“I felt like I had three rounds in my pocket”, Condit said.
Advertisement
There was no hiding his devastation and disbelief after losing a welterweight title fight against Robbie Lawler via split decision (48-47, 48-47, 47-48) in the main event of UFC 195 Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Lawler retained his title in July with a stunning, fifth-round finish of Canadian Rory MacDonald at UFC 189.
Lawler will face Condit (30-8), the 170-pound divisions former interim champion, in a pay-per-view main event with no strong favorite.
Carlos Condit used body kicks to slow Robbie Lawler and right hands to stun him in the first round of their welterweight championship bout in Las Vegas. He had a great game plan.
“The UFC is going to tell me what to do”, Lawler said.
Saturday’s bout wasn’t at that level, but it will take a monumental fight to knock it off as the best match of 2016. Great fights shouldn’t be marred by suspect decisions, fighters shouldn’t be afraid to go the distance and 10-9 shouldn’t be the score assigned to the vast majority of rounds, especially considering how distinctly different rounds often receive the same score.
“I had it 3 to 2 Condit”, White said. The fight’s cresecendo undoubtedly occured during the final five minutes when Lawler went on the rampage, lighting Condit up with huge punches that left him on unsteady legs and sapped his strength, yet he refused to fall down or give in and made it to the final bell under heavy fire. Lawler, for his part, is already lobbying for a rematch, and UFC president Dana White, while not committing to anything, isn’t about to rule a rematch out, either.
Lawler, who has put together a string of fantastic victories over the last two years, could barely contain himself in his praise of Condit. But there was a buzz, and the buzz grew into cheers, and by that fifth round, everyone was cheering for Condit and Lawler, pushing for them. Their action in the octagon does that for them, and I think that’s why it’s such an incredible matchup.
Miocic, who came into his fight tonight as the number four ranked heavyweight, stormed across the cage after his victory and screamed “give me my shot!” Maybe he’ll be champion soon enough, but turns out the judges and the UFC weren’t ready to let him become a champion just yet. If I got that strap, I was going to keep fighting.
“I’m not trying to defend anything”, Lawler said.
“I’ve definitely grown up quite a bit just as a person but also as an athlete and a fighter”.
Advertisement
Condit needs to think it through thoroughly, but it’s obvious that if he wants to compete again, he’s fully able to do so.
