When injured UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre today scratched from next weekend's UFC 137's main event, Carlos Condit was right behind him.
Condit, in fact, learned of the canceled title fight when MMAjunkie.com (
www.mmajunkie.com) called him for reaction immediately following Dana White's announcement of a St-Pierre injury.
While disappointed he won't be on next week's UFC 137 card, Condit's best play is to wait for the champ's recovery rather than take another fight, his manager, Malki Kawa, explained.
"Carlos Condit is the top contender in the UFC's welterweight division, and as such, the most logical decision for him is to be ready for the title shot he has earned against Georges St-Pierre as soon as St-Pierre is fully recovered," Kawa stated in a release. "While it is disappointing that he will not fight on the UFC 137 card, it is my hope that fans understand that this is the best matchup at this weight class.
"Carlos is hungry for the title shot, and when this fight is rescheduled, he will be ready to show the world what made him the top contender."
There's no timetable for St-Pierre's return from the knee injury, though it appears it won't be a major setback. UFC officials said the St-Pierre (22-2 MMA, 16-2 UFC) vs. Condit (27-5 MMA, 4-1 UFC) title fight now is tentatively slated for early 2012.
"As a professional fighter, it is my job to be prepared for any and all circumstances, positive and negative, that come my way during training and the actual fight," Condit stated. "Georges is a great competitor, and I know that he will want to return to 100 percent health as soon as possible so that this fight can be rescheduled.
"I have trained for over a decade in mixed martial arts with the clear goal of becoming the best fighter in the world at my weight class. I have worked this long to become the UFC welterweight champion. I will work a little longer."
With St-Pierre and Condit off the Oct. 29 card, which airs on pay-per-view from Las Vegas' Mandalay Bay Events Center, a co-headliner between former champ B.J. Penn and recent Strikeforce titleholder Nick Diaz has been promoted to main-event status. (Diaz, of course, originally had Condit's main-event slot before Diaz was pulled from the St-Pierre title fight due to two press-conference no-shows this past month.)
It's hard to tell how the layoff may affect Condit, who's fought just once in the past 12 months. In July, he scored a highlight-reel knockout of Dong Hyun Kim for his fourth straight win. In fact, since 2006, the final WEC welterweight champ is 12-1, and the lone loss came via razor-thin split decision to Martin Kampmann in his octagon debut.
Source: [url=http://mmajunkie.com/news/25718/manager-says-carlos-condit-waiting-for-gsp-title-fight-is-most-logical-decision.mma]Manager says Carlos Condit waiting for GSP title fight is 'most logical decision'
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