Carlos Condit “all in” on UFC 195 title bid, but feels he’s towards end of his career

Carlos Condit fights for the 39th time in his professional career on Saturday night, fighting for the UFC Welterweight Championship for the first time in over three years. The almost 14-year vet is concentrating all his efforts into this title matchup, and he said this week it’s quite possible he’s winding down his career.

“It could be [the last run],” Condit said in an interview with Ariel Helwani at MMAFighting.com ahead of UFC 195 (transcribed by BloodyElbow.com). “It could be. I feel like I’m towards the end of my career. And I feel like I’m coming up towards, you know, this fight being a climax in my career. I’m all in. Basically, I’m all in on this fight. I’m not looking towards anything else.

“It’s all or nothing for me.

Condit’s won 30 of his professional fights to date. If he makes it 31 at UFC 195, he’ll stake his claim as the best active welterweight in the world in 2016.

Penick’s Analysis: If Condit fails to capture the title this time around, one could imagine he’d simply be at the end of his rope. He’s doled out a lot of damage over 14 years in this sport, but he’s taken quite a bit himself, and if his title prospects get wiped out in a loss to Robbie Lawler, he just might not have the drive to try getting back there. At that point, it’s a matter of how long he’s willing to risk the type of punishment possible in the sport. If he wins, he could very well continue on for a long while, provided he continues to defend that belt. Or he could say he’s reached his pinnacle and is done there. It’s all about how he feels mentally and physically, and he’s probably not focusing on any of that too much until after Saturday’s event.

[Carlos Condit art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]

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