Following his controversial decision win against Nick Diaz in the main event of UFC 143, Carlos Condit is now in the prime position to vie for the 170-lb. title held by Georges St-Pierre. However, a rematch and a first defense of his interim belt against the Stockton native would make sense for a number of reasons.
Firstly, St-Pierre could be out of action for nigh on a year and secondly, to silence some of the critics with regards to the outcome of their most recent outing.
Even Dana White publicly stated that he’d be all in favor of a rematch.
“It’s crazy, but…I was thinking about it after the fight,” said White in an interview with MMAJunkie. “People are bitching, and people think that was close…we could do that fight again before GSP comes back.”
Presently, Diaz is out of the picture for the time being as he subsequently announced his retirement from MMA following the decision. However, that could all change if Condit and Co. come calling.
Though, prior to their bout, Condit’s manager Malki Kawa had intimated that he’d consider a defense of the interim title if his charge came out victorious—well, that’s not the case anymore.
The Condit camp wants nothing to do with a rematch and have their sights set on a championship clash with St-Pierre.
“At this point, [a rematch] is not something we’re looking to do,” he said. “We’re looking for Georges. People forget, Carlos waited a long time to get this fight. He was moved around, and shuffled around between fights. He won the fight. It doesn’t interest us at all. I think clearly and decisively, he won the fight. Even [UFC president] Dana [White] scored it for him. All of the opinions that matter scored Carlos as winner,” Kawa said.
Whilst “The Natural Born Killer” may have been the victor, his strategy (hit-and-run game plan) of refusing to fully engage with Diaz, suggests that he must’ve had serious reservations regarding the Cesar Gracie fighter’s striking prowess.
And now that it’s over and he’s been able to gauge what Diaz is all about, he now wants no part of him.
This leads me to the conclusion that Condit and Kawa are afraid of a rematch with the Stockton brawler and would rather wait next to 12 months for a shot at St-Pierre’s crown.
Why else would they refuse a rematch that most of the public are in eager anticipation of?
For additional information, follow Nedu Obi on Twitter.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com