Carlos Condit: Natural Born Competitor
Tommy Messano Aug 3, 2007
through the 2006 Rumble on the Rock 175-pound tournament en route
to a place finish, Condit inexplicably got caught in a rear-naked
choke late in round three against journeyman Pat Healy (Pictures) in the Bay Area fight.
Since the setback, the 23-year-old mixed martial artist from Albuquerque, New Mexico has gone on to win five straight bouts, capturing the WEC welterweight title in the process.
Next up for Condit is Minnesota grappler Brock Larson (Pictures), who sports an impressive 21-1
record.
"He's a legit contender," said Condit. "I think he deserves a shot but his record is really shaky. The only real formable opponent he faced, Jon Fitch (Pictures), he lost to. A lot of the other guys he fought earlier in his career have upside-down records."
"He's tough, very aggressive, and has a lot of physical strength," said the welterweight. "He's got great grappling and wrestling skills. I don't think it's anything I haven't seen before."
The problem for Condit's opponents thus far has been an inability to figure out the lanky fighter's dangerous and somewhat surprising guard game.
In the era of multi-disciplined MMA athletes, Condit and Larson are the rule rather than the exception, which could make for a very competitive fight.
"The thing about me," started Condit, "I consider myself a very well rounded fighter. I can go anywhere. I see this fight, no matter where it goes, me beating him up. If he puts me on my back, I beat him up. Standing up, I beat him up. If I get on top he's in a lot of trouble."
Recovering from a right shoulder injury that pushed his first title defense (also scheduled against Larson) from June 3 to August 5, Condit used the extra weeks to his advantage.
"It was tough. It was kind of a weird injury. It hurt like hell immediately when it first happened. Afterwards the pain kind of went away. I saw a doctor and got his opinion. He told me to start moving it around when it felt good," recalled Condit. "I was bummed out for backing out of the fight. I went to start shadowboxing and I threw a hard right hand that made me just about fall to my knees and throw up from the pain."
Strength and cardio conditioning have been the focal point of Condit's training camp for Sunday's fight, which is the co-feature on a night of live fights promoted by World Extreme Cagefighting on the Versus Network starting 9 p.m. ET.
Frequent road trips to the campus of the University of New Mexico have become the norm as Condit worked with the school's strength coaches to reshape and harness his damaged muscle.
The young champion also weighed in on some of the unnatural methods fighters have been caught using lately to gain an edge. Count Carlos Condit (Pictures) in as a MMA athlete who would like to see the sport he loves cleaned up.
"I think it's a shame," he said of fighters using banned substances such as steroids. "It sends a bad message to young athletes that (steroids) is what you need to do in order to be successful and its not. It's dangerous."
For Condit, preparation comes down to hard work, and in getting ready for Larson that meant an excursion last month to Chris Lytle (Pictures)'s Integrated Fighting Academy in Indiana, where he worked specifically on getting ready for the caliber of wrestling Larson brings into the cage.
Condit lives and trains in a state know for its boxing prowess, but over the past two years New Mexico has seen an influx of MMA talent come across its borders.
Homegrown products along with current MMA stars George St. Pierre, Rashad Evans (Pictures), and Nathan Marquardt (Pictures) have flocked to Greg Jackson's Submission Fighting compound in Albuquerque. Condit is quick to note that his team, FIT No Holds Barred, a former Jackson affiliate, is just as packed with talent.
"New Mexico MMA has been kind of simmering on the backburner with all these guys," he explained. "Diego (Sanchez), myself, (Keith) Jardine -- just like that we broke into the mainstream. Jackson's fight team obviously isn't the only school because I'm a world champion and I come from a different school."
Having reached the top of the WEC mountain after just two contests in the organization, where does the welterweight rank himself among the stacked 170-pound division?
"I don't know, I'd say maybe Top 12," said Condit. "Right now I'm proud to be the welterweight champion of the WEC and I plan on defending it for a long time. I'm 23 years old and I plan on going wherever my career takes me."
