What UFC Interim Welterweight Champion Carlos Condit Should Do for the Interim

Jason Merritt/Getty Images

Carlos Condit, after winning the UFC Interim Welterweight Championship belt in UFC 143 last Saturday night, is set to fight Georges St-Pierre for the undisputed version of the title.

However, as St-Pierre claims that it will take him nine months to fully heal his injured knee, then Condit has almost a year to prepare for the fight of his life.

The following are what the newly crowned interim champion can do for the interim, to enhance his chances of pulling off two major upsets in a row.

Train hard in wrestling

Jason Merritt/Getty Images

Condit is a decent wrestler with a 58 percent success rate in takedown offense and 47 percent in takedown defense. But against St-Pierre, he has to be a lot more than decent in the wrestling department.

It may be near impossible to stuff all of St-Pierre’s takedowns, but he can try to make it harder for Rush and repeat the virtuoso striking performance he displayed in UFC 143.

Also, he can try to takedown and put the consensus No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter splayed on the canvas (tough luck).

Sharpen that finishing touch

Condit has not lost that finishing touch, even if his recently-won interim championship match ended by decision. I don’t believe any fighter is only as good as his last fight (make it last two at the least); it just so happened that "that guy" was a tough nut case to crack.

Still, Condit boasts of a three-fight winning streak via finishes prior to UFC 143, totaling now a still staggering 26 finished fights out of 28 wins.

Now, he has more time to further load his lethal submission holds and knockout strikes.

Fight a Top 10 Welterweight Wrestler

Who? Me?!
Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

Fighting a wrestler got to be Condit’s best option to stay busy and tune up before facing who is arguably the best MMA wrestler in the welterweight division—if not in all weight divisions.

“Fortunately,” the UFC welterweight division is not lacking in topnotch takedown artists. Take your pick from Fitch, Hendricks, Koscheck and Shields.

Rematch

Photo courtesy of mmaweekly.com.

Okay, okay; just for the heck of it, give "that other guy" a rematch! That is, if he “unretires” and is still available within or after six months after that “positive” incident, but only in a non-title fight.

So, if that guy wins over Condit, then let him (the former) take pride in that without derailing for a second the current interim champ’s march towards St-Pierre. (Why gift that guy a rematch with the potential to spoil the newly crowned interim champ’s ultimate prize of fighting for the undisputed title?)

If Condit wins again, then he stays the course without further debate. Also, St-Pierre can always fight that guy afterwards, as the still reigning or former welterweight champion.

A non-title fight involving the current titlist? Well, this may sound treasonous, but they’ve been doing that in boxing. In Condit's case as the interim champion waiting for his undisputed title shot, this compromise has its merits regarding a possible rematch with that guy.

Cross his fingers for St-Pierre’s quick recovery

Nine months...
Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images

If Condit is religious, he should pray for this. If not, fervently hope while crossing his fingers. (This exercise will also help improve his concentration and gripping power).

Hopefully, before 2012 ends, we shall bear witness on who between Condit and St-Pierre is the better-skilled tactician, on who can come up again with a finish.

Then, we’ll find out if we’ll finally have a new UFC welterweight champion after five, long years.

 

PS,

"That guy" I referred to in slides 2 and 4 is of course none other than…never mind. He doesn’t want an ounce of our attention in the first place, and right now he’s got so much more of it than he can handle.