Top-10 Welterweights Carlos Condit, Demian Maia Matched for UFC 202
Even though he won’t be receiving his desired rematch against Robbie Lawler, Carlos Condit couldn’t stay away.
The “Natural Born Killer” will return to the Octagon against Demian Maia at UFC 202. A promotion official confirmed the welterweight pairing on Tuesday following an initial report from the Albuquerque Journal.
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Condit, 32, is coming off a contentious split-decision defeat to reigning 170-pound king Robbie Lawler at UFC 195 in January. The New Mexico native admitted that he was contemplating retirement following the heartbreaking loss.
“I’ve been at this for a long time, over 40 professional MMA fights,” Condit said at the post-fight press conference. “I came up short tonight. I don’t know. Tonight was kind of a do-or-die moment for my career. I was all in. If I got that strap I was gonna keep fighting. If I didn’t, like I didn’t, I have to see if I can continue to do this.”
Ultimately, Condit decided to fight on. The Jackson-Wink MMA standout has faced a murderer’s row in recent years, compiling a 3-4 record since 2012 while scoring wins over the likes of Nick Diaz, Martin Kampmann and Thiago Alves. His losses during that time came against three current or former champions (Georges St. Pierre, Johny Hendricks, Lawler) and the current No. 1 contender (Tyron Woodley).
Maia, meanwhile, has won five fights in a row and is 8-2 overall since moving from middleweight to welterweight. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist’s current streak includes dominant triumphs over Matt Brown, Gunnar Nelson and Neil Magny.
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