Former UFC interim welterweight champion Carlos Condit will make his much-awaited return to the Octagon this weekend as he takes on Thiago “The Pitbull” Alves in the main event of UFC Fight Night 67 in Goiania, Brazil.
“The Natural Born Killer” has been out of action for over a year after he tore his ACL in his TKO loss to Tyron Woodley in March of last year. The loss was Condit’s third in his last four fights, with the other two coming against former 170-pound champs Georges St-Pierre and Johny Hendricks.
UFC Fight Night 67: Condit vs Alves Preview
Meanwhile, Alves is riding his first winning streak since the impressive seven-fight unbeaten run that saw him earn a shot at St-Pierre’s welterweight crown at UFC 100 back in 2008. “The Pitbull” returned from a two-year layoff last April, and has won his last two fights against Seth Baczynski and Jordan Mein.
This matchup with Alves figures to play right into the returning Condit’s strengths, and the oddsmakers agree. With the fight just around the corner, the headlining fight odds heavily favor Condit, according to betting site TopBet.eu.
Condit is a supremely gifted striker and kickboxer, and owns 14 career wins via knockout or TKO. He’s also got a slick ground game with 13 wins via submission, but he’d much rather keep the fight standing up.
His last three losses have come at the hands of three elite wrestlers in St-Pierre, Hendricks and Woodley. The first two were able to neutralize Condit’s kickboxing with their takedowns, and ground out unanimous decision wins. The latter was on his way to another one before Condit hurt his knee and lost via TKO.
Condit won’t exactly have to fear the threat any takedowns from Alves, who is more than willing to stand and trade. He’ll still need to be wary of Alves’s striking ability, though. Just as Jordan Mein, who was getting the better of striking exchanges with Alves until a vicious body kick from Pitbull quickly ended his night.
All told, this fight figures to be an ideal step back into action for Condit. His much more well-rounded offensive game gives him the edge, but the threat of Alves’ power could certainly make things interesting.
