Whichever way you look at it, Carlos Condit emerged from UFC 143 as the new UFC interim welterweight champion.
Condit engaged in a five-round, back and forth bout with Nick Diaz. However, it wasn’t without some controversy.
The outcome was met with a fair amount of criticism and it prompted UFC President Dana White to consider a possible rematch, depending on Georges St-Pierre’s injury status. The Saint Isadore, Quebec native is expected to remain out of action until early fall.
“It’s crazy, but … I was thinking about it after the fight,” White told MMAJunkie.com following the event. “People are bitching, and people think that was close, we could do that fight again before GSP comes back.”
All three judges awarded Condit with the unanimous decision, much to the dismay of the challenger, Diaz. Visibly upset with the decision, Diaz announced his retirement as a result.
The win for Condit has spoiled any chance of the witnessing a potential bout with Diaz and St-Pierre.
“I know [St-Pierre] wanted Diaz, and he really wanted that Diaz fight bad, but it’s not going to be Diaz, so he better get angry with Carlos Condit or focused on Carlos Condit or whatever it is he needs to do,” said White.
“The Natural Born Killer” entered the bout as a considerable underdog, but was able to fend off Diaz’s high volume striking and out-point the former Strikeforce welterweight champion with effective counter striking and movement.
White said he doesn’t believe Diaz will retire from the sport and thinks a second meeting with the newly-crowned interim champion could lure him back into the UFC, with a highly-anticipated bout with St-Pierre still hanging in the balance.
Condit said he wouldn’t wait for St-Pierre to heal and was open to making one title defense. Due to the out-cry from fans and critics, White said a rematch was likely, but it’s up to both Condit and Diaz to fully commit.
“It depends on Carlos, too. Carlos has got to say – and Nick’s got to say, ‘I want to fight him again,’ too,” he said.
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