If I got that strap I was going to keep fighting. There were two winners tonight, and still. “Let’s do it again”. Every night’s a different night and anything could happen.
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Both men promised a war, but after Lawler’s last fight, it was always going to be hard to match.
Condit has an analytical mind and doesn’t necessarily do or say things without a goal. He’s a technical fighter. The champ did land some big punches, but they were few and far between.
UFC 195 was expected to be headlined by Ronda Rouseys title defense against Holly Holm, while Lawler and Condit were scheduled to meet at UFC 193 in Australia in November.
Then came Round 5, which played out as the rock-’em-sock-’em stuff of legend.
The UFC has another loaded schedule planned for 2016, and during that time, hundreds of fighters will enter and exit the octagon.
“Come on, give me shot”.
If Condit indeed opts to retire, he will go out as close to on top as any fighter could possibly be without holding a championship.
“Hats off to a champion, Carlos Condit”, said Lawler. He ended up throwing 117 signficant strikes in the round, landing 62.
“I’m proud of the way I fought”, Condit said. “But I never rely in that”.
Regardless of whether Condit should or shouldn’t have won the fight, Lawler proved why he’s a UFC champion when he went through a hellacious five-round battle and provided the world with another historic title fight. 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. Many felt that Kyle Noke had done enough to earn the nod over Alex Morono in a welterweight prelim bout, but Morono was awarded a split-decision victory.
“You don’t want to have to showcase your warrior spirit or how much heart you have in a fight”.
Although he realizes the daunting nature of the challenge presented by veteran Carlos Condit in his second title defence at UFC 195 on Saturday night, Lawler (26-10) isn’t ready to join the UFC’s other fallen champions.
Condit, who came out kicking a great deal early and seemed to throw Lawler off his plans, was classy, as usual, in defeat.
The 33-year-old champion is a reclamation project of the highest order.
Before Tumenov won his fifth fight in a row, Brian Ortega continued his own streak, submitting Diego Brandao with his signature triangle choke after a tough stand up fight with the Brazilian. All of this had gone down in the second-tier Strikeforce promotion.
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Here’s what we learned from UFC 195: Lawler vs. Condit…
