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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
As UFC 154 draws ever closer, the talk in the MMA world has shifted somewhat from UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre's return, and more to a potential super fight against UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva. The bout has been discussed heavily in the last month, and seems an inevitability if St-Pierre can get past Carlos Condit on Nov. 17.
But therein lies the problem. The Interim Welterweight Champion has been overlooked as if he's not the threat to GSP that he truly is, though as his manager says, that's just the way he likes it.
"Put it to you like this, I'm happy," Malki Kawa said in an interview with MMAWeekly.com. "I'm very glad this is what’s going on. I'm very glad this is what's going down."
"I don't think Carlos has been a favorite in any one of his past three fights. I think in every one of his fights, either the fighter he's fighting or the media or whoever said something about another fight or they’re going to set this fight up, and look at how it's worked out for him."
Condit has already spoiled the UFC's plans once, defeating Nick Diaz in February to capture the Interim belt. The UFC had eyed a GSP-Diaz fight following Diaz's dominant decision win over B.J. Penn last year, but Condit's win put those plans on hold. He's happy to do the same to a GSP-SIlva bout as well.
"He doesn't care about none of this stuff, he just sits there and says, 'Hey, I spoiled their plans once with Nick [Diaz]. I’ll spoil it again with Georges; so who cares,'" said Kawa.
"At this point now, people need to stop [thinking about GSP-Silva], because Georges is going to come to fight a really well prepared Carlos Condit. He's going to be very ready for Georges St-Pierre."
Penick's Analysis: Condit is too dangerous a finisher to be overlooked by anyone, and with St-Pierre coming back off such a long layoff, and due to such a serious injury, this is far from a guaranteed win for the longtime Welterweight Champ. If he overlooks Condit for even a second, the fight with Silva will once again go by the wayside, as he'll no longer be the long-reigning Champion. This is absolutely a fight that Condit can win, and anyone looking past that fact may be sorely disappointed come Dec. 18.
[Carlos Condit art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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