Condit on Postponed UFC Title Shot: ‘I Will Work a Little Longer’
UFC President Dana White revealed Tuesday that welterweight
champion Georges
St. Pierre had withdrawn from the main event of UFC
137 due to a knee injury.
The news left St. Pierre’s foe, former WEC titleholder Carlos Condit, without an opponent for the Oct. 29 event, which takes place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. White wrote Tuesday on Twitter that Condit will sit on the sideline until the champion recovers, at which time the two will face off for the belt.
Hours after White’s announcement, Condit released a statement
concerning the news.
“I am greatly disappointed, for both myself and UFC fans, that I will no longer be fighting for the welterweight title at UFC 137,” Condit stated, “but I also understand that injuries are a part of this business. As a professional fighter, it is my job to be prepared for any and all circumstances, positive and negative, that come my way during training and the actual fight. Georges is a great competitor, and I know that he will want to return to 100-percent health as soon as possible so that this fight can be rescheduled.”
Condit was originally slated to lock horns with B.J. Penn at the event, with Nick Diaz facing St. Pierre for the title in the main event. However, when Diaz no-showed a pair of promotional press conferences, White pulled the Californian from the headliner and replaced him with Condit. Diaz was then inserted in the vacant co-main event slot against Penn, and that fight has now become the new main event in light of St. Pierre’s injury.
It is currently unknown how much time St. Pierre will need to recover, but when the champion is ready to return to the cage, Condit says he will be waiting.
“This is the best training camp I have ever had and I look forward to carrying over the growth that I’ve experienced in this camp to my next one,” said Condit. “I have trained for over a decade in mixed martial arts with the clear goal of becoming the best fighter in the world at my weight class. I have worked this long to become the UFC welterweight champion. I will work a little longer.”
The news left St. Pierre’s foe, former WEC titleholder Carlos Condit, without an opponent for the Oct. 29 event, which takes place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. White wrote Tuesday on Twitter that Condit will sit on the sideline until the champion recovers, at which time the two will face off for the belt.
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“I am greatly disappointed, for both myself and UFC fans, that I will no longer be fighting for the welterweight title at UFC 137,” Condit stated, “but I also understand that injuries are a part of this business. As a professional fighter, it is my job to be prepared for any and all circumstances, positive and negative, that come my way during training and the actual fight. Georges is a great competitor, and I know that he will want to return to 100-percent health as soon as possible so that this fight can be rescheduled.”
Condit was originally slated to lock horns with B.J. Penn at the event, with Nick Diaz facing St. Pierre for the title in the main event. However, when Diaz no-showed a pair of promotional press conferences, White pulled the Californian from the headliner and replaced him with Condit. Diaz was then inserted in the vacant co-main event slot against Penn, and that fight has now become the new main event in light of St. Pierre’s injury.
It is currently unknown how much time St. Pierre will need to recover, but when the champion is ready to return to the cage, Condit says he will be waiting.
“This is the best training camp I have ever had and I look forward to carrying over the growth that I’ve experienced in this camp to my next one,” said Condit. “I have trained for over a decade in mixed martial arts with the clear goal of becoming the best fighter in the world at my weight class. I have worked this long to become the UFC welterweight champion. I will work a little longer.”
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