Carlos Condit may benefit from Georges St. Pierre’s injury. | Photo: Dave Mandel
Carlos Condit was disappointed last week when Georges St. Pierre had to pull out of their UFC 137 welterweight title fight due to a knee injury, but the bout’s postponement could benefit him, according to trainer Mike Winkeljohn.
Winkeljohn, who coaches alongside Greg Jackson at Jackson’s MMA, is enjoying the chance to strategize against St. Pierre and his camp. Of course, Jackson normally helps train both Condit and St. Pierre, but he has declined to coach either for this fight. There’s no conflict of interest for Winkeljohn, though.
“I have worked mitts with Georges in the past, but gosh, less [times] than the fingers on my hand,” he said. “It’s an honor to have worked with him a little bit, but I definitely wasn’t one of his coaches. Heck, I’m excited about having Carlos fight him. It’s one of those things, it’s just what we do. It’s kind of neat to have to game plan against his other coaches up there in Canada. It’s kind of an honor, and we’re excited about doing it.”
For now, though, the fight has been delayed until St. Pierre can recover.
“It’s a little disappointing,” Winkeljohn said. “Carlos had his head in the right place. It was a great fight camp for him. He was working all the right things and building his confidence to be in the right place at the right time. He’s disappointed, but he understands the fight game. He wants to beat Georges at Georges’ best, so he’s going to wait, and, assuming it doesn’t take too long, Carlos wants to fight him for the title soon.”
Listen to the full interview (beginning at 1:15:25).