Nate Diaz: As ferocious as he looked against Donald Cerrone, part of me thinks that Nate is going to get rudely decisioned as soon as he goes back to facing wrestlers; guys like Clay Guida, Joe Stevenson, and Gray Maynard have already proved that putting Diaz on his back is his kryptonite. But I don’t want to see that happen, at least not right away. Next month’s UFC 144 event provides two compelling options for Nate’s next opponent — either the winner of the Anthony Pettis vs. Joe Lauzon scrap, or Ben Henderson if he loses his title challenge to Frankie Edgar. Either matchup would give Diaz an ideal dance partner for another guaranteed Fight of the Night.
Donald Cerrone: Not to steal the thunder from Diaz’s masterful performance, but Cerrone looked like shit on Friday. Sorry, it needed to be said. The highly technical fight-finisher that we’ve come to know and love was M.I.A., replaced by an outgunned cowpoke who was as sloppy as he was tentative. Cerrone needs a rebound fight to find his mojo again. Setting him up against fast-rising Ultimate Fighter 13 winner Tony Ferguson would be a great test for both fighters. Either Cowboy gets back on track against a solid opponent, or Ferguson continues to prove that he’s more than just a TUF-guy.
(Come on, Fitch wasn’t out. He was just resting his arms.)
Nate Diaz: As ferocious as he looked against Donald Cerrone, part of me thinks that Nate is going to get rudely decisioned as soon as he goes back to facing wrestlers; guys like Clay Guida, Joe Stevenson, and Gray Maynard have already proved that putting Diaz on his back is his kryptonite. But I don’t want to see that happen, at least not right away. Next month’s UFC 144 event provides two compelling options for Nate’s next opponent — either the winner of the Anthony Pettis vs. Joe Lauzon scrap, or Ben Henderson if he loses his title challenge to Frankie Edgar. Either matchup would give Diaz an ideal dance partner for another guaranteed Fight of the Night.
Donald Cerrone: Not to steal the thunder from Diaz’s masterful performance, but Cerrone looked like shit on Friday. Sorry, it needed to be said. The highly technical fight-finisher that we’ve come to know and love was M.I.A., replaced by an outgunned cowpoke who was as sloppy as he was tentative. Cerrone needs a rebound fight to find his mojo again. Setting him up against fast-rising Ultimate Fighter 13 winner Tony Ferguson would be a great test for both fighters. Either Cowboy gets back on track against a solid opponent, or Ferguson continues to prove that he’s more than just a TUF-guy.
Johny Hendricks: Beating someone as high on the welterweight totem pole as Jon Fitch should put Hendricks “in the mix” and then some. But like Nate Diaz, he should have to win one more before it’s title-shot time. Give him the loser of Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit at UFC 143 and make him earn it the hard way.
Jimy Hettes: In one performance, Hettes went from regional phenom to early front-runner for Breakout Fighter of 2012. Now carrying the scalps of two TUF 12 cast-members (Alex Caceres and Nam Phan), it’s time to give the 24-year-old a step up against a veteran. If the UFC decides to keep around the struggling Tyson Griffin, he could be a perfect gauge of Jimy’s development — though I have a feeling that Hettes would stroll through him, too.
Dong Hyun Kim: Maybe getting steamrolled by Carlos Condit was the best thing that could have happened to him. The Stun Gun we saw on Friday — who broke the record for number of crane-kicks landed in a three-round fight — looked like a brand-new man, just as comfortable on his feet as he has been on the mat. More than ever, he’s still a force in the 170-pound division. Since Rory MacDonald is busy through the spring, I’d set Kim up against Brian Ebersole, who’s 3-0 in his current UFC campaign.
Jacob Volkmann: Volkmann should take his ideas and political passion and run for local office in Minnesota. That way, we wouldn’t have to see him fight or hear him speak ever again. “Glassectomy“? Ugh. Leave the comedy to the professionals, buddy.
UFC 141‘s best moments, boiled down to 12 animated gifs. Check out the rest after the jump. Special thanks to IronForgesIron, Chas, and Unfilter on the UG.
UFC 141‘s best moments, boiled down to 12 animated gifs. Check out the rest after the jump. Special thanks to IronForgesIron, Chas, and Unfilter on the UG.
Georges St. Pierre is one of the top fighters in MMA—and is certainly one of the most popular. His overall clean look, his fighting abilities and his dedication to his craft are all components that have created a machine in the Welterweight divis…
Georges St. Pierre is one of the top fighters in MMA—and is certainly one of the most popular. His overall clean look, his fighting abilities and his dedication to his craft are all components that have created a machine in the Welterweight division of the UFC.
