Condit considers UFC retirement, Vanzant's stunning KO

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Mail
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • WhatsApp
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • The end is near: Carlos Condit.

    Carlos Condit flirted with the idea of MMA retirement after he lost a razor-thin decision to former welterweight champion Robbie Lawler in January at UFC 195. Ultimately, he opted to step back into the Octagon and do what comes naturally.

    However, after suffering a first submission defeat in 10 years and dropping a second straight loss having tapped out in the first-round to Demian Maia at UFC on Fox 21 yesterday, the ‘The Natural Born Killer’ is left once again contemplating the idea of ending a stellar 15-year fighting career.

    “I don’t know if I have any business fighting at this level anymore,” the 32-year-old said at the post-fight press conference. “I’ve been at this for a really long time, and the pressure of kind of being one of the top guys for almost a decade, it’s been awesome.

    “I’ve loved being involved in this sport for the time that I have, and I’ve gotten to do what I love for a living for a long period of time. But, I don’t know, man. I don’t know if I belong here anymore. We’ll see.”

    Losing to Maia is no shame, though. The Brazilian is widely considered the best Jiu-Jitsu artist in MMA and his spellbinding skills saw him slip in a rear-naked choke in less two minutes – the fastest defeat of Condit’s UFC career.

    It also saw the American slip to 2-5 in his last seven fights and although he came within a whisker of taking the belt in January, his time as a title challenger, in a talent-rich division, may be over.

    “I don’t know what’s in the cards. I’m leaning towards probably, possibly being done,” he added.

    On the other hand, Maia stretched his win streak to six and is on the verge of a shot at welterweight champion Tyron Woodley.

    Stephen Thompson is the only man to stand in his way but the 38-year-old believes he has leapfrogged the No. 1 contender.

    “I think so (next in line),” Maia said. “I respect very much Thompson but I’m much older than him so if they could give it to me first.”

    Vanzant’s highlight reel KO

    Paige Vanzant may have swapped dancing under the lights of the Octagon for that of a ballroom, but the 22-year-old returned to UFC action with a picture-book finish of Bec Rawlings at UFC on Fox 21.

    The promising strawweight talent shot to mainstream prominence thanks to a second-placed finish on America’s ‘Dancing with the Stars’ earlier this summer.

    A break from MMA could have backfired after she was picked apart by Rose Namajunas in December to mark the first defeat of her fledging career. But the risk has paid off with her profile enhanced thanks to her showstopping moves both on the dance floor and on the MMA mat.

    She faked a low kick before rapidly switching to her left and landing a brutal perfectly-timed jumping switch kick. Rawlings was sent sprawling to the canvas and Vanzant executed ground and pound strikes to force the second-round stoppage.

    With her popularity going from strength to strength, she was asked to star in the new ‘Kickboxer’ movie but turned down the role to focus on MMA.

    She intends on sticking to that, at least for now anyway.

    “I know that people want me because I’m different and if I wasn’t a fighter I wouldn’t be different, I wouldn’t be unique,” she said.

    “And people like me because I am an MMA fighter. I’m a chick who fights. That’s why I am desired outside of the Octagon and I knew with the ‘Kickboxer’ movie it would cut into this fight camp and I just had to turn it down. The timing wasn’t gonna work. I wanted to stay focused for this fight.”

    Recommended