After the great UFC 187 main card, the UFC makes its way to Brazil for UFC Fight Night 67. The leader in mixed martial arts will bring a great welterweight main event to your TV screens this coming weekend.
No. 4-ranked contender Carlos Condit returns …
After the great UFC 187 main card, the UFC makes its way to Brazil for UFC Fight Night 67. The leader in mixed martial arts will bring a great welterweight main event to your TV screens this coming weekend.
No. 4-ranked contender Carlos Condit returns to action against No. 12-ranked Thiago Alves.
Condit has lost three of his last four fights, but two of those losses came against Georges St. Pierre and Johny Hendricks. He returns after suffering a torn ACL and meniscus in his last fight against Tyron Woodley. Saturday will mark the first time he steps in the cage in over a year.
Alves has suffered a string of injuries of his own. The Brazilian was on the shelf from March 2012 to April 2014. Alves has won back-to-back fights over Seth Baczynski and Jordan Mein. The former title challenger wants to break into the top 10, and a win over Condit would do just that.
Who holds the advantages in Saturday’s main event?
There is a quiet intensity that pulses through Carlos Condit. One that simmers just below the surface, yet is ever present and readily available when it becomes necessary to tap into. This attribute is the catalyst for his killer instinct inside t…
There is a quiet intensity that pulses through Carlos Condit. One that simmers just below the surface, yet is ever present and readily available when it becomes necessary to tap into. This attribute is the catalyst for his killer instinct inside the cage, and it is his ability to settle his opposition in brutal fashion which has made him a fan favorite over the past decade.
Nevertheless, having spent the past year on the sidelines as he’s rehabilitated a knee injury suffered in his last fight, shaping and corralling that intensity has brought his focus to new levels. The former interim welterweight champion refused to allow his physical situation to eat away at him from the inside, and instead immersed himself in the challenges of his recovery. Where getting back to fighting form may be enough for some fighters, Condit is cut from a different mold.
The Albuquerque native is a firm subscriber to the notion of progression through sacrifice, and he’ll push himself in both the physical and mental realms to ensure the results are produced.
“Recovery has been a tedious process but I always had something to challenge myself with,” Condit said in an exclusive interview. “Luckily I had a physical therapist who really put me through it, and not only helped me get my leg strong, but kept the rest of my body strong as well so I wasn’t coming into my training camp out of shape. It was certainly enough of a challenge to keep me satisfied.
“I kind of feel like I have been in camp this entire time,” he added. “While I was initially training to get back, when the fight was announced it was just shifting into another phase of what I was already doing. Once the fight was announced then it went to watching tape on a particular fighter and working on particular things, but I’ve been training pretty intensely for months and months on end.”
The former WEC welterweight champion has worked relentlessly to make sure he will return to the Octagon in peak form because relentless is the only way “The Natural Born Killer” knows how to operate. And with his long awaited return against ThiagoAlves at Fight Night 67 rapidly approaching, the time will soon come for Condit to unleash.
More than 14 months will have passed by when the cage door shuts behind him on May 30 in Goiania, Brazil, and he’s eager to jump back into the fray full tilt to face an opponent who much like himself, has built a storied reputation for bringing highlight-reel-worthy violence on fight night. The American Top Team representative is a former title challenger to the welterweight crown and has remained a divisional staple for the better part of the past decade.
Furthermore, Alves always shows up to throw down and that’s precisely what Condit loves about the matchup. He knows Pitbull will be trying to put him away from the opening bell, and the 31-year-old Jackson/Winkeljohn product couldn’t be happier with those circumstances. Condit believes he’s at his best when the stakes are at their highest and sees his main event tilt with Alves as the perfect scenario to put on an exciting performance for action-hungry fight fans.
“My intensity is right on point,” Condit said. “I’ve had all that intensity bottled up for over a year and I’m ready to get in there and unleash it. This is the perfect opponent to do that with because he’s coming at me. When the bell rings it’s going to be do or die. Either he’s going down or I am. That’s the way I like it. The more dangerous my opponent is the better I fight.
