Carlos Condit failed to capture the UFC Welterweight Championship on Saturday night at UFC 195, perhaps more to potentially errant judging than the effort he put forth in a classic, and it might be his final fight.
Condit said after the event that he’d been considering retirement depending on the outcome of this matchup with Lawler, and with the decision not going his way, that could be the end of it.
“It’s not really an emotional thing. I’m not dejected,” Condit said at the post-fight press conference. “I have to evaluate, but yeah, there’s a possibility that might be my last one.
“I’ve been at this for a long time, over 40 professional MMA fights. I came up short tonight. It was, tonight was kind of a do-or-die moment for my career, I feel like. I was all in. If I got that strap, I was going to keep fighting. If I didn’t, like I didn’t, I was going to have to see if I could continue to do this.”
Condit was quite measured in his reaction to the loss, and though he felt he had done enough to win, he couldn’t be down about the performance he had in the fight itself.
“It didn’t go my way tonight, but I left it all in there, fought my ass off,” he said. “I’m proud of my performance.
“Win or lose, I’m living my dream. I get to fight for a living, compete against the top guys in the world; I don’t know man, I dig what I do, and sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. Tonight was not my night.”
Penick’s Analysis: It’s right after the fight, and though he says it’s not an emotional situation, things are still heightened after something like what he just went through. With that said, given how incredible that fight was, and how much of a case there is for him deserving that title around his waist right now, it would be a shame to see him walk away. And short of the UFC booking the immediate rematch, I think there may be a good chance he does. This sport takes a major toll, and he’s been in some significant battles throughout his career. I don’t think he wants to put himself through that without that title on the line. Of course, the rematch should be booked, and if he has it in him to make one last effort for that belt, he could find the renewed drive to stick around for as long as he holds onto the title. The rematch is the way to go, and with a ramification of that not happening being Condit going away from the sport, hopefully the UFC sees that option as the move to make.
[Carlos Condit art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]
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