Thiago Alves' Saturday night ended quickly at UFC Fight Night 67, courtesy of a torrent of Carlos Condit offense. Check it out here:
The first round was a tentative, respectful affair. Alves threw his patented leg kicks as the Natural Born Killer circled and checked when he could. Early in the second round, however, Condit feinted a right hand into a stepping-in left elbow that smashed Alves' nose and put him on wobbly legs.
Alves would hit the mat and Condit would continue to punish him for the remainder of the round, slicing him up with punches and more elbows inside the clinch. While the Brazilian would reach the bell, the ringside doctor had seen enough, calling the fight before the start of the third. The damage was done, however, as the former UFC title contender was taken to the hospital after the fight and will undergo surgery to repair his nose.
It was a particularly gratifying win for Condit, who has spent 14 months out of the cage due to a knee injury sustained during his UFC 171 bout opposite Tyron Woodley. While the victory does not quite propel him directly back into the title hunt, it was a strong reminder of NBK's perfect storm of pure violence and actual, technical kickboxing. It wouldn't be a huge surprise if Condit winds up fighting for the title in early 2016.
After the fight, Condit called for the winner of the upcoming welterweight title fight between Robbie Lawler and Rory MacDonald, saying he wants to once again carry UFC gold. While he likely won't get it quite yet, there are more than a few interesting potential opponents out there for him...if anybody is willing to step into the cage with him after seeing what happened to Alves.
