Carlos Condit returned at UFC Fight Night 67 for the first time in over a year, and he looked like he had never left.
Condit assessed Thiago Alves in the first round, and beat on him in the second. Condit’s striking was as good as we have seen it inside the Octagon. The former interim welterweight champion has a fan-pleasing style with high output and a variety of techniques. It was the creativity that ultimately ended the contest on Saturday.
The Natural Born Killer connected flush with an elbow that floored Alves. From that point on it was all Condit as he went for the finish. Alves was tough as nails. He did not go quietly into the night and stayed active through the end of the round. The doctor called a stop to the fight between the second and third rounds, as Alves’ nose was broken from the elbow that started the onslaught. Condit felt Alves’ nose break on his elbow:
Yeah, I didn’t exactly know what happened, but I, you know, felt it on my elbow and I knew that he was hurt. I hurt him with the first rising elbow, and then hurt him again with the spinning back elbow. And I could just feel the fight drained out of him after I hit him that first time.
What’s next for the No. 4-ranked welterweight? In the post-fight interview he wanted whoever offered him an exciting fight, but at the post-fight press conference he stated unequivocally that he wants whoever the champion may be come post-UFC 189.
Robbie Lawler will defend the UFC welterweight championship against Rory MacDonald at UFC 189 in the co-main event. The two met previously at UFC 167 when Lawler took a split-decision victory over the rising star in a title eliminator.
Both fights would be interesting for Condit.
Condit has faced MacDonald before, and it was a come-from-behind showing from Condit. He was losing the fight through the first two rounds, but MacDonald tired in the third. This allowed Condit to take over the fight and finish it before it went to the judge’s scorecards.
The Albuquerque Bandit has never faced Lawler, but their styles match up well against one another. It would be a rip-roaring main event for later in 2015 if the UFC chooses to go down that path following Lawler’s title defense in July. However, it may not be likely to happen just yet.
Condit’s win at UFC Fight Night 67 was his first in 14 months, and only just put him back in the win column. Tyron Woodley, ranked No. 3 in the division and the man who put Condit on the shelf, has back-to-back wins to his credit. It would be difficult for the UFC to justify leaping Condit ahead of the man that beat him.
His performance this past weekend will do a lot to give the UFC pause as to who is the next contender. Condit is much more pleasing to the average fan’s eye, and he came through with an exciting and meaningful victory on Saturday. Regardless, we come away from UFC Fight Night 67 with another credible title challenger at 170 pounds.
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