“When I have that sinking feeling in my stomach before a fight and I have that dread that I’m going to step in there with a savage who is coming in there to hurt me…I have my best fights. I’m at my best under those circumstances. This is going to be a great fight. I’ve admired his fighting style for a long time. I want to be in fights the fans want to see and this isn’t going to be something the fans want to miss.”
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
The Natural Born Killer is back.
After more than a year out of action, Carlos Condit returns to the UFC Octagon on May 30 to face former welterweight title contender Thiago “The Pitbull” Alves in the main event of UFC Fight Night 67 in Goiania, B…
The Natural Born Killer is back.
After more than a year out of action, Carlos Condit returns to the UFC Octagon on May 30 to face former welterweight title contender Thiago “The Pitbull” Alves in the main event of UFC Fight Night 67 in Goiania, Brazil, according to a report from MMAFighting.com’s Guilherme Cruz.
Condit‘s lengthy stint away from the cage was no optional vacation.
The Greg Jackson-trained UFC welterweight needed surgery after blowing out his knee in a fight against TyronWoodley at UFC 171, and he has been gearing up for his return ever since.
Prior to the fight with Woodley, Condit defeated Martin Kampmann via TKO and looked to be back on track toward the 170-pound title.
Now, he’ll need to build up his title worthiness once more in a headlining bout against Alves in the Pitbull‘s home country of Brazil.
Like Condit, Alves recently spent a considerable amount of time out of action, needing almost two years to heal from multiple injuries. From March 2012 to April 2014, Alves rested and recovered, eventually making his return against Seth Baczynski at UFC on Fox 11.
He won that fight via unanimous decision then followed that victory with another against Jordan Mein at UFC 183, where he scored a vicious body-kick knockout.
Condit, however, is a considerable step up in competition from Baczynski and Mein.
The Natural Born Killer, like Alves, challenged for former welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre’s strap, falling via unanimous decision.
From March 2007 to August 2008, Condit held the WEC welterweight title, a distinction he defended three times before migrating to the UFC.
He and Alves own some of the most technical and powerful stand-up in the welterweight division, so as long as Condit‘s knee is 100 percent ready for action, expect this to be a serious Fight of the Night contender.
Stay tuned to Bleacher Report as this card continues to take shape.
One of the best welterweights to call the UFC home is chomping at the bit to get back in the cage, and we’re not talking about a certain Canadian.
Former welterweight title challenger Carlos “The Natural Born Killer” Condit took in the action last Satu…
One of the best welterweights to call the UFC home is chomping at the bit to get back in the cage, and we’re not talking about a certain Canadian.
Former welterweight title challenger Carlos “The Natural Born Killer” Condit took in the action last Saturday night at UFC 183. Condit, who has been on the shelf for nine months nursing torn ligaments in his right knee, revealed to reporters in a post-show scrum what kind of timetable has been placed on his return, per SB Nation’s Anton Tabuena.
“I don’t have a fight booked, but I already have a target date. I want to get into the card in May here in Vegas. I don’t think the headliner has been announced, but that’s my timeline,” said Condit.
The 30-year-old suffered tears of the ACL and MCL in his right knee against former Strikeforce star Tyron “The Chosen One” Woodley in March at UFC 171. The Natural Born Killer has gone 1-3 in his last four fights, all losses coming against top competition, including his second-round TKO loss to The Chosen One.
This wouldn’t be Condit‘s first brush with injury. He did pull out of bouts against Paul Daley and Chris Lytle earlier in his Octagon career.
However, neither of those injuries was as serious as the one suffered against Woodley, which is why Condit focused on the matter at hand during recovery.
“If I looked at the mountain I had to climb, it was overwhelming. Just focusing on the day-to-day things is what I really had to keep my mind on,” said Condit.
Since his injury, the Jackson-Winkeljohn fighter hasn’t seen his stock in the 170-pound ladder plummet, but he has seen the championship he covets change hands once already.
“It’s exciting. I think that the belt might change hands quite a bit in a year or so,” said Condit.
Condit doesn’t have a particular matchup in mind for his return fight, though he did mention a rematch with Woodley and a particular Canadian.
“Rory [MacDonald] looks really good. His last few fights have been pretty much flawless,” remarked Condit. “He’s super polished. His strategy and poise have improved.”
