By now no one in the MMA universe is unaware of how three missed flights, two missed press conferences, and one case of fleeing his manager’s house has resulted in welterweight contender Nick Diaz being pulled from his title shot against Georges St. Pierre for UFC 137.
The man to replace him? None other than former WEC Welterweight Champion Carlos ‘The Natural Born Killer’ Condit. At the UFC 137 press conference – one of the two that Diaz had missed – UFC President Dana White announced, “Nick Diaz has lost his opportunity at the welterweight championship. Carlos Condit is taking his place. When we called Condit and offered him this fight, he started crying and had to call us back 15 minutes later.”
For the 27 year old Condit to be emotional at his good fortune is understandable. His 10 year career has proven that he is more than ready for a shot at the UFC title. The former champion is the 6th ranked welterweight according to Sherdog.com, and has amassed an impressive 27-5 record. Of those 27 victories 13 are by way of knockout, 13 by submission, and 1 by decision. In short, Condit finishes fights.
Contrast that with current UFC Welterweight Champion, Georges ‘Rush’ St. Pierre. With an impressive record of 22 wins and only 2 losses, GSP’s win streak has been going for 4 years and he is ranked as one of the top two pound for pound best fighters in the sport.
The devil, however, is in the details. GSP has become known as a strategic fighter who uses his unreal athleticism and fighting skills to neutralize his opponent’s strengths, leaving them frustrated and unable to execute their game-plans. While this strategy has proved effective in defending his title, it has also kept him from finishing his opponents. Of his 22 professional career wins, 9 come by way of decision.
By contrast, Condit has delivered 13 knockouts and 13 submissions, including a Fight of the Night TKO victory over St’ Pierre’s teammate and protégé, Rory McDonald. Additionally, his wins over Dong Hyun Kim and Dan Hardy both earned Knockout of the Night bonuses. Notably, GSP was unable to finish Hardy at their meeting at UFC 111.
Condit is a fighter’s fighter. He accepts no less than victory and will go to the absolute limit to deliver. He is a skilled striker with proven knockout power and has powerful submission skills. Will that be enough to overcome the most athletic fighter to ever reign in the 170 lb division, or will Condit be just one more fighter who fails to solve the GSP puzzle?