will have fought since meeting Georges St-Pierre in 2008, so he won't be able to rely on his strong wrestling skills as much in this bout, which may lead to an exciting showdown between two of the UFC's top welterweights.

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