Tag: Carlos Condit

Michael Page vs. Carlos Condit grappling match to headline Polaris 30 in November

A grappling match between MMA standouts Michael Page and Carlos Condit is set to headline Polaris 30 on Nov. 2.

[autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] and [autotag]Carlos Condit[/autotag] will square off but not in the octagon.

Page and Condit have been booked for a grappling match to main event Polaris 30 on Nov. 2 in London. The news was announced by promotion official through Ariel Helwani on Monday.

Page, currently an active UFC welterweight, is known for his flashy kicks and dangerous striking, but he will put his less-admired skill set to the test next month. Out of 25 career MMA fights, Page has only three submission wins and has never been submitted. He last competed in June at UFC 303, losing a close decision to Ian Machado Garry.

Condit retired from MMA in 2021 after a storied career. The former WEC champion and former UFC interim champion has yet to compete in combat sports since his retirement from MMA. “The Natural Born Killer” had 13 submission victories in MMA and six submission losses.

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Top 5 welterweight wars in MMA history, ranked

That UFC 189 war between Robbie Lawler and Rory MacDonald was something else, wasn’t it?

Although the welterweight class in MMA is decently heavier than its contemporaries in other combat sports, it keeps in the tradition of offering a rich history of memorable battles.

Japanese organizations like Shooto have typically referred to fighters between 156-171 lbs. as “middleweights,” while the UFC’s 170-pound division dates back to the late 90s when the organization anointed its first welterweight champion, [autotag]Pat Militech[/autotag], at UFC 17.5 in Brazil.

Since then, the division has produced a slew of great fights and Hall of Fame fighters alike.

It’s impossible to properly pay homage to all the best bouts that have gone down at 170 pounds, so I’ll instead widdle down my list to my favorite welterweight wars.

Whether we’re talking about back-and-forth battles or brutally bloody affairs, I thought it would be fun to revisit some of my favorite fights from the weight class.

As usual, these lists reflect my personal tastes and biases and are not meant to serve as some ultimate authority. That said, I feel very strongly about not only my list but also my honorable mentions at the end – which are more than strong enough to serve as their own top five.

So, without further ado …

Work with Carlos Condit, Tony Ferguson and Jon Jones has Aaron Pico in best form for Bellator 286

Aaron Pico has been guided into Bellator 286 by three former UFC champions.

LOS ANGELES – [autotag]Aaron Pico[/autotag] has been guided into Bellator 286 by an all-star cast of names.

Pico (10-3 MMA, 10-3 BMMA), who meets Jeremy Kennedy in a key bantamweight bout on tonight’s card at Long Beach Arena in Long Beach, Calif., has had no shortage of positive influence going into a bout he believes could secure him a title shot for the first time.

Although he’s no stranger with working with decorated names, the lead-up to Bellator 278, which airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie, has been something especially unique.

Pico’s coach Brandon Gibson connected him with former interim UFC welterweight champion [autotag]Carlos Condit[/autotag], who was very close throughout training camp.

“Carlos and coach Gibson are very, very close – like brothers – and I just said, ‘Hey, listen. I need a change. There’s some things I’m looking to learn and I think Carlos can really help me with it,'” Pico told MMA Junkie. “It did. I started working with him two, three days a week with one-on-ones and privates and he’s really shown me a lot. He’s a legend and I look forward to continuing to work with him after this fight.”

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Another marquee name Pico crossed paths with is former interim UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag]. “El Cucuy” stopped at Jackson-Wink MMA in Albuquerque, N.M., ahead of his UFC 279 fight vs. Nate Diaz, and Pico said his knowledge was undeniable.

“I drilled with him a little bit,” Pico said. “I didn’t really do much with him because he’s so much bigger than me. We didn’t get to spar, but I’m super happy and proud of is when Tony came in, he wasn’t a big-leaguer or anything like that. He really took his time to show amateurs things and show up-and-comers new moves. He really did. … He’s a really humble guy and I’m really happy that I met him and everyone in the gym was so excited when he walked in. He’s a legend.”

To cap it all off, Pico got a fight week phone call from one of his idols in the sport, former UFC light heavyweight champion [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag]. Pico and Jones have many career parallels, and that’s created a bond between them in recent years. To get an extra boost of encouragement meant a lot to Pico, he said, and he’s ready to deliver with a stellar performance.