He has been the reigning champion at 170lbs for over three years. Those three years have brought upon some of the toughest fighters in the division, and in all of MMA. His last test of 2011 will be at UFC 137, against Carlos Condit.
Carlos Condit has been waiting patiently for his time to shine, and has done the work in order to deserve such a shot. He is the replacement for Nick Diaz, but many feel he was naturally the one next in line if the Strikeforce Champ hadn’t come over.
Carlos is a fighter that has the tools it takes to beat anyone on any given night. A very well-rounded fighter, he is a challenge for anyone at any point during an MMA match. He is currently 27-5 in his career, winning 12 of his last 13 fights. He is riding on a four-fight winning streak, and now has earned his shot at the title.
Condit’s striking is great enough to stand up to anyone. GSP has been working on his striking, which he made apparent in his bout with Josh Koscheck. Condit’s hands contain power, and his speed makes them a force to be reckoned with. In his last fight, Condit knocked out the previously undefeated Dong Hyun Kim, with a flying knee followed by a flurry of punches.
Not only did he defeat the undefeated Korean, he is the only man to serve an exciting knockout to Dan Hardy, who proved his chin once again in his fight with Chris Lytle.
If one thing can be said about Condit, it is that he is a finisher. With 32 total career fights, only three have ended in decision. His submission wins and his TKO/KO wins are dead even, and makes yet another great argument of why he may have one of the best chances at GSP’s belt.
It is no secret that Georges St. Pierre’s strength is his wrestling. In fact, his criticism is mainly attributed to his wrestling. GSP wants and desperately needs a finish. Condit possesses the jiu-jitsu skills to fare well against the Canadian superstar. GSP has a great submission game, but Condit’s has been more successful and more applied.
Carlos Condit is also a fighter with a lot of heart. He is no stranger to the Championship spotlight, as his days in the WEC served him well. Always ready to take on any champion, he still understands this opportunity that has been placed in front of him.
He was originally slated to face BJ Penn in hopes that a victory would possibly put him in the title-shot position. But, in a moment, he was grandly rewarded. Dana White, during the press conference where they announced the switch, saidCondit “started crying and had to call me back 15 minutes later.”
Condit is fully prepared for his fight, and has the tools to dismantle GSP’s wrecking machine. He became a father last year, and is most certainly looking to support his family, and what better way to do that than bring home the UFC gold.
Stylistically, the two fighters match up very well. A fighter who can just as easily knock you out standing as submit you on the ground is a recipe for a difficult challenge for GSP. The fans and critics want a finish from this fight, and it may very well be finally delivered. It just might be from a “Natural Born Killer” instead.
Filed under: UFC, NewsDong Hyun Kim will try to rebound from the first loss of his career, but he’ll have to do it against a fighter also looking for a little redemption.
Kim will face Sean Pierson in a welterweight bout at UFC 141, the promotion’s ye…
Dong Hyun Kim will try to rebound from the first loss of his career, but he’ll have to do it against a fighter also looking for a little redemption.
Kim will face Sean Pierson in a welterweight bout at UFC 141, the promotion’s year-ending pay-per-view at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The UFC announced the fight Monday.
UFC 141 will be headlined by the promotional debut of former Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem, who will be immediately tested by the return of former UFC heavyweight champ Brock Lesnar.
Kim (14-1-1, 1 NC, 5-1, 1 NC UFC) was drilled by a Carlos Condit flying knee at UFC 132 in July, then finished with punches on the ground for the first loss of his career – technically. At UFC 94, Kim lost a split decision to Karo Parisyan, but that loss was overturned to a no contest when Parisyan’s drug test came back positive for banned substances.
Prior to his loss to Condit, who went on to get a top contenders fight with BJ Penn that turned into a title fight against Georges St-Pierre at the end of this month after UFC president Dana White pulled Nick Diaz from the fight, Kim had won three straight with decision wins over TJ Grant, Amir Sadollah and Nate Diaz.
Pierson (11-5, 1-1 UFC) was riding a six-fight winning streak going into a bout with Jake Ellenberger at UFC 129 in Toronto. But the Toronto native was stopped just over halfway through the first round by Ellenberger, who went on to fight with Jake Shields last month that he won with a devastating 53-second TKO.
UFC 141 will be Pierson’s first fight on American soil since the third fight of his career – more than 11 years ago. The other 15 fights in his pro career have come in his native Canada.
Aside from the heavyweight contenders bout between Overeem and Lesnar, UFC 141 is also expected to include a light heavyweight bout between Alexander Gustafsson and Vladimir Matyushenko and a welterweight bout between Jon Fitch and Johny Hendricks.
