According to an update by MMA Mania :

Former number one UFC welterweight contender Jon Fitch was today handed his walking papers for refusing to sign an agreement that would give the promotion exclusive lifetime video game rights to his name and likeness, MMAmania.com can exclusively confirm.

Christian Wellisch — who also didn’t ink the paperwork — was also released. Others who do not sign the agreement could also be let go in the future.

Fitch and members of his camp were not immediately available for comment on the startling development.

While the full details are a little murky at this time, Fitch was apparently approached about the issue when he turned in his signed bout agreement to fight Akihiro Gono at UFC 94: “St. Pierre vs. Penn 2′ on January 31. And when he and his representatives attempted to negotiate the video game deal it was all or nothing.

He didn’t sign it and was terminated shortly therefafter.

Fitch — who is tied with Royce Gracie and Anderson Silva for the most consecutive wins in UFC history (eight) — recently lost a gutsy unanimous decision to welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre at UFC 87: “Seek and Destroy” on August 9.

The former Purdue University wrestler just returned from a trip to Thailand to refine his Muay Thai and stand up skills. For the time being he may have to now put those skills to the test outside the Octagon for the first time since 2006.

He’s among the top 170-pound fighters in the world and should land on his feet sooner rather than later. Talk about a big loss for the UFC … and Jon Fitch.

Five Ounces of Pain reports that :

FiveOuncesOfPain.com has learned that lightweight competitor Marcus Aurelio is the latest fighter to depart the UFC.

The American Top Team member was released from his contract with the promotion soon after his unanimous decision loss Hermes Franca last month at UFC 90.

The Franca bout marked Aurelio’s second consecutive loss on the heels of his unanimous decision defeat to Tyson Griffin this past July at UFC 86.

Aurelio signed with the UFC in 2007 after having earned a reputation as one of the top lightweight fighters in the world while competing for PRIDE Bushido in Japan. During his PRIDE tenure, Aurelio recorded the most notable victory of his career at PRIDE Bushido 10 when he submitted Takanori Gomi at 4:34 of round 1 courtesy of a arm triangle choke.

While he entered the UFC amidst high expectations, Aurelio failed to gain traction after losing his Octagon debut at UFC 74 when he dropped a split decision to Clay Guida. He rebounded with consecutive victories against Luke Caudillo at UFC 78 and against Ryan Roberts at UFC Fight Night 13 but his career record in the UFC fell to 2-3 after the losses to Griffin and Franca.

Aurelio joins a list of high-profile fighters such as Fabricio Werdum, Paulo Filho, and Jason Lambert that have been released from their contracts with Zuffa.

MMA Weekly reports that :

After a controversial ending to their first bout, UFC welterweights Kevin Burns and Anthony “Rumble” Johnson will meet in the Octagon once again in December. The two will settle the score at the live finale for "The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir," emanating from The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas on Dec. 13.

A Georgia native fighting out of Los Angeles, Johnson, one of the welterweight division’s most explosive athletes, and Burns, a promising newcomer from Des Moines, Iowa, first met this past July at UFC Fight Night: Silva vs. Irvin. Towards the end of three highly competitive rounds, it seemed that Johnson was on his way to a hard fought decision win when Burns inadvertently poked him in the eye while throwing an uppercut. The strike escaped the view of referee Steve Mazzagatti, and when Johnson was felled by the blow, Burns pounced and won by TKO. Both fighters have lobbied for a rematch, and their wish will be granted on Dec. 13 in Las Vegas.

Also on the card, Edmonton’s Jason “The Athlete” MacDonald will square off against Fortaleza, Brazil’s Wilson Gouveia in middleweight action. MacDonald last fought at UFC 88 in September, where he defeated Jason Lambert in impressive fashion. The Canadian will look to vault himself into title contention in the middleweight division with a victory over a stern test in Gouveia. Wilson Gouveia made his middleweight debut at Ultimate Fight Night 15 this past September after compiling a 4-2 record as a light heavyweight in the UFC. The drop in weight did not have any ill effects on his performance, with Gouveia submitting his opponent Ryan Jensen via armbar in the second round. The American Top Team product will look to notch his sixth UFC victory when he takes on MacDonald.

The world needs a contender. A solid contender. The MMA fighter who the entire world knows is the next man up for the belt. Boxing had their Frazier. We need ours. When title shots are placed in the hands of the specific fight companies, funny things tend to happen. After a championship loss, even be it a valiant effort, the losing competitor is more often thrown to the back of the pack. Unless, the beaten fighter happens to be a poster boy whose image sells t-shirts. Ya dig?

I call for an independent ranking organization who ranks the fighters at each weight class within each fight company. In this manner, since title belt for title belt unification matches will never happen due to a lack of adult communication between the fight companies, at least each company would have a top 10 list per weight class that is not soiled in politics or favoritism. A separate oversight committee would be a God-send. Let’s make it happen. Let's do this for the integrity of MMA. As a fight fan who pays these fight organizations' bills, make your voice be heard.

Five Ounces of Pain has the news that :

According to a report at MMA Mania, Jon Fitch is set to face off against colorful Japanese fighter Akihiro Gono at UFC 94 on Super Bowl weekend. The fight was originally scheduled to take place back at UFC 82 before Gono had to pull out of the fight due to a hand injury and was replaced by Chris Wilson.

Fitch would go on to defeat Wilson via unanimous decision but his UFC winning streak ended in his very next fight, a title shot against Georges St. Pierre. Fitch is currently 8-1 in the UFC and was undefeated in the Octagon prior to meeting St. Pierre. He holds victories over some of the best UFC welterweight competitors, including Diego Sanchez and current number one contender Thiago Alves.

Akihiro Gono holds a 1-1 record inside the UFC, winning a fight via armbar against Tamdan McCrory at UFC 78 and most recently dropping a split decision loss to Dan Hardy at UFC 89. The Japanese fighter is one of the most colorful fighters in all of MMA, known for his elaborate entrances and dance moves. But he also brings a wealth of experience to the cage, having fought in 49 fights and spanning all of the major Japanese promotions.

UFC 94 is also set to include a welterweight title clash between two of the best pound for pound fighters in the world in Georges St. Pierre and B.J. Penn as well as a number one contender fight at light heavyweight between Thiago Silva and Lyoto Machida.