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Carlos Condit Says He Is ‘Greatly Disappointed’ to Not Face Georges St-Pierre

Carlos Condit’s opportunity at challenging Georges St-Pierre for the UFC welterweight title had taken a turn for the worse after the champion pulled out after suffering a knee injury. Condit will sit out and wait until “Rush” is healthy and a…

Carlos Condit’s opportunity at challenging Georges St-Pierre for the UFC welterweight title had taken a turn for the worse after the champion pulled out after suffering a knee injury.

Condit will sit out and wait until “Rush” is healthy and able to compete.

After learning the news, “The Natural Born Killer” released a statement regarding St-Pierre’s sudden departure and expressed his disappointment on not performing at UFC 137.

“I am greatly disappointed, for both myself and UFC fans, that I will no longer be fighting for the welterweight title at UFC 137, but I also understand that injuries are a part of this business,” Condit said.

Condit earned the chance to face St-Pierre after the champion’s original opponent, Nick Diaz, refused to help promote the event by no-showing at the press conference. Condit is currently riding a three-fight win streak, earning Knockout of the Night honours against opponents Rory McDonald and Dong Hyun Kim.

Condit was optimistic about his future bout with St-Pierre and is hopeful the champion can make a full recovery.

“Georges is a great competitor and I know that he will want to return to 100 percent health as soon as possible so that this fight can be rescheduled,” he said.

Condit’s manager, Malki Kawa, also spoke about the injury and he was also optimistic about a future title bout between the two welterweights.

“Carlos is hungry for the title shot and when this fight is rescheduled, he will be ready to show the world what made him the top contender,” Kawa said.

Although the injury is not severe, St-Pierre will remain out of action for the remainder of the year. A date has not been rescheduled but it is expected Condit will challenge for the title in 2012.

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Georges St-Pierre vs. Carlos Condit Should Headline Superbowl Weekend Card

After learning that Georges St-Pierre was forced to withdraw from his title bout due to a knee injury, it was confirmed that co-main eventers BJ Penn and Nick Diaz would serve as the main event at UFC 137. According to Sportsnet.ca, St-Pierre spra…

According to Sportsnet.ca, St-Pierre sprained his medial collateral ligament, but there was no severe damage. The UFC welterweight champion is expected to make a full recovery in four weeks. As a result, it is highly likely the UFC will find a replacement for St-Pierre’s opponent, Carlos Condit, who will then wait for the champion to heal.

Since St-Pierre is expected to heal quickly, it makes perfect sense for the two competitors to headline the Superbowl weekend card in February.

First off, given the nature of the injury, St-Pierre should resume training within a month to prepare for Condit. Not to mention, the bout will still be three months away, giving both fighters plenty of time to train and implement a strategy.

Also, it would be a much more financially successful event if St-Pierre were advertised on a traditional card, which receives a ton of media coverage, as opposed to just a regular pay-per-view broadcast. For the French-Canadian, it would only add to his legacy, but it would be serve a greater purpose if he were to win in a dominating fashion.

Lastly, rumors regarding a rematch between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen have also been another potential candidate to headline the event, but it would add a lot more value and coverage to the event if both champions were involved. It would also be fitting if both St-Pierre and Silva were to retain their respective titles en route to setting up the biggest bout in UFC history.

Although St-Pierre closes out this year with only one title defense, there will surely be a lot of anticipation surrounding his title bout against Condit when it finally comes around.

While the event might not hold the same value as it once did with St-Pierre’s presence on the card, the UFC have found a suitable replacement in Penn and Diaz and it still should be one of the most exciting cards of the year.

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UFC 137 Fight Card: BJ Penn Just Wants To Put on the Performance of His Life

BJ Penn has endured career journey quite like no other fighter in the UFC. The Hawaiian native has faced the world’s best fighters in two separate weight classes, while also being one of two only men to hold two UFC titles in two different divisio…

BJ Penn has endured career journey quite like no other fighter in the UFC.

The Hawaiian native has faced the world’s best fighters in two separate weight classes, while also being one of two only men to hold two UFC titles in two different divisions. At UFC 137, Penn will look to continue establishing his legacy as he prepares to face Nick Diaz.

Known for his competitive nature, Penn said he expects to test Diaz throughout the entire bout.

“I’m there to take him out from the first-round to the third-round,” Penn said during a pre-UFC 137 interview. “I just want to put on the performance of my life and I want to come out there with my hand raised.”

Penn and Diaz are slated to be in the co-main event, as UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre and Carlos Condit will headline the event.

UFC 137 is scheduled for October 29, live from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.