“He just said, ‘Winners win. Go out there and win, we expect you to win. It’s as simple as that… Just go out there and win, do your job,'” Pico said. “I really like Jon Jones a lot, he’s really shown me a lot of cool moves and sometimes he’ll be on FaceTime and watch me hit pads. He’ll give me a little advice here and I’m very thankful for the knowledge, he’s the greatest of all time, there’s no doubt about it.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 286.

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Spinning Back Clique: Yoel Romero’s Bellator debut reaction, an MMA Sophie’s choice, and more

Check out this week’s episode of “Spinning Back Clique” covering the biggest topics in MMA.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

This week, we cover the aftermath of Bellator 266 and UFC Fight Night 192, the retirements of two UFC legends, an unexpected fight announcement, and finally look ahead to UFC 266 on Saturday.

Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Mike Bohn, Danny Segura and Brian “Goze” Garcia debates and discusses these topics with host John Morgan:

  • It was a busy weekend in MMA with both the UFC and Bellator holding events, but it seemed a majority of eyes were on [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag], who ended up losing a decision to Phil Davis in his promotional debut at Bellator 266. After the result, we’re kind of left to wonder, at age 44, did Romero finally show his age? Or are there still big wins ahead for him? What does he have left in the tank?
  • We had 26 bouts to take in on Saturday between the UFC and Bellator, so that’s a lot of athletes who got their hand raised. Even though no new champions were crowned or future title fights secured, who walked away as the star of the night?
  • A couple of UFC and WEC legends called it a career this past week, with both [autotag]Joseph Benavidez[/autotag] and [autotag]Carlos Condit[/autotag] electing to retire. So here’s a Sophie’s choice scenario, but the timing is perfect with the UFC Hall of Fame getting a few new members this week: If you could only place one of them in the Hall of Fame, is it Benavidez or Condit?
  • Speaking of UFC and WEC greats, how about the news from ONE Championship that Demetrious Johnson will have a mixed rules fight with muay Thai legend Rodtang Jitmuangnon? Sounds kind of fun, doesn’t it? What are we thinking here? Should organizations like the UFC be more open to wild ideas like this, or does someone need to be protecting the sanctity of MMA?
  • Finally, it’s a big week for the UFC – International Fight Week, in fact. UFC 266 features a couple of big title fights, the long-awaited return of Nick Diaz, multiple top contenders in action, and more. With all that is going on, what’s the most intriguing storyline of the week?

“Spinning Back Clique” is released each Tuesday on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel.

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Former UFC interim champ Carlos Condit retires from MMA

One of the most violent fighters in UFC history, Carlos Condit is calling it a career.

Former UFC interim welterweight champion [autotag]Carlos Condit[/autotag], one of the most violent fighters in the promotion’s history, is calling it a career.

On Thursday, Condit’s manager, Malki Kawa of First Round Management, confirmed to MMA Junkie that “The Natural Born Killer” has decided to retire from the sport. MMA Fighting was first to report the news.

Condit (32-14 MMA, 9-10 UFC), 37, is hanging up his gloves after a professional career that dates back to September 2002 and includes 46 total fights. Condit was 18-4 when he made his WEC debut in January 2007 and proceeded to claim the promotion’s vacant welterweight title in just his second fight, a rear-naked choke submission of John Alessio.

Condit defended the WEC title three times and was still champion when the promotion was absorbed by the UFC in early 2009. Condit’s UFC tenure kicked off with a split decision loss to Martin Kampmann, but he rebounded with a five-fight winning streak. That included a split decision over Jake Ellenberger, followed by knockouts against Rory MacDonald, Dan Hardy and Dong Hyun Kim. His streak culminated with a unanimous decision win over Nick Diaz to claim the UFC interim welterweight title, which set up Condit for a title unifier against Georges St-Pierre.

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Condit lost a unanimous decision to St-Pierre in November 2012 at UFC 154, and Condit never quite got back to his winning ways after that, going 4-9 in his final 13 UFC fights.

Injuries forced Condit into two long layoffs (15 months and nearly two year). On a five-fight losing streak, Condit returned from the nearly two-year layoff to win back-to-back decisions over Court McGee and Matt Brown in late 2020 and earlier this year, respectively. Condit’s final fight took place on July 10 at UFC 264 where he lost a decision to Max Griffin.

Condit finishes his UFC career with the second-most fight night bonuses in promotion history (7).

