It was Maia’s third rear naked choke submission victory in his last four fights.
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Former UFC interim welterweight champion Carlos Condit is now contemplating on possible retirement, after 14 years of active mixed martial arts career. But, it looks like welterweight champion Tyron Woodley will be fighting Stephen Thompson next. I like the prop bet Bec Rawlings cards no bet 3.00 which is a push (get your money back), if the fight goes the distance.
“I don’t know if I have any business fighting at this level anymore”, Condit said.
UFC Fight Night Vancouver features the return of Paige VanZant after taking time off for ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, as well as Anthony Pettis’ first fight in the featherweight division.
The tables really seemed to be turning in favour of Oliveira in the third round when he scored a takedown, but Pettis locked onto a guillotine in a scramble that forced the tap from his counterpart.
Jim Miller opened the main card with a split-decision victory over Joe Lauzon in the highly anticipated rematch between the two lightweight combatants following their bloody, gruesome fight from UFC 155 four years ago. You spend much more energy when you grapple. This win also puts Pettis right towards the top of the 145-pound division.
Miller, who defeated Lauzon in 2012, was able to land a devastating series of combinations in the second round, landing 97 total strikes by the end of the fight.
VanZant, who last fought on December 10, was able to land a kick to the head of Rawlings, driving her foe to the ground. Condit tried to get back to his feet, but Maia was on his back and not letting go to get the fight to the canvas.
Nonetheless, Condit is also one of the most celebrated finishers the sport has ever seen, and even at age 32, “The Natural Born Killer” remains one of the toughest outs in the welterweight division. It’s also the kind of thing that could headline a small card or co-main a big one. Lawler vs. Condit 2 is the fight to make. Both fighters were aggressive for all three rounds, but the judges scored Jim Miller as the victor of this back and fourth battle. A courageous statement from a fighter who has always been known as one of the toughest and most fierce competitors in all of MMA. And while Condit hasn’t shut the door on the possibility of another fight, his comments were mostly those of a man feeling defeated and deflated after submitting under two minutes into the match.
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In the opening bout of the night, Surrey’s Jeremy Kennedy made his UFC debut a successful one, outworking fellow Canadian newcomer Alessandro Ricci to earn a unanimous decision win. According to Condit, it was no shock that Maia proved to be the better fighter on the ground, but what was surprising was the fluidity in his execution, how Maia excels in “puts together his passing with his striking”.
