Robbie Lawler’s latest UFC thriller may send Carlos Condit to retirement

UFC 195 live mixed martial arts tonight from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada will see Robbie Lawler fight Carlos Condit for the Welterweight title belt. Lawler has proven his mettle in fourth and fifth championship rounds his last two fights, but Condit’s endurance is second to none. Condit, who is coming off an impressive victory over Thiago Alves in May, shrugged off the injury layoff he suffered in March 2014 that sidelined him for a year. Every competitor put on a great show and gave us viewers our money’s worth, but it’s the main event that will linger in our memories and keep us talking for years to come. This fight will feature two of the better technical strikers in the UFC, but it will be Larkin catching Tumenov late for a third round TKO win.

“I thought I had three rounds in the bag but that happens”, Condit commented after the tough loss.

“He does not have many weaknesses”, Lawler praised Condit.

Lawler now improves to 20-7 and it was his second successful title defense and his 5th straight victory in the octagon while Condit now falls to 30-9. With the belt on the line to the victor of the fifth and final round, Lawler and Condit traded offensive attacks. “He has been doing this for a long time”, Lawler said of Condit. Though Poirier got his hand raised in the end, he definitely didn’t walk out of the cage uninjured.

For now both Woodley and Condit will have to wait considering Lawler is the champion and his health will ultimately determine the timing for any potential title fights.

Condit needs to think it through thoroughly, but it’s obvious that if he wants to compete again, he’s fully able to do so. Condit throws a combination and lands a body kick at the end of it. Condit lands a left hook followed by a right that stumbles Lawler.

“I don’t care about being overshadowed”, Lawler said.

The co-main event of the evening also featured a former champion as heavyweight Andrei Arlovski took on hard-charging Stipe Miocic. Ideally though, I think if Condit has his preference, he’ll spend as much time on the outside as possible, landing front and side kicks, picking up points and drawing the fight in later rounds. As the consequences, both got hurt and dropped.

The 33-year-old champion is a reclamation project of the highest order. Ortega has won one of his two bouts in the UFC (other was a no contest) and he is a former Resurrection Fighting Alliance Featherweight Champion.

Many felt that Kyle Noke had done enough to earn the nod over Alex Morono in a welterweight prelim bout, but Morono was awarded a split-decision victory. I’ve been through a couple title fights and done the lead up and dealt with the pressure.

Condit said he believed he broke a toe in the bout.

In the Philippines, the UFC has a new home in Cignal TV, the country’s foremost direct-to-home company, after the two groups agreed to an extensive three-year deal that will see the UFC beamed on various platforms.