The co-main event of UFC 183 on Saturday night saw two top fighters square off, as Tyron Woodley looked to stop streaking prospect Kelvin Gastelum. It was considered a contender’s bout in the welterweight division, but it was changed to a catchweight b…
The co-main event of UFC 183 on Saturday night saw two top fighters square off, as TyronWoodley looked to stop streaking prospect Kelvin Gastelum. It was considered a contender’s bout in the welterweight division, but it was changed to a catchweight bout of 180 pounds when Gastelum came in heavy.
The fight was closely contested, as Gastelum continued to show improvement despite his poor weight cut and probably not being 100 percent.
However, that would not be enough, as Woodley eked out a split decision, earning another big win on his resume.
So, where does Woodley go from here? Let’s look at three guys he could fight next.
Rick Story
Woodley has proved that his wrestling is great and his striking is powerful. However, how would he fare against a wrestler who is more technical on the feet and can wrestle with him?
Enter Rick Story.
Right now, Story is streaking like a drunk fan at a soccer game. This is most evident in his derailment of Gunnar Nelson, a fighter who was on the fast track to the top.
Story also had a recent fight against Woodley‘s most recent adversary, Gastelum. Though Story lost, it was a close bout that could have gone either way.
His move to the MMA Lab has brought him back to attention at 170 pounds. A bout with Woodley would show if he is continuing to improve or cannot shake the gatekeeper status.
Carlos Condit
Woodley already owns a win over Carlos Condit. However, that fight was marred by a knee injury that Condit suffered, and he hasn’t fought since.
The best part of this matchup is that it would give closure to their first encounter, where Woodley dominated early before it looked as if his pace was slowing. Condit‘s injury left a lot of question marks, and a rematch could serve as a serviceable main event on Fox Sports or Fight Pass.
Condit is extremely difficult to fight on the ground because of his aggressive style off his back. He is also a superior technician on the feet, which would continue to test Woodley upright.
This is a fight I want to see.
TarecSaffiedine
Former Strikeforce title challenger versus the final Strikeforce champion. I like the sound of that.
When we look back in history, Woodley fought for the vacant Strikeforce title in a losing effort to Nate Marquardt. Then, Marquardt lost the title to TarecSaffiedine.
Both men have improved greatly since those fights.
Saffiedine is tough to take down and has stinging leg kicks in his arsenal. Those kicks could soften up Woodley‘s legs and affect his takedowns.
Oh yeah, and it’s a rematch from a time when Saffiedine had yet to reach the peak in his career. It’s a chance for both fighters to show improvement and for Woodley to knock off another Top 10 fighter.
Kelvin Gastelum’s storybook ride from last pick of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen to top-10 welterweight became a stark reality on December 15. The TUF 17 winner submitted Jake Ellenberger at the end of their first round co-main …
Kelvin Gastelum‘s storybook ride from last pick of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen to top-10 welterweight became a stark reality on December 15. The TUF 17 winner submitted Jake Ellenberger at the end of their first round co-main event spot at UFC 180.
The No. 11 ranked Gastelum took on the seventh-ranked UFC welterweight in a fight that was set to prove one of two things. Either Gastelum was going to solidify himself as a top-10 welterweight contender, or Ellenberger was going to silence critics and put the breaks on the rising prospect. What happened was nothing short of astonishing. The 23-year-old Gastelumfinished The Juggernaut with a rear-naked choke in the closing seconds of the first frame, after a takedown and subsequent scramble.
Gastelum, a winner of four straight, was in trouble late, but brilliantly reversed the position and quickly took the back of the reeling Ellenberger. The Mexican fighter put on a great display of jiu-jitsu, but that wasn’t the only highlight. After it appeared that Ellenberger was getting the best of him striking-wise, Gastelum landed a critical takedown and was able to land a few powerful shots.
With the win over Ellenberger, Gastelum enters the top-10 of the 170-pound division and will require another elite test. Here are five potential opponents for the rising welterweight. For the purposes of this list, bouts were ranked based on their likelihood of occurring.
There is a quiet intensity that pulses through