Returning Carlos Condit really excited to 'do some violence' once again at UFC 219

LAS VEGAS – Former UFC interim welterweight champion Carlos Condit returns to action from a career-long layoff on Saturday at UFC 219. The break was self-imposed, and during that time “The Natural Born Killer” has recharged.

“This second I’m calm, but these last couple weeks leading up to fight week I’ve been chomping at the bit,” Condit told MMAjunkie ahead of his welterweight bout vs. Neil Magny. “I’m really excited. I have a lot of energy, a lot of fire, and I’m excited to go in and do some violence.”

UFC 219 takes place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Condit (30-10 MMA, 7-6 UFC) vs. Magny (19-6 MMA, 12-5 UFC) airs on the pay-per-view main card following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.

Condit has not stepped in the octagon since a first-round submission loss to Demian Maia at UFC on FOX 21 in August 2016. He never officially retired from competition but said he wasn’t entirely certain he’d have another fight, either.

Although he kept the details close, Condit admits the past two years haven’t been his best from a non-fighting standpoint. He said the one-sided outcome of his clash with Maia only compacted the issues.

“I had a bunch of (expletive) going on,” Condit said. “That was a heavy year. 2016, it was kind of (expletive) up. 2017’s been heavy, too, but I’ve really reestablished priorities, and this camp has been really good. Just ready to fight. I always put a lot of effort. There’s no fight camp that I’ve phoned it in. I always put a lot of effort in. I was obviously super disappointed that I didn’t go out there and compete. I didn’t show what I can do, which sucks. That was part of my disappointment.”

Condit said he took some time away from training after his loss to Maia in order to reset and get his priorities in order. Eventually he made his way back to the team at Jackson-Wink MMA in Albuquerque, N.M., and before long, he was feeling the urge to fight.

More than 15 years after his professional debut, Condit has spoken openly about his concerns regarding the long-term repercussions of fighting. He said he decreased his typical number of training sessions during fight camp but boosted the intensity level to make each workout meaningful. Condit said it felt good not to “leave it all in the gym” and enter a fight completely healthy.

Condit provided praise to his UFC 219 opponent Magny but said his strategic preparation has provided a clear avenue to victory.

“Neil’s really well rounded. He’s got phenomenal endurance, and he pushes the pace,” Condit said. “I have to be a step ahead of Neil. If Neil is taking the initiative, and he’s a step ahead of me, and he’s pushing the pace, then it might not bode well for me. But if I stay a step ahead of him, I’m going to be successful.”

Despite the layoff, Condit is still regarded by most as one of the best 170-pound fighters in the world. He’s a fighter who, with a few wins, could get right back in the title conversation, but it’s clear Condit is not interested in putting that type of pressure on himself at this time.

For Condit, it’s all about focusing on Magny and reevaluating from there. He expects a dominant performance ending in a stoppage, but if he takes a lot of punishment or things go awry, he could decide enough is enough.

“(Retirement is) probably results-based and also damage,” Condit said. “You accumulate fights, you accumulate damage. That sort of things build up. If I get in there and take care of business like I believe I will, I trained hard and I hope to fight easy and get out of there without taking much damage,  then I still got a little bit left. We’ll see.

“I’ve been at this for a long time,” he continued. “I’ve got to get off this ride at some point. It’s just like, when? This ride, it hasn’t stopped for me yet. I’m here, and I’m all in on this one.”

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