No Pep Talks Necessary

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- It was a speech that would have made Knute Rockne and Vince Lombardi proud.

Carlos Condit had gotten the worst of the first two rounds with Rory MacDonald in their welterweight bout at UFC 115 in June, and a repeat performance in the third meant certain defeat. As a passionate throng at the GM Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, anticipated its countryman MacDonald’s second UFC victory, just five minutes away, trainer Greg Jackson unleashed a fire-and-brimstone pep talk on Condit that belied his usual happy-go-lucky persona. The gist of the message: Finish this fight or go back home with a loss.

It was, Condit recalls, the most animated he had ever seen his trainer.

“Usually Greg’s very laid back and pretty chill in the corner,” he says. “It was crunch time basically.”

The method of motivation was effective, because the former World Extreme Cagefighting welterweight champion launched an assault upon MacDonald that culminated in a referee stoppage at 4:53 of the third round.

“I didn’t want to lose by a small margin on the judges’ scorecards,” Condit says. “He got me fired up, and I was ready to get fired up. I went out there and did what I had to do.”

Winning at the wire allowed Condit’s next wish -- a date with Dan Hardy -- to be granted. He faces the British striker in the co-main event of UFC 120 on Saturday in London. It marks Condit’s second straight journey into hostile territory for a fight.

“It’s a different kind of experience to have an entire arena booing you, but I’m a professional,” Condit says. “I’ve been doing this for almost a decade now. Things like that really don’t frazzle me too much. I think all the pressure’s on him.”

Hardy is coming off a unanimous decision loss to current welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre at UFC 111. Prior to that, he notched four consecutive victories within the company, besting Akihiro Gono, Rory Markham, Marcus Davis and Mike Swick. The Team Rough House product has taken exception to Condit's requests for him as an opponent, saying in an interview on BJPenn.com that Condit “has not looked particularly dangerous” in recent fights against MacDonald and Jake Ellenberger.

“We’re in the same weight class,” Condit says. “That fight could’ve been made whether I asked for it or [UFC matchmaker] Joe Silva decided to make the fight. Is Dan Hardy going to come out and try to beat my ass worse because I called him out? No. It’s a calculated risk on my part, and I’m aware of the risks.”

Jackson cornered St. Pierre during his victory over Hardy, but he does not expect this fight to have much of a resemblance to that matchup, a matchup in which St. Pierre controlled much of the action with takedowns and wrestling.

“It’s a very different fight than the Georges fight, obviously, because they bring two different skill sets in,” he says. “I’m hoping we’ll have a good enough performance to have either a KO or a submission, or put it so far ahead that the judges’ decision doesn’t go against us.”

Striking is Hardy’s bread and butter; he owns 11 victories by either knockout or TKO in his MMA career. He has never been finished by strikes in seven career losses.

“I think Dan is banking on the fact he thinks that he has far superior stand-up to me,” Condit says. “That’s not the case, and I’m going to show that.”

Condit has won 10 of his last 11 fights overall, with his only loss coming against Martin Kampmann in his promotional debut at UFC Fight Night 18 in 2009. The most valuable experience Condit has gained since his run as WEC welterweight king has come through a wide variety of training. His rise to prominence began at Albuquerque’s FIT NHB gym. Under the tutelage of Tom and Arlene Vaughn, the gym’s owners, Condit went from rising teenage prospect to champion. He parted ways with his longtime trainers in 2009 prior to his first UFC appearance. A stint at Arizona Combat Sports allowed him the opportunity to work with teammates such as former WEC lightweight champion Jamie Varner, “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 7 finalist C.B. Dollaway and “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 8 winner Ryan Bader.

He returned to Albuquerque after his win over Ellenberger and has called Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts home since. His current camp has included the likes of Ryan Jensen, Kyle Noke, Joey Villasenor and UFC 120 headliner Yoshihiro Akiyama.


“When I was in the WEC, I had been with the same camp my entire career, and I really hadn’t seen how other people trained. Since then, I’ve branched out and gone to some different camps and seen how other guys who are on the same level are training,” Condit says. “I think that has definitely helped me out quite a bit in all aspects of my game.”

Fatherhood has changed his perspective, as well. Condit’s 6-month-old son, Owen, makes fighting less of a solo endeavor.

“It makes you look to the future more,” he says. “Every day that I come in here is an opportunity to maybe give him a better step forward in life.”

If all else fails, there’s always the chance Jackson has some well-timed words for Condit come fight night. However, the respected trainer hopes he will not have to do as much talking this time around.


“Everybody wants you to re-create those moments,” Jackson says. “Those moments are so fluid. If you force it again, that would never work. We’re going to try to make this fight so I don’t have to do a pep talk.”