UFC Welterweight champion Robbie Lawler put on a breathtaking performance (video) when he defended his title for the second-straight time in a barnburner opposite notorious gunslinger, Carlos Condit, at the UFC 195 pay-per-view (PPV) earlier this month.
The colossal collision earned them big bucks and an extra performance bonus check for their 25-minutes of work inside MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
However, as is the case with most men and women who come up short in title bouts, the loss forced Condit to mull over retirement. "The Natural Born Killer" once again brought up the inevitable in a chat with Duane Finley for UFC.com.
"I've been thinking about my future for a long time. Fighting is a tough sport where happy endings are few and far between, and I definitely want to leave the game before the game leaves me. Fighting is such a big part of who I am and the chance to get back in there with Robbie again is something I could get excited about. But if it's time to explore a new path, then I'll go into it with the same passion. It's always been about the journey for me and I guess we'll have to wait and see how things play out."
Prior to his bloody war with the American Top Team (ATT) product Lawler, Condit was on the fence as to how many contests he had left in him. That tune was once again echoed by the Albuquerque-based combatant at the UFC 195 post-fight presser, where UFC President Dana White didn't exactly shout for an immediate rematch.
As much as White and others may throw their support behind Condit for his razor-close loss to "Ruthless" in "Sin City," they won't be able to make any decisions on retirement for the veteran of 39 professional fights.
A second tussle between Lawler and Condit further complicates an already murky title picture at 170 pounds, with the likes of Tyron Woodley, Johny Hendricks and Demian Maia all gunning for a shot at the crown.
We'll see what happens.