(Earning red wings: It is a messier right of passage for some than for others.)
If the name hadn’t already been used for UFC 125, Resolution would be the perfect title for UFC 154, which promises to finally clear up the traffic jam that has clogged the welterweight division for what has felt like an eternity. Not only will it feature the potential return of Georges St. Pierre, who will in turn battle interim champ Carlos Condit for the bragging rights of a division that has long been missing them, but now it appears that the winner of that bout (ruling out any horrific decisions or immediate rematches) will have his next (or first) challenger already lined up.
(Earning red wings: It is a messier right of passage for some than for others.)
If the name hadn’t already been used for UFC 125, Resolution would be the perfect title for UFC 154, which promises to finally clear up the traffic jam that has clogged the welterweight division for what has felt like an eternity. Not only will it feature the potential return of Georges St. Pierre, who will in turn battle interim champ Carlos Condit for the bragging rights of a division that has long been missing them, but now it appears that the winner of that bout (ruling out any horrific decisions or immediate rematches) will have his next (or first) challenger already lined up.
It is what it is. I feel like I fought the best guys at 170 in our division and I’ve won, but it looks like I have to get through one more person, and that’s just the way it goes. You can either sit here and complain about it or you can sit there and do your best to win it.
Of course you’re disappointed. You get promised a title shot and then something happens and it doesn’t happen. But then again, that’s the nature of this business. There’s always good fights going on, you just have to win each one.
I’m training for a five-round fight because if one of them gets hurt, I got to take my opportunity when I can.
As we previously reported, Kampmann is scheduled to undergo minor surgery to repair a torn meniscus that has been bothering him for some time, but will only be out of action for a month or so. In that article, we also suggested that these matchups would be the most sensible ones given the current situation, so we’d like to thank the UFC blogging intern who helps keep us in line for finally taking our advice.
Well now it seems that the fighting bug is starting to get to Condit, who recently told HDNet’s Inside MMAthat he would be open to the idea of defending his interim title, were GSP’s absence to be prolonged, that is. How you can defend a title that isn’t, you know, an actual title, is beyond us, but regardless of what we think, Condit said that he’d like to face none other than the man responsible for his sole loss in the UFC given the opportunity:
If it turns out Georges can’t fight in November, most likely, I will fight somebody else. I really wanna fight Georges. I really wanna unify the belts, but there’s also some other guys that I would like to fight as well. You know, Martin Kampmann‘s the only guy that I’ve lost to in the UFC, the only guy I’ve lost to in about the last six years, so I would definitely like to avenge that loss.
Few can forget the pair’s initial meeting, which took place back in April of 2009 at Fight Night 18 and saw Kampmann emerge victorious by way of split decision in what was a hell of a three round affair.
And while we agree that it would be nice to see any fight in the welterweight division that has some kind of title implications behind it, it appears that the chances of Condit/Kampmann II going down anytime soon are somehow less likely than that of Condit/GSP. Here’s why.
Well now it seems that the fighting bug is starting to get to Condit, who recently told HDNet’s Inside MMAthat he would be open to the idea of defending his interim title, were GSP’s absence to be prolonged, that is. How you can defend a title that isn’t, you know, an actual title, is beyond us, but regardless of what we think, Condit said that he’d like to face none other than the man responsible for his sole loss in the UFC given the opportunity:
If it turns out Georges can’t fight in November, most likely, I will fight somebody else. I really wanna fight Georges. I really wanna unify the belts, but there’s also some other guys that I would like to fight as well. You know, Martin Kampmann‘s the only guy that I’ve lost to in the UFC, the only guy I’ve lost to in about the last six years, so I would definitely like to avenge that loss.
Few can forget the pair’s initial meeting, which took place back in April of 2009 at Fight Night 18 and saw Kampmann emerge victorious by way of split decision in what was a hell of a three round affair.
And while we agree that it would be nice to see any fight in the welterweight division that has some kind of title implications behind it, it appears that the chances of Condit/Kampmann II going down anytime soon are somehow less likely than that of Condit/GSP. Here’s why.
