Issue 044
December 2008
Every fighter has to come face-to-face with his own doubts before entering the Octagon. For some, it’s easy – they nap in the locker room, hang out with friends, and generally feel as comfortable in the cage as they do anywhere else. For others, it’s a challenge that requires the support of their training partners, coaches, and loved ones.
For WEC welterweight champion Carlos ‘The Natural Born Killer’ Condit, it’s the absolute worst part of a fight. “It’s an emotional roller coaster for me, before a fight,” says Condit. “One minute I’m confident, the next I feel sick, then I’m fine, then I start thinking I should just quit and be an accountant or something.”
Luckily those doubts have never got the best of him. Otherwise the welterweight division would be missing one of the most well-rounded and promising young fighters of recent years. This is a man who holds the WEC welterweight title at the tender age of twenty-four.
Ever since Zuffa (the parent company of the UFC) bought the WEC, Condit has become somewhat of a welterweight poster-boy. Not only is he beating any competition thrown his way, he’s decimating it. In fact, the Albuquerque native hasn’t gone to a decision in over two years.
“I’m a finisher,” says Condit. “A lot of guys are comfortable fighting for points, I’m not. My goal is to continue up that top ten ranking, and to keep finishing fights. That’s my job: to train, win, and finish.”
Despite his potential, climbing up the welterweight ladder will be a difficult task as Condit has seemingly hit the roof of the WEC 170lb division. If he wants to improve his ranking, The Natural Born Killer might have to look further for new challenges, possibly to the stacked UFC 170lb division. But is he ready to take on the likes of Diego Sanchez, Matt Hughes, and Josh Koscheck? Opinions are divided.
“I’m young, hungry, and tenacious,” says Condit. “I’ve got a lot of improvements to make – I don’t feel like I’ve reached my peak yet. People are going to see the pinnacle of what I can do in the next few years.”
While MMA fans are anxious to see the WEC welterweight champion enter the UFC, Condit admits that there’s also competition outside of the worlds premiere organisation that he hopes Zuffa can attract. One name in particular stands out: Jake Shields.
Currently ranked the world’s fifth best welterweight (and three spots above Condit), Shields handed Condit a loss in the finals of the Rumble in the Rock welterweight tournament, back in 2006. Since then, both men have gone their separate ways, with Shields becoming the welterweight champion of EliteXC. Condit has been hoping for a rematch ever since.
“That was a tough fight,” reminisces Condit. “Jake is really good at what he does, but he has a lopsided skill set – the stand-up’s not very good. I’m not one to call people out, but if I was offered to fight Shields again, I’d definitely go for it.”
So where does Condit go from here? It seems neither he nor Zuffa, are too sure. But until a path presents itself, The Natural Born Killer has plenty to keep him busy (besides training of course).
Earlier this year, he accompanied BJ Penn, Urijah Faber, and Michael Bisping to Afghanistan, where he trained with coalition troops stationed in the war-torn country. While the trip was somewhat of a publicity stunt, it was the absolute best type of promotion the troops could hope for, as they got an opportunity to spar and roll with some of the best Zuffa has to offer. Apparently, one overly enthusiastic soldier may have bitten off more than he could chew.
“You get a dude who’s there in front of his unit,” says Condit. “He’s in front of everyone. He was a big dude by the way, and more than a little overzealous. One thing led to another, and let’s just say he spent some time on the floor. But there was no hard feelings at the end of the day.”
With no fights ahead of him until next year, the mild-mannered welterweight has some time to analyse the competition, and keep an eye on any 170lb upstarts coming his way. Or maybe it’s time to become an upstart himself, and start coming after those in the top five of his weight class? It’s a decision that Condit can rightfully put off for now, but eventually Zuffa will have to pull him out of limbo, and chart a course for the young, promising fighter.
“I’ve got four more fights on my contract,” says Condit. “WEC’s been a very good home to me, but you’ve got to remember that it’s only its second year under Zuffa. They’re still trying to build it. Hopefully I can grow with WEC, and climb the rankings at the same time.”
If not, Matt Hughes, Diego Sanchez, Josh Koscheck, and others beware: you may be next.
MEET THE WEC CHAMPS
The WEC focuses on lighter weights than its sister promotion the UFC, with bantamweight (135lb), featherweight (145lb), lightweight (155lb) and welterweight classes only. Meet the other three men who wear the gold in the WEC.
Miguel Torres
Chicago-based Hispanic fighter Torres is a baby-faced submission artist with a mean streak that would put any heavyweight to shame. Seems to refuse to ever engage in a boring fight.
Urijah Faber
The stocky wrestler known as the ‘California Kid’ is pound for pound one of the world’s best fighters. Explosive, unorthodox, relentless and always entertaining, this featherweight dynamo is tipped to rule the roost at 145lb for a long time.
Jamie Varner
He came from nowhere to TKO the former champ Rob McCullough in particularly brutal fashion, and repeated the feat against Marcus Hicks. A great all-rounder with serious KO power, Varner is bold and brash but can more than back it up.