UFC 264 post-event facts: Dustin Poirier joins exclusive 20-win club

The best facts and figures to come out of UFC 264, which saw Dustin Poirier make history with his trilogy-fight win over Conor McGregor.

The biggest MMA event of the year so far went down Saturday when UFC 264 took place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The highly anticipated lightweight trilogy fight in the main event ended in unexpected fashion when [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] (28-6 MMA, 20-5 UFC) defeated [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) by first-round TKO after the former two-division champion suffered a broken tibia.

Regardless of how it happened, it’s a win for “The Diamond,” who further entrenched his legacy in the UFC record books.

For more on the numbers, check below for 50 pre-event facts coming out of UFC 264.

UFC 264 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Conor McGregor nets $11,000

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 264 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $218,000.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 264 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $218,000.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC 264 took place at the T-Mobile Arena. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

The full UFC 264 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Stephen Thompson[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Tai Tuivasa[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Greg Hardy[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Irene Aldana[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Yana Kunitskaya[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Sean O’Malley [/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Kris Moutinho[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Max Griffin[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Carlos Condit[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Michel Pereira[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Niko Price[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Ryan Hall[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Trevin Giles[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jessica Eye[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Brad Tavares[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Omari Akhmedov[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Zhalgas Zhumagulov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Jerome Rivera[/autotag]: $4,500

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2021 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $2,332,500
Program-to-date total: $2,332,500

UFC 264 results: Max Griffin edges veteran Carlos Condit in a hard-fought unanimous decision

Max Griffin outpoints veteran Carlos Condit in a unanimous decision at Saturday’s UFC 264.

[autotag]Max Griffin[/autotag] picked up the biggest win of his career on Saturday night at UFC 264.

The welterweight competitor bested MMA veteran [autotag]Carlos Condit[/autotag] in a close and competitive unanimous decision. Griffin (18-8 MMA, 6-6 UFC) defeated Condit (32-14 MMA, 9-10 UFC), earning 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27 on the judges’ scorecards.

The welterweight bout closed out the UFC 264 preliminary card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. It aired on ESPN following early prelims on ESPN+ and ahead of the main card on pay-per-view.

In round one, Griffin made sure to set the pace and the tempo of the bout. Griffin walked down Condit for the majority of the fight while landing hard leg kicks on the former UFC interim welterweight champion. Condit tried to fire back, but his exchanges weren’t really landing. With one minute remaining in the first, Griffin connected with a combo and dropped Condit. Griffin followed up with ground-and-pound, looking to finish the fight, but Condit recovered and was able to get back on his feet.

The second began similar to the first, but halfway through Condit began to catch momentum. Griffin’s movement and footwork appeared to slow down, while Condit began to pressure and find Griffin’s chin with punches. It was a close round, but it seemed to favor Condit.

Entering the third it seemed the fight was tied. Both Griffin and Condit came out strong, as the bout seemed on the line for both. Condit had good success mixing his attacks to the body and head. Griffin also did plenty of damage of his own and even got a brief takedown late in the round. Condit scrambled and reversed the position almost getting Griffin’s back before the bell rang.

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With this result, Griffin now finds himself in the best run he’s been since joining the UFC back in 2016. The 35-year-old is on a three-fight winning streak, having stopped Ramiz Brahimaj and Song Kenan prior to his decision win over Condit.

Meanwhile, “The Natural Born Killer” saw a two-fight winning streak come to an end. Condit had bounced back from a five-fight skid with wins over veterans Court McGee and Matt Brown.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 264 results include:

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Max Griffin excited for ‘wonderful opportunity’ against Carlos Condit, plans ‘masterpiece’ at UFC 264

Max Griffin is oozing confidence ahead of perhaps the biggest fight of his career.

[autotag]Max Griffin[/autotag] is oozing confidence ahead of perhaps the biggest fight of his career.

Griffin (17-8 MMA, 5-6 UFC) got his wish and will be taking on former UFC interim welterweight champion [autotag]Carlos Condit[/autotag] (32-13 MMA, 9-9 UFC) at UFC 264 on July 10, and he intends on fully capitalizing on the opportunity of facing a notable name.

“I’m pumped,” Griffin told MMA Junkie Radio. “Wonderful experience, wonderful time, wonderful opportunity. I’ve actually wanted to fight Carlos since I was young, since I was a kid, so to get this fight now, when I finally figured everything out, it’s amazing.”