On the heels of yet another come from behind win over Jake Ellenberger at The Ultimate Fighter 15 Finale, it turns out that Kampmann will be taking some time off of his own, both to be with his family, who are expecting another child in the near future, and to undergo minor surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his knee that has been bothering him for some time. Here’s what he told MMAJunkie Radio:
I wanted to get it done a couple of fights ago, but I kept getting good fight offers. I kept fighting.
I only feel it when I bend it. When I bend my knee sometimes, it will click. It’s just a minor bug. It’s nothing. I could still fight with it, but it’s something that, more than anything, it bugs me in training. It doesn’t bug me when I’m fighting.
As we all know, Hendricks was successful that night, and since White is a man of his word, Hendricks must be in line for the winner of GSP/Condit, right? But just in case he isn’t, here are a couple options that we think could help solve this mess:
1. After Kampmann recovers, he faces Hendricks for *true* number one contender status. Condit faces GSP because we honestly just want to see this match happen before we die.
2. Hendricks faces Condit for the interim title while GSP and Kampmann recover. If the winner comes out in relatively decent shape, they face GSP and Kampmann gets the winner.
3. If GSP’s recovery is somehow delayed even further, he is stripped of the title and we are treated to either Hendricks/Condit or Kampmann/Condit for the welterweight title, with the odd man out taking on GSP in a number one contender bout.
Now, while the last option is definitely the least probable, how great would it be to see St. Pierre fight for the number one contender spot to the title he technically never lost? Not only could it reignite the fire that has been long missing from GSP’s game, but it could make for a great comeback story as well.
But what do you think Potato Nation, who deserves a crack at Condit, if anyone? Or should we just sit on our thumbs until 2014 when this title picture has finally cleared up?
If anything, UFC on Fox 3 is looking like it has the potential to surpass that of its first two cards in terms of excitement. Dana White announced via his Twitter last night that a battle between top welterweight contenders Josh Koscheck and Johny Hendricks has just been booked for the UFC’s third go-around on Fox, which is already set to feature a lightweight clash between Jim Miller and Nate Diaz, as well as a heavyweight sure to be slugfest pitting Pat Barry against Lavar Johnson. Yes, it’s looking like there is little stopping this card *cough* Jon Jones’ commentary *cough* from finally delivering a good lineup to the masses. The first Fox card had the fights, but failed to showcase enough of them, whereas the second card was simply too underwhelming to reel in any new fans, but the addition of Hendricks/Koscheck to this card will surely push it over the top.
Hendricks is coming off a 12 second knockout over former #1 contender Jon Fitch, which snapped a 5-0-1 streak Fitch had put together since dropping a unanimous decision to Georges St. Pierre back at UFC 87. Koscheck, however, is fresh off a controversial split decision victory over Mike Pierce at UFC 143. Despite being outsruck for the majority of three rounds, Koscheck was able to secure the decision by converting on two of his three takedown attempts, because that’s apparently all it takes these days.
If anything, UFC on Fox 3 is looking like it has the potential to surpass that of its first two cards in terms of excitement. Dana White announced via his Twitter last night that a battle between top welterweight contenders Josh Koscheck and Johny Hendricks has just been booked for the UFC’s third go-around on Fox, which is already set to feature a lightweight clash between Jim Miller and Nate Diaz, as well as a heavyweight sure to be slugfest pitting Pat Barry against Lavar Johnson. Yes, it’s looking like there is little stopping this card *cough* Jon Jones’ commentary *cough* from finally delivering a good lineup to the masses. The first Fox card had the fights, but failed to showcase enough of them, whereas the second card was simply too underwhelming to reel in any new fans, but the addition of Hendricks/Koscheck to this card will surely push it over the top.
Hendricks is coming off a 12 second knockout over former #1 contender Jon Fitch, which snapped a 5-0-1 streak Fitch had put together since dropping a unanimous decision to Georges St. Pierre back at UFC 87. Koscheck, however, is fresh off a controversial split decision victory over Mike Pierce at UFC 143. Despite being outsruck for the majority of three rounds, Koscheck was able to secure the decision by converting on two of his three takedown attempts, because that’s apparently all it takes these days.
