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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