He continued, “When I used to watch him in WEC, I used to watch him walk around the cage, mean-mugging the camera, and I remember being like, ‘I want to fight that guy.’ Now it’s come full circle. I have nothing but respect for him, legend of the sport. He’s going to be a hall of famer. He’s been there, done that with the best of them – former champion. It’s my time, though. All that stuff’s out the window now. It’s my time.”

Griffin has strung together his first winning streak since joining the UFC roster in August 2016, coming off back-to-back stoppage wins over Ramiz Brahimaj and, most recently, a “Performance of the Night” knockout of Song Kenan and is certain that UFC 264 will be his best showing to date.

“I’m adding new things, but my stuff’s working,” Griffin said. “My recipe is working. Yeah, I’m adding new things, but what I’m doing is working, it’s effective. I feel like ‘Salt Bae’ now. My recipe’s good, I’m throwing the stuff on top, and it’s going to be a masterpiece. July 10 will be my next greatest performance to date, I promise you. I have no doubts, 100 percent confidence.”

UFC on ABC 1 medical suspensions: Calvin Kattar, Justin Tafa face lengthy time off

UFC on ABC 1 headliner Calvin Kattar absorbed 445 significant strikes over the span of 25 minutes.

UFC on ABC 1 is in the books and its competitors have been handed their medical suspensions.

Atop the list of lengthiest post-fight suspensions is headliner [autotag]Calvin Kattar[/autotag], who endured a high volume of punishment from former UFC featherweight champion [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] in the card’s main event. Kattar (22-5 MMA, 6-3 UFC) received a 180-day suspension for a broken nose, but can return sooner if cleared by a doctor.

MMA Junkie on Monday obtained the full list of suspensions from MixedMartialArts.com, the Association of Boxing Commissions’ official record keeper.

Tyson Chartier, Kattar’s manager and head coach, told MMA Junkie on Sunday that in addition to a broken nose suffered in the unanimous decision loss, his fighter also received eight staples in his head.

His opponent, Holloway (22-6 MMA, 18-6 UFC) walked away relatively unscathed, and received a 30-day suspension for a “hard bout.”

Only one fighter from the event’s undercard was handed as lengthy of a suspension as Kattar. Preliminary card competitor and UFC heavyweight [autotag]Justin Tafa[/autotag] also received a potential 180-day suspension. Tafa (4-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) suffered a split decision loss to Brazil’s [autotag]Carlos Felipe[/autotag].

The Australian will have to sit on the sidelines for the six-month duration, or until his left thumb is cleared by a doctor.

The full list of UFC on ABC 1 medical suspensions includes:

  • Max Holloway: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days due to “hard bout”
  • Calvin Kattar: Suspended 180 days or until nose is cleared by a doctor; also suspended 60 days with no contact for 45 days
  • [autotag]Carlos Condit[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days due to “hard bout.”
  • [autotag]Matt Brown[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days due to “hard bout.”
  • [autotag]Li Jingliang[/autotag]: Suspended seven days (mandatory rest).
  • [autotag]Santiago Ponzinibbio[/autotag]: Suspended 60 days with no contact for 45 days due to knockout loss.
  • [autotag]Alessio Di Chirico[/autotag]: Suspended seven days (mandatory rest).
  • [autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag]: Suspended 60 days with no contact for 45 days due to knockout loss.
  • [autotag]Puna Soriano[/autotag]: Suspended seven days (mandatory rest).
  • [autotag]Dusko Todorovic[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days due to TKO loss.
  • [autotag]Joselyne Edwards[/autotag]: Suspended seven days (mandatory rest).
  • [autotag]Wu Yanan[/autotag]: Suspended seven days (mandatory rest).
  • Carlos Felipe: Suspended seven days (mandatory rest).
  • Justin Tafa: Suspended 180 days or until left thumb x-ray is cleared by a doctor; also suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days.
  • [autotag]Ramazan Emeev[/autotag]: Suspended seven days (mandatory rest).
  • [autotag]David Zawada[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days due to left eyelid laceration.
  • [autotag]Vanessa Melo[/autotag]: Suspended seven days (mandatory rest).
  • [autotag]Sarah Moras[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days due to “hard bout.”
  • [autotag]Austin Lingo[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days due to chin laceration.
  • [autotag]Jacob Kilburn[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 21 days due to “hard bout.”

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