Carlos Condit calls for winner of Robbie Lawler vs. Rory MacDonald at UFC 189

GOIANIA, Brazil – Ex-interim welterweight champ Carlos Condit did the usual whatever-the-UFC-wants dance following his second-round TKO of Thiago Alves at Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 67. But afterward, he was a little more insistent.

“I want whoever has the title in a couple of months,” Condit told MMAjunkie, referring to the winner of an upcoming welterweight title bout between champ Robbie Lawler and Rory MacDonald.

Condit (30-8 MMA, 7-4 UFC) already boasts a win over MacDonald in 2010 at UFC 115. After a tough pair of rounds against the Canadian, he rallied to earn a late TKO in the third.

Lawler (25-10 MMA, 10-4 UFC) vs. MacDonald (18-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) II is a rematch of a meeting at UFC 167 that saw Lawler emerge with a split-call win. Lawler went on to capture the belt this past December from Johny Hendricks in a rematch of their meeting at UFC 171.

Condit briefly enjoyed UFC gold around his waist when he outpointed Nick Diaz at UFC 143 to claim the interim title, which was created when now-former champ Georges St-Pierre suffered a knee injury and was sidelined for over one year.

Then St-Pierre returned, and routed Condit in a title unification bout at UFC 154. Since then, gold has been elusive for Condit, who lost a title eliminator to now-former champ Johny Hendricks before suffering an ACL injury at UFC 171 in a bout against Tyron Woodley.

Tonight’s fight was Condit’s first since March 2014, and yet the ex-champ showed no signs of cage rust when he engaged with Alves (21-10 MMA, 13-7 UFC). In the second round, a well-timed elbow exploded Alves’ nose, prompting the cageside doctor to recommend a stoppage to the referee. The bout, which headlined the event at Goiana Arena in Goiania, Goias, Brazil, was subsequently called off.

“I didn’t exactly know what happened, but I felt it on my elbow, and I knew he was hurt,” Condit said. “I hurt him with the first rising elbow and then with the spinning back elbow. I could just feel the fight drain out of him after I hit him that first time.”

With a successful return behind him, Condit wants to get back in the title hunt.

“Whether it’s Rory or Robbie, I want that guy,” he said.

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 67, check out the UFC Events section of the site.