Carlos Condit returns to face Neil Magny at UFC 219

Carlos Condit wanted a fight from the UFC, and now he’s got one.

Two weeks after lobbying UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby for a bout, the promotion today announced it has booked Condit (30-10 MMA, 7-6 UFC) to face Neil Magny (19-6 MMA, 12-5 UFC) at UFC 219, the year’s final show at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The event, slated for Dec. 30, will air on pay-per-view following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.

Condit, 33, last was seen in the octagon 13 months ago at UFC on FOX 21. He hoped to get back into title contention with a win over Demain Maia. Instead, he wound up tapping to the Brazilian submission ace.

The loss left Condit 2-5 in his past seven appearances, with two of his setbacks coming in title bouts. Condit had already pondered retirement after falling short against champ Robbie Lawler in a nail-biter at UFC 195.

After the Maia loss, Condit wondered if he had what it took to compete at the highest level. But he shied away from making any definitive statements about his future. Then Condit retreated from the spotlight and mostly kept quiet about his life. Speculation about a career as a personal trainer was stoked by a post on social media.

Three years ago, Condit took on current champion Tyron Woodley (18-3-1 MMA, 8-2-1 UFC) in a bout with title implications. After getting rocked in the first round, Condit suffered a knee injury that prematurely ended the fight.

In Magny, Condit faces a fighter who’s 4-3 in his past seven contests and was most recently submitted via arm-triangle choke by Rafael dos Anjos last month at UFC 215. Magny recently had been called out by Kamaru Usman, but that fight will have to wait.

With the addition, the UFC 216 lineup now includes:

• Dominick Cruz vs. Jimmie Rivera
• Carlos Condit vs. Neil Magny
• Cynthia Calvillo vs. Carla Esparza
• Matheus Nicolau vs. Louis Smolka

For more on UFC 219, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.