Take one injured champion, a polarizing brawler from Stockton, and a “Natural Born Killer,” and the UFC’s Welterweight Division is suddenly much more interesting.
[caption id="attachment_158" align="alignright" width="205" caption="Carlos Condit won the Interim Welterweight Championship at UFC 143. Photo by Nick Laham/Zuffa LLC."]
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After UFC 143’s main event on Saturday, which saw Carlos Condit outmaneuver, outstrike, and outstrategize Nick Diaz over the majority of five rounds, there is a new UFC Welterweight Champion for the first time since 2008. While Georges St. Pierre remains the undisputed champion, his lengthy absence from competition due to an ACL injury presents an opportunity for Condit to defend his interim belt, giving the division a slew of new matchups, new storylines, and an epic buildup toward the return of “Rush.”
Since Georges St. Pierre won the Undisputed Welterweight Championship back in 2008, he has run through all of his opponents with relative ease, barely losing a round in over 150 minutes of fighting. But his dominance over the division, combined with his streak of masterful, yet uninspiring decision victories, has left the 170lb class fairly stale. Do people want to see GSP fight Jon Fitch, Josh Koscheck, or any other wrestler with “improved striking” again? It’s the same old song.
With Condit holding the belt, new opportunities arise. GSP has already run roughshod over the top contenders in his bracket, but Condit has never faced Thiago Alves, Jon Fitch, or Koscheck before. Nick Diaz, despite his “retirement,” should come back and continue to give the division problems too, and with new stars like Johny Hendricks and Jake Ellenberger making a run at the top, the revolving door at the top of 170lbs has come off its tracks.
On top of that, Condit’s style, Diaz bout notwithstanding, is much more aesthetically pleasing than St. Pierre’s. As of UFC 143, Condit’s finishing percentage stands at a staggering 92.8%, with 13 wins coming by submission and 13 by knockout. His highlight reel features everything from flying knees to crushing chokes, and even though his name value pales in comparison to GSP, his fights tend to end in more dramatic and devastating fashion. When St. Pierre fights, the message boards are so flooded with “GSP by unanimous decision” posts that you can practically wade through them.
ACL injuries are incredibly painful ones that require a lengthy rehab process, and, in a business sense, it isn’t great to have the biggest pay-per-view draw in the sport out for so long. However, it may be the best thing to happen to the undisputed king and his division in years.
When St. Pierre loses, he comes back with a vengeance. Watch his second fights with Matt Hughes and Matt Serra for proof. And even though he didn't technically lose his last fight, he considers himself an underdog after his injuries, saying, “I don’t consider myself the champion anymore. You have to put the belt on the line in order to call yourself champion, the best in the world. Right now, I am not the best in the world; I am injured.”
Will Georges St. Pierre come back with the aggression and tenacity he showed against Hughes and Serra in their rematches? Will he be motivated to prove that he is still the best in the world, or will the disappointment of losing the opportunity to fight Nick Diaz stifle him? Only time will tell. Until then, keep an eye on the welterweights, because one of the UFC’s most predictable divisions is getting a lot more exciting.
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