clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

UFC 143 results recap: What's next for Carlos Condit?

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) just delivered another big time fight card with UFC 143, bringing its "A" game to the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

A new welterweight interim champion was crowned as Carlos Condit defeated Nick Diaz in a fight that was just about everything it was promised to be.

Unfortunately, the final decision left a sour taste in some fans' mouths, but that doesn't change the results. Condit is now the interim titleholder and has a reservation to fight Georges St. Pierre as soon as "Rush" is ready to get back into the cage.

You know the deal. One big UFC pay-per-view (PPV) event is in the books and we're already on to the next one. The mixed martial arts (MMA) world doesn't stop turning and the speculation on the future never stops.

With that in mind, let's take a look at what may be next for UFC 143 big winner Carlos Condit:

Diaz has been picking a fight with UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre for almost a year now. He doesn't like him, he doesn't respect him and the feelings are mutual.

Sadly, that fight isn't going to happen now. It may not happen ever.

With a win over Diaz at UFC 143, Carlos Condit earned what appears to be the title shot he's dreamed of for a long time. He put up with the trash talk. He trained hard. He followed the strategy and, according to the judges, he did enough to outpoint Diaz and notch the win.

Whether you think he deserves it or not, "The Natural Born Killer" is now next in line to fight "GSP." The problem is that St. Pierre looks to be on the shelf until November.

Before this event, Condit said he'd need to take some time and consider things before he decided on whether or not he could wait till November to fight again.

So where does he go from here?

Most fighters would sit and wait and toe the company line. Condit very well may do just that, but what if he gets stir crazy and feels like he needs to stay active? Let's look at the options:

He was supposed to fight Josh Koscheck on two separate occasions. The fight didn't come together in either instance. Maybe this would be a good "filler" fight.

If Condit wins, he moves on and fights St. Pierre, having another win over a top contender as a feather in his hat. If Koscheck wins, he gets another chance to get his eye socket jabbed out by St. Pierre. Maybe he'd surprise us and do better this time. Crazier things have happened.

Jake Ellenberger fights Diego Sanchez at UFC on Fuel TV on Feb. 15, 2012, in Omaha, Nebraska. The winenr of that fight would make for a suitable opponent. I know Codit has beat Ellenberger before, but it was a split decision win and it was also two years ago.

Lastly, you could get crazy and host a rematch between Condit and Diaz. Is that fair to Condit? Probably not. Does it sell tickets and get rid of excuses, once and for all? Absolutely.

What do you Maniacs think? Got any better ideas for potential match ups? Feel free to play matchmaker in the comments section below.

Bring it on!

Sign up for the newsletter Sign up for the MMA Mania Daily Roundup newsletter!

A daily roundup of all your fighting news from MMA Mania