UFC
Carlos Condit's manager says they're not interested in Nick Diaz rematch, want GSP bout next
Feb 6, 2012 - 7:15:32 PM Carlos Condit's manager says they're not interested in Nick Diaz rematch, want GSP bout next

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Carlos Condit captured the Interim UFC Welterweight Championship on Saturday night in a five round decision over Nick Diaz at UFC 143. In the wake of the close 25-minute fight, there have been many calling to see a rematch between the two right away with Georges St-Pierre's injury timetable still not set.

However, the fight with St-Pierre is all that's on Condit's mind right now, and according to his manager Malki Kawa a rematch with Diaz is not at all on his mind.

"At this point, [a rematch] is not something we’re looking to do," Kawa said in an interview with MMAFighting.com on Monday. "We're looking for Georges. People forget, Carlos waited a long time to get this fight. He was moved around, and shuffled around between fights. He won the fight. It doesn't interest us at all. I think clearly and decisively, he won the fight. Even [UFC president] Dana [White] scored it for him. All of the opinions that matter scored Carlos as winner."

"It was a performance that was excellent," Kawa continued. "He picked apart a very formidable fighter. Two judges saw it four rounds to one, and one saw it three to two. The fact that he didn't stand and bang with him? I'm sorry, not every fighter has to do that. He did what he had to do, and that goes to show me that this guy is mature, he's fighting fights that are smart.

"People are like, 'Oh, Carlos is not a finisher.' The guy threw how many spinning elbows? How many spinning back fists? He threw a flying knee. He tried to finish Nick Diaz when the time and the opening was there. I can't find a flaw in his performance."

Condit's going to take some time off, as he spent several months continuously training after his UFC 137 fight with GSP fell through. When he's ready to get back into action, he'll make a decision on his next fight. For now, though, he hopes that the next bout will be against St-Pierre.

"Carlos is a fighter," Kawa said. "At the end of the day, this is not a guy who wants to sit around and wait. He wants to fight. You never know. Right now, the idea is that we want Georges St-Pierre. The goal is to fight Georges St-Pierre. He wants to be the best in the world, so that's the fight that interests us at this moment."

Penick's Analysis: For all the talk about a rematch, there isn't much in it for Condit. He defeated Diaz on Saturday night. It wasn't a split decision, he had a rightful claim to at least three rounds, and the St-Pierre fight is one he has a right to. Diaz has everything to gain in a rematch, and Condit has already beat him. To take the fight again would mean he would need to prove himself again after having already done so. If the rematch comes about because St-Pierre is out until late in the year and Condit wants to fight, so be it, but he has no obligation to give Diaz a rematch.

[Carlos Condit art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]