One is “Ruthless.” One is a “Natural Born Killer.” Neither—judging by their nickname—will go gentle into that good night. Nor should they at the UFC 195 face-off between Robbie Lawler (the ruthless welterweight champ with a 26-10 record) and Carlos Condit (the ex-interim champ with the killer charm who has racked up 30 wins over only eight losses and has his sights on Lawler’s title).
Postponed from November due to a thumb injury Lawler suffered during training, the match is predicted by the Los Angeles Times to be “as subtle as a punch in the face” and “a stand-up slugfest.” Not blunt enough? Consider the website bloodyelbow.com’s recommendation: “Treasure the disgustingly high violence potential.”
Both men’s reach is similar (Lawler’s is 74 inches, Condit’s is 75), although Condit is taller by 3 inches, making the match-up more interesting. Also known as the Albuquerque Bandit, the New Mexico-born Condit, 31, began wrestling at age 9, then at 15 studied Gaidojutso (wrestling, kickboxing and judo techniques) before turning pro as a mixed martial artist at 18. In his first fight, he triumphed in less than a minute against Nick Roscorla, and continued an impressive run, winning his next four bouts in the first round.
“For me, this is a creative outlet, like putting together great notes,” Condit said at a news conference, reported by the Times. “We put together great techniques, we develop different combinations to solve different problems.”
Hailing originally from San Diego, 33-year-old Lawler began training in karate at age 9, later winning all-state honors in wrestling and football, before coming under the tutelage of Pat Miletich, UFC’s first welterweight champ and hall of fame member. Kicking off his professional career in 2001 at age 19, Lawler won his first four fights by knockout or technical knockout en route to champion status. “I don’t need to do all the trash talking,” Lawler once said. “I try to do it with my fists, my knees and my feet.”
Expect two fighters going violently into that good night.
MGM Grand, 3:30 p.m. Jan. 2, $104-$804 plus tax and fee. 800.745.3000 Ticketmaster
