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Top Opponents for Carlos Condit to Face in UFC Return
Carlos Condit has been one of the most popular and recognizable UFC Welterweight’s ever since his debut back in 2009. Prior to joining the UFC, Condit became the WEC Welterweight Champion and defended his belt three times before being added to UFC roster.
His career was defined by exciting finishes, several fight of the night performances and becoming the interim UFC Welterweight Champion by defeating Nick Diaz. Some of his most notable wins include Rory MacDonald, Dan Hardy, Dong Hyun Kim, and Thiago Alves. Condit is also known for challenging George St-Pierre for the unified UFC Welterweight Championship where he famously dropped St-Pierre with a perfectly timed head kick. GSP has publicly stated that Condit was one of the most difficult fights of his entire career.
Condit went to challenge for the UFC Welterweight Championship yet again in 2016 against Robbie Lawler. The bout was a back and forth brawl that saw both men push each other for five straight rounds and earn a fight of the night honor. Condit lost the fight via split decision which caused an outrage among the MMA community. 15 out of 20 media outlets scored the bout in favor of Condit as he landed 198 strikes compared to Lawler’s 77. After challenging for the belt a second time, Condit went on a losing streak that has resulted in him compiling a 0-5 record in his last five UFC appearances. Despite the recent setbacks, Carlos Condit is only 35 years old and looking to return to the Octagon with a vengeance sometime in 2020.
The question, who should welcome Carlos Condit back to the UFC?
Robbie Lawler:
Robbie Lawler is the obvious choice for Condit’s return. The two widely popular welterweight strikers have both had outstanding careers and are well liked by fans in the MMA community. Their closely contested title bout back in 2016 makes this an easy fight to sell since most media and fans believed that Condit won the bout. Like Condit, Lawler is approaching the back end of his career after having a storied return to the UFC and becoming UFC Welterweight Champion. Lawler is also riding a three-fight losing streak with his most recent loss courtesy of Colby Covington. Condit and Lawler’s styles compliment one another and will make for an exciting fight yet again. Both enjoy utilizing their striking and are content with swinging until someone goes down. Their first fight saw each of them drop each other as Condit attacked with constant volume and pressure while Lawler looked for a one punch knockout. This will be a bout between future UFC legends who are undoubtedly loved by the MMA community.
Matt Brown:
In a lot of ways, Matt Brown is a carbon copy of Robbie Lawler which makes a potential bout between Condit and Brown just as enticing. In addition, these two were scheduled to face off back in April of 2018 but Brown unfortunately pulled out due to an ACL tear. Brown has recently recharged his mma career with two back to back knockout victories at the expense of Diego Sanchez and Ben Saunders. His elbow knockout of Sanchez was nothing short of brutal as he floored the Ultimate Fighter Season 1 Winner with a vicious right elbow in round one. Like Lawler, Brown is rarely involved in boring fights and is either dishing out an exciting finish or being on the receiving end of an exciting finish. This is just as easy to sell. Condit and Brown combine for 29 knockout finishes and have formidable Muay Thai backgrounds. Expect a brawl between two of the best to have ever done it in the UFC Welterweight division.
Tim Means:
Tim Means lacks the name value that Robbie Lawler and Matt Brown carry. However, the Oklahoma native is an incredibly entertaining fighter who has finished 19 of his 29 opponents via knockout. Means brings it every time he steps foot in the Octagon and is always intent on scoring a finish. He is 2-2 in his last four bouts that have all ended by way of submission or finish. Although not as enticing of a name as Lawler or Brown, Means would surely be an exciting choice to welcome Carlos Condit back to the Octagon.
For a similar read, see top opponents to welcome Anthony Johnson back to the UFC.
