Carlos Condit targets early 2015 return after complete ACL replacement

Carlos Condit (29-8 MMA, 6-4 UFC) is still early in his recovery from major knee surgery, but with all that’s going on in the UFC welterweight division, he can’t help but yearn for a return to the octagon.

Following his loss to Tyron Woodley at UFC 171 this past March, Condit was forced to undergo a complete ACL replacement surgery. While under the knife, he also had some meniscus damage repaired.

All of this came as the result of an in-fight injury sustained while trying to defend a Woodley takedown. Condit would eventually become incapable of standing on the damaged knee and would go on to lose by TKO in the second round.

Knee injuries are hardly a rarity for MMA fighters, and Condit is one of many to undergo ACL replacement surgery. The commonality of the injury gives Condit optimism, though, particularly because he’s seen plenty others return to competition at 100 percent and do great things.

“I was walking pretty much immediately,” Condit said of his March 29 surgery. “I was on crutches for a week or two; I had a brace for a little bit longer than that. Recovery is going well. It’s slow going. It’s a long process, but it’s going well.

“Seeing my peers coming back and doing as well or better than they did before they were injured – but it’s also the fact this happened in a fight. That gives me motivation.”

While injuries are never welcome, they are part of the MMA cycle and happen to essentially everyone. Unfortunately, this injury came at the worst time possible for Condit, as his fight with Woodley was the co-main event of a major pay-per-view and a victory would have arguably placed him in line for a title shot.

Condit tweaked his knee while attempting to defend a takedown and did his best to fight on one leg. The contest was stopped when Woodley kicked Condit’s supporting leg, causing him to collapse to the mat in agony.

Injuries of a similar nature aren’t seen all that often in competition, and while part of Condit believes it was a fluky occurrence; he also recognizes it was one of Woodley’s offensive moves that led to the damage.

“I think that it was a freak thing,” Condit said. “I’ve been taken down a hell of a lot of times in fights recently and that didn’t happen. It was a freak thing, but he won the fight. I’m not going to take the win away from him. But the knee injury, that would happen. You see guys step wrong and it happens. I don’t know. He initiated the takedown and I got hurt.”

Even though Condit has maintained high spirits through a crushing injury, he can’t help but feel a little left out of the welterweight fold. Since longtime titleholder Georges St-Pierre took a hiatus from competition this past December, the 170-pound division has evolved into one of the UFC’s most exciting weight classes.

Condit is unable to participate in any of that fun, something that has admittedly evolved into a source of discontent for the 30-year-old.

“It’s frustrating being out all-around,” Condit said. “Seeing Matt Brown going and getting the title eliminator fight (against Robbie Lawler) when I was supposed to fight him. Seeing all these guys that I’m in the mix with just moving up. I just have to watch as a spectator at this point and I have to focus of making myself better and getting to a place where I can compete again.”

While “The Natural Born Killer” has several targets on his hit list for when he’s finally deemed healthy, the opponent Condit wants a piece of most is Woodley. Even without the injury Condit is unhappy with his performance in that fight, and now he wants nothing more than the opportunity to redeem his performance.

“I’m going to get that rematch,” Condit said. “Whether it’s my first fight back or it’s down the road, I’ll get that rematch. I want to rematch everybody I’ve lost to. I’m 2-0 in rematches in my career or something like that.”

By no means does the loss to Woodley consume him, but Condit’s competitive spirits makes the outcome especially hard to stomach. Nevertheless, Condit will spend the months ahead focusing on rehabilitation with his target date for a return set for early next year.

The moment Condit is fit to compete, expect to see him back in the octagon with any of the top names in the loaded welterweight division.

“I’m definitely excited,” Condit said. “There’s a lot of excitement in the division right now and part of that is the guys I’m possibly going to be matched up against when I come back. It’s a good time to be involved in the division.”

I’m still trying to get that title belt. I still got some time to gain. I’m coming back better, I’m coming back stronger.”

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.