By: Eric Gargiulo
Only days after one of the more controversial decisions in a long time for the UFC, Dana White will be signing a Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit rematch immediately. In other words, the Nick Diaz retirement lasted a grand total of four days. One of the best MMA insiders on Twitter, @FrontRowBrian was the first to break the news. I have been critical about MMA reporters and their lack of ability to break big stories over the last year. Brian is not a reporter and probably breaks more stories in a day than they do in a month. He was right on the mark with this one.
“From industry sources: Malki Kawa and Cesar Gracie are both posturing. UFC has already approached both camps for a rematch this summer.” – @FrontRowBrian
UFC president Dana White officially broke the news on Twitter after Brian’s tweet started making the rounds.
“@justScrap85 @carloscondit @malkikawa the rumor is true. Carlos did accept the fight today and Carlos is coming on Friday not thur.” – @DanaWhite
The quick agreement is a bit of a surprise after you had Diaz retire on Saturday night and Condit tell numerous media outlets that he had no interest in fighting Diaz again. Most MMA analysts suspected that money could change Condit’s tune so it wouldn’t surprise me if that is the case. The UFC 143 main-event ended in some controversy, I say some because there are some that thought Diaz won, while others thought that Condit won. The majority of articles and reports I read seemed to indicate that most felt Condit won, although some did sympathize with Diaz. It was nowhere close to the outrage that some felt after the first Rua vs. Machida decision or the second Edgar vs. Maynard fight, but the chatter was definitely there.
Condit taking the fight does not surprise me at all. He needs this fight, maybe even more than Diaz. Diaz can go fight one guy, get a win, and earn just as much money fighting Georges St-Pierre as he would if he fought him after beating Condit. As for Condit, the interest is minimal at best in seeing a GSP fight. Between losing the fight that the fans wanted to see and Condit’s less than exciting performance Saturday, he needs a win and a big one at that to drum up serious interest in fighting GSP.
Diaz ended his retirement in just a matter of days. I don’t think anyone really expected to Diaz to stay retired. He is too good, still young, and let’s face it, he is always complaining about money. I am a little surprised that the UFC gave in and granted him a rematch so fast with Condit. I expected him to have to work for it yet nonetheless, he and the UFC have another shot of giving the fans the fight they really want to see, Diaz vs. GSP.
Business is generally not good for rematches. The Maynard vs. Edgar III buyrate was not very good and that was arguably a much better fight that was being rematched. Fans are already complaining about paying for what they thought was a less exciting fight than advertised thanks to Condit’s game plan. This is going to be a tough sell. It wouldn’t shock me to see this one land on a UFC on Fox special. As a fan, I am pumped for the rematch. I am intrigued to see the different game plans that these guys bring into the rematch. Diaz will have to do something different or he will just be chasing Condit around again for five rounds. Condit will have to be more aggressive if he expects to draw any money off the win with the GSP showdown. It should be a fascinating chess match for fight fans.
Only days after one of the more controversial decisions in a long time for the UFC, Dana White will be signing a Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit rematch immediately. In other words, the Nick Diaz retirement lasted a grand total of four days. One of the best MMA insiders on Twitter, @FrontRowBrian was the first to break the news. I have been critical about MMA reporters and their lack of ability to break big stories over the last year. Brian is not a reporter and probably breaks more stories in a day than they do in a month. He was right on the mark with this one.
“From industry sources: Malki Kawa and Cesar Gracie are both posturing. UFC has already approached both camps for a rematch this summer.” – @FrontRowBrian
UFC president Dana White officially broke the news on Twitter after Brian’s tweet started making the rounds.
“@justScrap85 @carloscondit @malkikawa the rumor is true. Carlos did accept the fight today and Carlos is coming on Friday not thur.” – @DanaWhite
The quick agreement is a bit of a surprise after you had Diaz retire on Saturday night and Condit tell numerous media outlets that he had no interest in fighting Diaz again. Most MMA analysts suspected that money could change Condit’s tune so it wouldn’t surprise me if that is the case. The UFC 143 main-event ended in some controversy, I say some because there are some that thought Diaz won, while others thought that Condit won. The majority of articles and reports I read seemed to indicate that most felt Condit won, although some did sympathize with Diaz. It was nowhere close to the outrage that some felt after the first Rua vs. Machida decision or the second Edgar vs. Maynard fight, but the chatter was definitely there.
Condit taking the fight does not surprise me at all. He needs this fight, maybe even more than Diaz. Diaz can go fight one guy, get a win, and earn just as much money fighting Georges St-Pierre as he would if he fought him after beating Condit. As for Condit, the interest is minimal at best in seeing a GSP fight. Between losing the fight that the fans wanted to see and Condit’s less than exciting performance Saturday, he needs a win and a big one at that to drum up serious interest in fighting GSP.
Diaz ended his retirement in just a matter of days. I don’t think anyone really expected to Diaz to stay retired. He is too good, still young, and let’s face it, he is always complaining about money. I am a little surprised that the UFC gave in and granted him a rematch so fast with Condit. I expected him to have to work for it yet nonetheless, he and the UFC have another shot of giving the fans the fight they really want to see, Diaz vs. GSP.
Business is generally not good for rematches. The Maynard vs. Edgar III buyrate was not very good and that was arguably a much better fight that was being rematched. Fans are already complaining about paying for what they thought was a less exciting fight than advertised thanks to Condit’s game plan. This is going to be a tough sell. It wouldn’t shock me to see this one land on a UFC on Fox special. As a fan, I am pumped for the rematch. I am intrigued to see the different game plans that these guys bring into the rematch. Diaz will have to do something different or he will just be chasing Condit around again for five rounds. Condit will have to be more aggressive if he expects to draw any money off the win with the GSP showdown. It should be a fascinating chess match for fight fans.
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