UFC welterweight Carlos Condit isn’t sure what’s next for him. The top-ranked fighter said after his most recent loss to Johny Hendricks at UFC 158 in March he really wanted to work on his wrestling before facing another contender in the division.
If Condit’s manager, Malki Kawa, has any say of his fighter’s future, Condit could be headed for a rematch with Nick Diaz.
“He wants to work on his wrestling right now and get better at that,” Malki said of his client Condit on Monday’s The MMA Hour. “So that’s what he’s doing right now.”
While skill development is important, Kawa wants Condit to be positioned in the fights with the biggest stages and the biggest names. “I’m hoping to get him some big fights, is really what it is. I want to get him in some of the biggest fights that are out there,” he said.
Kawa didn’t tip his hand about precisely want Condit wants after his intense focus on wrestling has come to a close. He also admitted the UFC has floated ‘a couple of options. As what he the MMA manger desires, there’s one fighter on his mind.
“I can tell you one I’d like to see again is him and Nick Diaz one more time,” Kawa said. “I just think that might be enough to get Nick to come out of retirement, who knows?”
Condit faced Diaz at UFC 143 in February of 2012 and defeated the Cesar Gracie-black belt via unanimous decision, albeit with some controversy about scoring. The win earned Condit the interim welterweight title and his eventual title shot with Georges St-Pierre.
Yet, Kawa isn’t lobbying too hard for one fight or the other even if the Diaz option is his top choice. “There’s always that Martin Kampmann fight where he lost that one time, so he can get that ‘W’ back.There’s a couple fights out there that he still has.
“170 is starting to get interesting again,” he said.