Depending on the outcome, this matchup poses an interesting conundrum for Joe Silva. If Hendricks wins, you have to believe he’s done enough to warrant a title shot. He may not have a big name at this point in his career, but knocking off two former title challengers in a row would be enough to earn Urijah Faber title shots in the weight classes of his choosing for the rest of his natural born life, and possibly beyond that. If Koscheck wins, on the other hand, there isn’t really much to give him in return, outside of a possible match against interim champ Carlos Condit, who he was originally scheduled to face at UFC 143, while GSP recovers. Kos has fought the current welterweight champ twice to no avail, and suffered a broken orbital bone in his last attempt at UFC 124, so you can’t imagine that many people will be clamoring for yet another unnecessary trilogy to come to fruition.
(I got you now you son of a…wait, where’d you go?)
A great man once said that if you tweet it, they will come. Yes it seems that after days of tireless bitching reasonable pleas, we will in fact be treated to a Carlos Condit/Nick Diaz rematch in the near future. DW broke the news yesterday via his Twitter (go figure):
(I got you now you son of a…wait, where’d you go?)
A great man once said that if you tweet it, they will come. Yes it seems that after days of tireless bitching reasonable pleas, we will in fact be treated to a Carlos Condit/Nick Diaz rematch in the near future. DW broke the news yesterday via his Twitter (go figure):
Perhaps the strangest aspect of this story is that it was Condit, not Diaz, who approached White to request the rematch. After being subjected to heated public outcry in the wake of his unanimous decision win at UFC 143, Condit went against the advice of both his camp and his manager to ensure that the fight was booked. So you can say what you want about Condit’s recent performance, but you have to respect a guy who’s willing to possibly lose yetanotherchance at facing GSP, all for the sake of the fans. That’s three thus far, Shooter.
As of this write up, Diaz has yet to accept the fight, and according to Cesar Gracie, is unsure if he even wants it anymore. Here’s what Gracie had to say on the subject, via his Twitter:
@ufc@danawhite Condit vs Diaz or Gsp will not happen this year. Being interviewed by Ariel Helwanie in 5 minutes. He will break the story.
Less than an hour after tweeting this, Gracie appeared to change his mind, stating that “things are being considered.” Considered? THERE’S NO ROOM FOR THAT KIND OF TALK IN THE 209.
What will be interesting to see is how the UFC markets this rematch, granted Diaz accepts it. Yes, the decision was controversial to many (not to me), and yes, a polarizing figure like Diaz can hype a fight in his sleep, but their first meeting clearly failed to live up to the hype, and are we to believe that Condit will try all that different a strategy the second time around considering his success the first time?
(Video courtesy MMAWeekly)
An interesting tidbit that came out of Dana White’s Q&A session at the UFC Fan Expo in Boston last weekend was the UFC president’s revelation that a superfight between his middleweight champion, Anderson Silva and we…
(Video courtesy MMAWeekly)
An interesting tidbit that came out of Dana White’s Q&A session at the UFC Fan Expo in Boston last weekend was the UFC president’s revelation that a superfight between his middleweight champion, Anderson Silva and welterweight champion, Georges St-Pierre may come to fruition in the next year if both men win their next two fights.
When asked by a young fan why he hasn’t made the fight between the two dominant champions yet, White replied:
"Well, Georges St-Pierre is the coach on this season of The Ultimate Fighter and he’s gotta fight Koscheck. Then Jake Shields is here now, so he’s got a couple guys [to get through] before he clears out the division. We’re gonna redo Chael Sonnen and Anderson Silva. That rematch is gonna happen and Vitor Belfort is still in the mix. So they got a couple guys they gotta beat before we make that fight, but I’m not opposed to making it."
Sounds like they’ve already counted Okami out of his upcoming bout with Belfort. Poor Yushin; always be the bridesmaid, never the bride.