UFC 132: Faber vs. Cruz this past Saturday night was the culmination of back to back events put on by the UFC or Strikeforce over the last six weeks and what a finale it was to a great series of fights.There wasn’t a boring fight on the main card …
UFC 132: Faber vs. Cruz this past Saturday night was the culmination of back to back events put on by the UFC or Strikeforce over the last six weeks and what a finale it was to a great series of fights.
There wasn’t a boring fight on the main card as every fighter came to put on a show. Three out of the five fights ended in finishes.
Despite Dominick Cruz winning a decision over Urijah Faber in a fight for the bantamweight title, it was a back and forth affair that deservedly earned fight of the night honors.
Out of the three finishes that saw Tito Ortiz fend off retirement with a first round guillotine choke of Ryan Bader, Chris Leben knock Pride legend Wanderlei Silva in to what will probably be retirement, the only finish that launched a fighter into title shot territory was Carlos Condit’s flying knee knockout of previously undefeated welterweight Dong Hyun Kim.
Condit, the former WEC welterweight champion before the division was collapsed into the UFC has been fighting to prove his worth in a division that has some of the best fighters in the world including the current welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre.
Condit’s rise in the UFC welterweight division had a slow start.
At the time of his UFC debut, a split decision loss to Martin Kampmann and split decision victory over Jake Ellenberger was nothing to write home about and certainly not the performances one would expect from a champion.
However, hindsight tells us that Condit’s win over Ellenberger was maybe worth than what people originally thought. Since the loss, Ellenberger has won four straight and finished three fights in decisive fashion, he is regarded as one of the UFC’s rising stars at 170 pounds and this speaks volumes about how good Condit really is.
After the Ellenberger fight, Condit really launched himself forward in the division with three stellar performances.
Against another rising star in Canadian Rory MacDonald, Condit was beaten decisively through out the fight. In the dying seconds of the third round he miraculously stole the fight from MacDonald via technical knock out.
Next up was former number one contender, Dan Hardy. A first round knockout using a left hook, something Hardy is known for, is what Condit served up for the Brit.
Geoges St-Pierre defended his title against Hardy, but took all five rounds and the judges’ decision to do it.
Finally came last night’s fight against Kim. With a mixed martial arts record of 14-0 and one no contest, along with black belts in Judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Kim was highly regarded as an up and comer until meeting Condit last night.
Kim known for utilizing his superior grappling to grind his opponents out utilized the same game plan from the get go against Condit last night. Unfortunately for Kim, Condit was able to get up from the bottom and for the third time in a row Condit finished an opponent in spectacular fashion, this time with a flying knee that buckled Kim followed up by vicious ground and pound forcing the referee to step in.
Even before last night’s victory Condit was in the title mix, but the spectacular finish over Kim really places Condit in the forefront of the welterweight division.
Condit was vocal in asking for his title shot shortly after his arm was raised.
“How about it Joe, Joe Silva, am I ready for a title shot or what?” Those were the words Condit had for UFC matchmaker Joe Silva during the post fight interview with Joe Rogan.
Obviously Condit looks ready for a title shot, but the question is when and how long will he have to wait?
Nick Diaz relinquished his Strikeforce welterweight belt in order to fight Georges St-Pierre for the UFC title and that will only be happening on Halloween weekend at UFC 137.
This would mean that Condit will most likely have to wait until March 2012 for his chance at the title which is a long wait for any fighter especially for Condit who was already inactive since October of last year due to injury.
Condit is now faced with a decision that two fighters in different deivision had to face recently and that is whether he should wait for his title shot or take another fight in between.
Rashad Evans chose to wait for Mauricio Rua to heal up from knee surgery for his title shot and just weeks before his shot was supposed to come he too suffered a knee injury that forced him out of the fight.
Evans pulling out resulted in his teammate Jon Jones getting the shot and taking the title from Rua. From there bad blood boiled and Evans left his camp to get away from Jones and prepare for a fight with his former teammate.
Jones pulled out of the fight with Evans due to a hand injury and finally Evans had to take a dangerous fight against light heavyweight up and comer Phil Davis.
The funniest thing to come out of this mess was that Evans’ last fight and win which came in May 2010 was over Quinton Jackson who oddly enough is slated to fight for the title against Jones at UFC 135 this September.
On the other hand, former WEC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis was slated to face off against the winner between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard to unify the titles. Unfortunately Edgar and Maynard fought to a draw and were scheduled for a rematch until both fighters suffered injuries delaying the rematch.