Late Sunday evening, in the fluorescent-lit backrooms of the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Condit surely hopes he won't be seated, head down, drowning in the aftermath of another tough loss.
Since the setback, the 23-year-old mixed martial artist from Albuquerque, New Mexico has gone on to win five straight bouts, capturing the WEC welterweight title in the process.
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"He's a legit contender," said Condit. "I think he deserves a shot but his record is really shaky. The only real formable opponent he faced, Jon Fitch (Pictures), he lost to. A lot of the other guys he fought earlier in his career have upside-down records."
Nicknamed "The Natural Born Killer" for his unorthodox striking
coupled with knockout power behind each of his blows, Condit
presents a unique test for Larson, who is known for an overwhelming
grappling style.
"He's tough, very aggressive, and has a lot of physical strength," said the welterweight. "He's got great grappling and wrestling skills. I don't think it's anything I haven't seen before."
The problem for Condit's opponents thus far has been an inability to figure out the lanky fighter's dangerous and somewhat surprising guard game.
In the era of multi-disciplined MMA athletes, Condit and Larson are the rule rather than the exception, which could make for a very competitive fight.
"The thing about me," started Condit, "I consider myself a very well rounded fighter. I can go anywhere. I see this fight, no matter where it goes, me beating him up. If he puts me on my back, I beat him up. Standing up, I beat him up. If I get on top he's in a lot of trouble."
Recovering from a right shoulder injury that pushed his first title defense (also scheduled against Larson) from June 3 to August 5, Condit used the extra weeks to his advantage.
"It was tough. It was kind of a weird injury. It hurt like hell immediately when it first happened. Afterwards the pain kind of went away. I saw a doctor and got his opinion. He told me to start moving it around when it felt good," recalled Condit. "I was bummed out for backing out of the fight. I went to start shadowboxing and I threw a hard right hand that made me just about fall to my knees and throw up from the pain."
Strength and cardio conditioning have been the focal point of Condit's training camp for Sunday's fight, which is the co-feature on a night of live fights promoted by World Extreme Cagefighting on the Versus Network starting 9 p.m. ET.
Frequent road trips to the campus of the University of New Mexico have become the norm as Condit worked with the school's strength coaches to reshape and harness his damaged muscle.
The young champion also weighed in on some of the unnatural methods fighters have been caught using lately to gain an edge. Count Carlos Condit (Pictures) in as a MMA athlete who would like to see the sport he loves cleaned up.
"I think it's a shame," he said of fighters using banned substances such as steroids. "It sends a bad message to young athletes that (steroids) is what you need to do in order to be successful and its not. It's dangerous."
For Condit, preparation comes down to hard work, and in getting ready for Larson that meant an excursion last month to Chris Lytle (Pictures)'s Integrated Fighting Academy in Indiana, where he worked specifically on getting ready for the caliber of wrestling Larson brings into the cage.
Condit lives and trains in a state know for its boxing prowess, but over the past two years New Mexico has seen an influx of MMA talent come across its borders.
Homegrown products along with current MMA stars George St. Pierre, Rashad Evans (Pictures), and Nathan Marquardt (Pictures) have flocked to Greg Jackson's Submission Fighting compound in Albuquerque. Condit is quick to note that his team, FIT No Holds Barred, a former Jackson affiliate, is just as packed with talent.
"New Mexico MMA has been kind of simmering on the backburner with all these guys," he explained. "Diego (Sanchez), myself, (Keith) Jardine -- just like that we broke into the mainstream. Jackson's fight team obviously isn't the only school because I'm a world champion and I come from a different school."
Having reached the top of the WEC mountain after just two contests in the organization, where does the welterweight rank himself among the stacked 170-pound division?
"I don't know, I'd say maybe Top 12," said Condit. "Right now I'm proud to be the welterweight champion of the WEC and I plan on defending it for a long time. I'm 23 years old and I plan on going wherever my career takes me."
Late Sunday evening, in the fluorescent-lit backrooms of the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Condit surely hopes he won't be seated, head down, drowning in the aftermath of another tough loss.
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