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UFC 140: Jon Jones Says He Is "Up to the Challenge" of Defeating Lyoto Machida

While Jon Jones’ recent performances have left fans in awe of his dominance, the 24-year-old has never had a tougher challenge in front of him than Lyoto Machida. Jones is expected to defend the title against the Brazilian at UFC 140 in December. …

Machida previously held the light heavyweight title in 2009, when he was seen as an unbeatable champion. However, fast forward two years later and Machida will now challenge for the title. While the elusive Machida does pose as a legitimate challenge, Jones feels like he has “The Dragon” figured out.

In an interview with TheFightNetwork.com, Jones spoke about the opportunity to face the former champion and said he is confident in his abilities to hand Machida the third loss in his career.

“We feel comfortable, we feel as if there’s been some blueprints laid out,” Jones said.

After Machida suffered back-to-back losses to Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Jones’ blueprint could not be any clearer. Although Jones intends on looking at Machida’s recent losses, he won’t necessarily rely entirely on their respective strategies.

The champion recognizes that Machida no longer carries the same mystique as before, but he does see the same qualities in him that made him champion just a short time ago. Regardless, Jones is willing to to accept the bout.

“We’re excited. We’re up for the challenge,” Jones said.

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Jose Aldo Says He Is Open to a Featherweight Bout Against Frankie Edgar

Following a successful title defense against Kenny Florian at UFC 136, Jose Aldo looks forward to his next challenge. While the UFC featherweight division does lack in competition for the 25-year-old Brazilian, he said he is the champion and expec…

Following a successful title defense against Kenny Florian at UFC 136, Jose Aldo looks forward to his next challenge.

While the UFC featherweight division does lack in competition for the 25-year-old Brazilian, he said he is the champion and expects to face any opponent that is put in front of him.

“I’m the champion, so I’m a target. Everybody watches you, studies you,” Aldo told TATAME .com.

His recent victory over Florian proved why Aldo is regarded as one of the most promising fighters in mixed martial arts and top pound-for-pound fighters in the world. There has been a lot of talk surrounding a potential super-fight between Aldo and UFC lightweight champion, Frankie Edgar, who also retained his title at UFC 136.

Aldo said he is open to the idea of meeting Edgar at a future event, however the Brazilian had one stipulation should the potential bout ever come to fruition.

“Frankie (Edgar) is the lightweight champion, so, if he moves down, no problem,” he said. “Just like Kenny did and others are doing… To me it’s OK. I’ll always fight the guys they point out for me to fight.”

Aldo’s difficulty to cut weight was well-documented prior to his title at UFC 129 against Mark Hominick. It was learned that Aldo had suffered an injury during a training session prior to facing Hominick, which forced him to take antibiotics. As a result, Aldo was visibly much more fatigued than usual.

However, Aldo showed no signs of fatigue against Florian and looks more determined to reign atop the division for years to come. It is expected that Chad Mendes will challenge for the featherweight title but no date has been confirmed yet. In regarding his next title defense, Aldo is willing to face the next challenger however he isn’t too worried or focused on his next bout until he discusses plans with his camp.

“Now I’m just taking some vacancies, so I’m not worried about that,” he said. “I’ll return to the trainings and, in the future, I’ll think about it, but I haven’t thought it through.”

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UFC 139: Dan Henderson’s Boxing Coach Says Shogun Rua’s Striking Has ‘Flaws’

As he prepares Dan Henderson for his upcoming bout with Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 139, boxing coach Gustavo Pugliese said he is confident that the former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion will earn a knockout victory over Rua, who is renowned f…

Pugliese spoke with TATAME.com and discussed the upcoming matchup between Henderson and Rua. While analyzing the Brazilian’s skills, Pugliese said his effective striking style does show signs of weakness.

“On the tapes of Shogun’s last fights I noticed some flaws on his Boxing game,” Pugliese said.

“He only moves forward and tries to find the right angle ti punch his opponents. Since he’s not much technical, he walks a lot. Fighting a guy like Henderson, who knows when to counterattack, it’ll be dangerous for Shogun.”

Henderson is coming into the UFC after arguably putting on one of the most impressive career performances following his win over Fedor Emelianenko earlier this year. The win was Henderson’s third knockout in his last four bouts.

It allowed Henderson to enter his third stint with the UFC, setting up a bout with potential title implications surrounding it.

While he is aware of Rua’s knockout ability, Pugliese said he will have Henderson prepared for the five-round bout and look to neutralize his strengths and become more versatile with his offense.

“It ain’t no secret the way Henderson finishes his fights, so my job, along with (Daniel) Woirin, will be to prepare him correctly to use his strongest weapon, his right hand,” he said.

“Obviously, Dan will use his Wrestling when on the clinch, it’ll be important to use different weapons to get Shogun tired.”

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