Pettis chose to fight as oppose to wait and much to his dismay he lost his fight against Clay Guida which was supposed to hold him over until the title shot against Mayanard or Edgar.
As one can see, Condit’s decision is a tough one because both guys who were in a situation similar to his made the opposite choices and both guys were burned by their decisions.
Later on at the post fight press conference Condit spoke a bit to the fact that his shot might not be for a while due to the timing.
“Yeah, that’s you know a bit of a dilemma I do want to fight again in 2011 and I know that the time frame may not work out for me to get the next [title] shot. So I want to fight again before the end of the year, so I don’t know.” Condit told the press.
Condit seems torn between waiting for the title shot and wanting to stay active, but it appears as if he is leaning more towards staying active.
If the welterweight does decide to stay active there is really only one fight that makes sense, Jon Fitch.
The problem with the Fitch fight is that Fitch and BJ Penn are supposed to have a rematch following their majority draw at UFC 127 this past February.
Unfortunately both fighters suffered injuries and were forced to withdraw their rematch which was supposed to happen last night at UFC 132.
Of course both Penn and Fitch still want a rematch in the hopes that it gives them their shot at welterweight gold. However, if the UFC brass is saying Condit is the next guy in line, Fitch might have second thoughts about fighting Penn again if it means that a win over Condit will give him that shot.
Fitch, 13-1-1 in the UFC, with the lone loss being a title fight against St-Pierre, questions and is quite vocal about why he hasn’t received another shot after going 5-0-1 since the loss. The main reason is the fact that he has a grinding style that wears opponents out and wins fights, but never results in a finish.
Fitch has said that he would be ready to fight in San Jose for UFC 138, this would work out perfectly for Condit or Fitch as St-Pierre and Diaz fight just a few weeks before.
Fitch would be the best matchup for Condit in the sense that it would prepare him well for St-Pierre or Diaz. Fitch is a well rounded fighter who has the skill-set to beat the best in the division, something Condit needs to be able to do should he want to topple St-Pierre or Diaz.
Fitch’s style is particularly similar to current champion St-Pierre’s and if Condit can beat Fitch it says a lot about the kind of fight he would be able to bring against St-Pierre should St-Pierre beat Diaz in October.
Condit showed in the Kim fight that despite not being the best wrestler, he is active enough to search for submissions, escapes and reversals while he is on his back and he is skilled enough to get them against experienced grapplers, something that is of utmost importance against guys like St-Pierre or Diaz.
Spectacular knockouts over guys like Dan Hardy, Dong Hyun Kim and Rory MacDonald show that he knows what he is doing in the stand up and any fighter that can fight no matter where the fight goes is the kind of fight the welterweight champion needs whether it be St-Pierre or Diaz.
Leon Horne has been contributing to Bleacher Report for three years now. He focuses mainly on mixed martial arts, but he has also written about tennis, football and hockey. Just send him a message if you want to talk sports or discuss any opportunities. You can follow him on Twitter for updates: https://twitter.com/Leon_Horne
Out of 27 career victories, 27-year-old Carlos Condit has finished 26 of them. Only one of his 27 victories did he go to a decision.I do not think there is anyone out there with that kind aggression and killer instinct to show for on their record.For m…
Out of 27 career victories, 27-year-old Carlos Condit has finished 26 of them. Only one of his 27 victories did he go to a decision.
I do not think there is anyone out there with that kind aggression and killer instinct to show for on their record.
For my money, Carlos Condit is the most dangerous fighter in the welterweight division.
That finishing ability was on full display as Condit knocked out the previously undefeated Dong Hyun Kim in the first round at UFC 132.
That marks two first-round knockouts in a row for Condit, where he is the only man to have ever KO’d his opponent.
Then, stop to consider that he has just as many wins by submission as he does by knockout.
Since joining the UFC and dropping a controversial split-decision to standout Martin Kampmann, Condit appears to just be getting better and better with each outing.
It is at the point now where it is more difficult making an argument as to why he shouldn’t be getting a title shot.
Yet despite his refinement and caliber, Condit proved against Dong Hyun Kim that he is very much still “The Natural Born Killer.”
If Kim and Hardy cannot last a round in the cage with Condit, then who is going to get in his way?
The only fighters left for Condit to fight are the durable and elite welterweight stalwarts that are notoriously hard to finish, and I bet Condit is just chomping at the bit.
Georges St. Pierre is one of the top fighters in 
Dong Hyun Kim will try to rebound from the first loss of his career, but he’ll have to do it against a fighter also looking for a little redemption.