Condit thinks win over Maia will earn him title shot
After mulling retirement following a five-round war with welterweight champion Robbie Lawler, Carlos Condit has his eyes set on the belt once again.
Condit was set to return to the Octagon against top-five welterweight Demian Maia at UFC 202, but the two will now headline UFC on FOX 21 in Vancouver.
Being a typically slow starter, the change from a three-round fight to a five-rounder works out in his favor, and if his title bouts with Georges Saint-Pierre and Lawler offer any indication, the two extra rounds will be a boon for the bout's entertainment value.
In an interview with Brian Stann on SiriusXM Rush's Toe-2-Toe on Tuesday, Condit agreed a longer fight will allow him to "do what I need to do."
"The Natural Born Killer" has yet to win UFC gold and is coming off the split decision loss to Lawler, but he believes a win over Maia will be enough for another shot at the belt.
"I think that a win in spectacular fashion over Demian Maia gets me the title shot. I don't see why it wouldn't. Arguably Demian Maia could be the No. 1 contender. The reason he's not is because of his fighting style, not the most exciting dude but he's beat the who's who in the division, really. So I think that a win over him without a doubt gets me back to a shot and an opportunity to get the belt around my waist."
Indeed, Maia has been a problem since moving down to 170 from middleweight, winning five in a row and eight of his 10 fights in the division, and Condit knows it, admitting if there was another way for him to earn a title shot, he'd "probably take it."
As compelling a matchup as it may be, Condit's own private meritocracy is not gospel, with current number-one contender Stephen Thompson patiently waiting for his shot at the strap. Thompson, who's won seven straight, is rooting for Lawler to retain the belt against Tyron Woodley at UFC 201 this Saturday, and is all but guaranteed to fight the winner. If Thompson gets his due, either Condit or Maia are in for a lengthy wait.
Condit and Maia will square off at UFC on FOX 21 in Vancouver on August 27.