The month of October was a roller-coaster ride for an unsuspecting passenger in Carlos Condit.
His opportunity to achieve a lifelong goal of being a UFC champion was taken away twice in the same month.
It’s almost like fate has some twisted agenda of toying with Condit’s emotions and throwing them back in his face.
Condit first emerged into the welterweight title picture when former Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz lost his opportunity to challenge Georges St-Pierre, after missing two scheduled pre-fight press conferences for UFC 137.
With Diaz out of the championship bout, UFC President Dana White appointed Condit, who was coming off impressive performances over tough opposition, as the new No. 1 contender for the UFC title.
“Um, I was blown away [that I got the shot], I got pretty emotional. I started to tear up, which was pretty awesome because I was in public. I had to try to compose myself thinking of all the hard work that got me to this point,” Condit reminisced in an exclusive interview with Buddhasport.
Unfortunately, the excitement didn’t last long. An injury sustained in training forced St-Pierre to withdraw from the card a couple of weeks leading up to the fight.
While this was devastating news to Condit, Diaz’s camp saw a golden opportunity to leap frog back into the contender’s seat. After being yanked from the main event, Diaz would still be competing on the UFC 137 fight card, but instead of St-Pierre, he would face another MMA legend in B.J. Penn.
With St-Pierre out and the main event scrapped, the Diaz-Penn bout was bumped from co-main event to headliner of the entire fight card.
If Diaz impressed in his performance against a fighter of Penn’s caliber, he could present a strong case to bypass Condit and get a crack at the world title.
Still, White pretty much assured the MMA world that Condit would still be the top contender regardless of the outcome of the Diaz and Penn bout.
“Condit’s in,” White told MMAJunkie. “Condit is sitting and waiting.”
It’s amazing how quickly things can turn around in the sport.
Diaz impressed in his performance against Penn, picking the legendary fighter apart in the second and third rounds en route to a unanimous decision victory.
Even though Diaz put on a tremendous performance, it was his words after the fight that put the final nail in the coffin of Condit’s world title aspirations.
“Where you at Georges? Where you at mother (expletive)?” yelled Diaz. “I don’t think Georges is hurt, I think he’s scared. I think he’s scared to fight everybody right now.”
The entire MMA world looked on as St-Pierre fumed at Diaz’s taunts and accusations. Condit was quickly slipping from the title picture, and in a matter of seconds, the world was now consumed with the infatuation of a potential grudge match between St-Pierre and Diaz.
In other words, Diaz proposed a fight that both the UFC and fans couldn’t resist.
“Nick needs motivation. He’s got it. He’s going to fight Georges St-Pierre,” White said at the UFC 137 post-fight press conference.
“Carlos Condit has agreed to step aside and get the next guy. [St-Pierre] said, I quote, ‘[Diaz] is the most disrespectful human being I’ve ever met, and I’m going to put the worst beating you’ve ever seen on him in the UFC.'”
While the world rejoiced at the announcement of a St-Pierre and Diaz superfight, Condit sat quietly in disbelief.
Who steps aside and turns down an opportunity to fight for the UFC title?
Not Carlos Condit, according to his manager Malki Kawa.
“Contrary to what has been stated, Carlos did not step aside to allow this to happen, and would not just hand over an opportunity for him to achieve his greatest career goal, one that he has earned through strong performances in the Octagon. No option was given to him,” Kawa said in a statement issued to Inside MMA.
On the outside, it’s easy to point fingers at White for going back on his word and giving Diaz the title shot. The UFC is a business, and its job is to put on the fights fans want to see.
The interesting fact is that the vast majority of fans pointing fingers want to see St-Pierre face Diaz over Condit.
This is a tough break for Condit, who is well-worthy of a UFC title shot. In such an unpredictable sport, these kind of opportunities are lucky to be seen once in a lifetime.
Still, there is no right or wrong in this situation. Condit was promised a shot at the title, and he has every right to be upset. The UFC’s motto is putting on the big fights fans want to see, and it’s hard to argue against the blockbuster possibilities of a St-Pierre and Diaz showdown.
As for Condit, he can take positives away from this unfortunate situation. This will give him even more time to polish his skills and take his fight game to another level.
It isn’t the belt that makes the legend. Some fighters have held the coveted UFC title in their days, and only a few fans can recall their careers. It’s all about the matchups, which Condit should have no problem finding in the incredibly-stacked welterweight division.
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