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01/30/2012
Carlos Condit – Here comes the Natural Born Killer
By Christopher “sLapDatSuCKa” Jester
With Georges St. Pierre sidelined due to an injury, it was inevitable for the UFC to put an Interim Welterweight Championship on the line. As their main draw, Georges St. Pierre’s injury constituted a myriad of options in the welterweight division. However, with this Interim Welterweight Championship taking place on February 4 at UFC 143 featuring two of the best welterweights in the world in Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit, it at least guarantees that the very best challenger will face GSP when he returns likely sometime later this year. Indeed, the return fight with GSP should proclaim who is the top welterweight in the UFC, putting an end to the “musical chairs” triangle that has taken place between GSP, Diaz, and Condit over the past several months.
What makes UFC 143 so exciting is that fans get to see two men who have been at the top of the welterweight rankings for a long time. It is a bout between the last Strikeforce Welterweight Champion (Diaz) and the last WEC Welterweight Champion (Condit).
In Nick Diaz, you have a man who is justifiably socially awkward but comes in to fight with fists blazing and a submission game that’s impressive to watch. His attitude is ferocious, and yet his ability to back it up is what makes Nick Diaz such an imposing fighter. He doesn’t back down and he doesn’t quit. On fight night, you’ll see the best Nick Diaz, most definitely.
But nearly much of the same can be said about his opponent, the Albuquerque, New Mexico, Jackson’s Submission Fighting product Carlos Condit. Carlos Condit has been on top of the welterweight rankings just as long as Nick Diaz; if not longer. Condit arrived in the UFC from the now defunct WEC, where he was its Welterweight champion. There he defeated the likes of: Kyle Jensen, John Alessio, Brock Larson, Carlo Prater, and Hiromitsu Miura.
Carlos Condit’s transition into the UFC was surely not the debut he had wanted. He fought a tough split decision loss to Martin Kampmann at UFC Fight Night back in 2009. His second UFC fight came as a split decision victory against Jake Ellenberger, which was just as close as the Kampmann fight, and is still a highly debated fight as to who actually won.
However, do not let those two fights fool you. Since 2009, Condit has been on a tear in the welterweight division. Much like Diaz, Condit will strike with his opponent until he needs to get the fight on the ground, where he can submit them. His submission game is crafty and the finish is usually quite sudden.
No opponent of Carlos Condit should get comfortable anywhere with him, because if it goes to the ground he can submit them. But if they want to stand up with him, they can get knocked out too. Just ask Dan hardy and Dong Hyun Kim – he finished both of them in the first round; each earning him Knockout of the Night awards.
Although much is being made about Nick Diaz as this fight gets closer, Carlos Condit is a warrior who should not be dismissed. Originally he was the opponent set to fight Georges St. Pierre after his impressive victory over Dong Hyun Kim. But after Diaz’s fight with BJ Penn, he was removed from the proposed bout and Diaz replaced him. Soon after, he was expected to face Josh Koscheck, but due to GSP’s injury, he was removed from that scheduled bout as well and was soon placed into the headliner for UFC 143 against Nick Diaz for the Interim Welterweight Championship.
UFC 143 will be a treat for MMA fans, as they’ll get to see two of the best welterweights in the world square off inside the Octagon. What makes the fight even sweeter is not just the prize of an interim title but also knowing that in the future they’ll face Georges St. Pierre to unify the titles and also to announce who is the best welterweight in the world.
Follow Christopher “sLapDatSuCKa” Jester on Twitter @sLapDatSuCka
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