Carlos Condit Will Glady Fight Jon Fitch… Even Though He’d Probably Lose

After a rough ufc debut back in April 2009, former WEC Welterweight Champion Carlos Condit has fully emerged out of the shadow of that championship reign and now stands poised as one of the UFC’s top welterweights. Condit now stands tall with three straight wins, including back-to-back (T)KO wins in his last two fights. Never one to rest on his laurels, Condit recently revealed that he wants to remain active and has some interesting thoughts as to who he should fight next.

Here are the highlights of an interview “The Natural Born Killer” did with MMA Weekly: “So far in my UFC career I haven’t been as dominating as I was in the past, so I was just trying to get back on track… I’m just showing people what they might have forgot… I feel like I’m coming into my prime now.  It’s now or never if I’m going to get that belt around my waist… I think [Jon] Fitch, that would be a great fight… I’d have to work my butt off, but I like a challenge.”

I have to admit, I was one of the ones that never really took notice of Carlos Condit in the UFC. It’s not a decision I particularly regret, it is what it is. But the fact is that Condit stood up and made me take notice when he nearly knocked Dan Hardy’s head off of his shoulders. I along with many can appreciate a good KO, and that stands out as one of the best of the year. I think the time for doubt is over: Carlos Condit has arrived as a certifiable contender in the welterweight division.

In regards to a fight with Jon Fitch, that’s a fight I would really enjoy seeing and I think both men would offer up a lot in this fight. Condit has a lot of punching power, but Fitch is another fighter that seems to have an impenetrable chin. I honestly don’t think Condit would be able to KO Fitch, Fitch wouldn’t get into the kind of striking exchanges that would give Condit the chance to. The best Condit could do, at least as far as I see the fight going, would be to catch Fitch coming in for a takedown, scoring an uppercut in order to daze him and get the TKO victory.

But if it ever goes to the ground, and you’re a fool if you think a Jon Fitch fight won’t spend time on the ground, then Jon Fitch eats Carlos Condit alive every single second. Jon Fitch has shown outright disdain for his opponent’s takedown defense or submission abilities; it’s gotten to the point where he can virtually get anybody to the ground and dominate them no matter what kind of weight/power/submission advantage they have over him. Fitch would once again grind out the Unanimous Decision by completely nullifying Condit’s best assets, forcing Condit to fight his fight, and remaining active on the ground with his “beautifully ugly” ground game.

Don’t get me wrong, I like Carlos Condit. I think he has a bright future in the UFC, and that he’s definitely ready for top-division athletes. But Jon Fitch is simply a horrible match-up for Carlos Condit. I’d much rather see Condit face a gifted striker like Thiago Alves or Chris Lytle, rather than a dominant wrestler like Jon Fitch. Despite his flashes of brilliance, I think the ground game will be Condit’s Achilles Heel in the UFC. I could be wrong, I’ve been proven wrong plenty of times before, but I think it’s a safe bet to say that Condit has a good ground game that simply pales in comparison to some of the other ground games in the UFC.

But what about you, fans and friends? Who would you like to see Condit face next, and what do you think his chances are against a top-division wrestler in the UFC?