Condit's performance was everything that's wrong with MMA.

Say Condit had have engaged more in the later rounds, and got caught with something big and KO'd, or got caught off balance and taken to the ground and submitted, wouldn't we all be talking about what a tit he was for abandoning a game plan that was working in order to go all macho-man against Diaz?

I think a lot of us would have seen it as a major tactical error on his part.




EDIT: 10,000 posts. Woohoo!:happy

 

I can see what both sides are saying but standing in the pocket with Diaz for too long doesn't ussually work out....he finished Daley and turned BJ into a punching bag.

This was Condits biggest fight of his career and all he had to do was follow a gameplan that would work against Diaz. Diaz never changed things up much even though he must have seen the pattern.

Although it wasn't the most entertaining getting a chance at a world title is prob more important then trying to finish a guy that never get's finished anyhow.

 

I disagree with the thought that Condit just threw leg kicks and ran. He simply moved his way back to the center of the cage as he knew that Nick's strength was going to be when Condit had his back against the fence. Condit threw combintations... he also threw way more shots are intended to KO than Diaz did. He threw spinning backfists, spinning elbows, and high kicks quite a lot.

I really like Nick Diaz, but I am getting tired of this bull**** theory that fighters who fight him are supposed to not take him down, not move... and only fight him with their back against the cage. Yet, I have seen so many fights where Diaz himself takes fighters to the ground, backs away from them at times, ect...

It's no different than a master technical boxer sticking, moving, and utilizing the theory of "Hit and don't get hit." As long as the person is actually striking as well (Which Condit was doing A LOT of striking). Just because the other fighter isn't as good technically, can't keep up with the footwork, ect... doesn't mean that the more talented technical fighter has some kind of obligation to water down his own attributes so that the other guy has a better chance.... or so the fight looks better to the fans who want all action (or the other guy to win). Condit did what he had to do in order to maximize his own chances of winning while minimizing Diaz's best attributes and strengths. That's what he is supposed to do. Diaz should have realized by at LEAST the 3rd round that what he was doing is ineffective for the most part and he should have tried harder to secure a takedown and go for a submission much earlier. However, as we saw... he did make a few takedown attempts earlier that weren't successful. Condit simply outfought him and out smarted him.

 

Stun N Run?

 

Popkins thinks that finishing a fight is more important than winning.. When you're wrong you're wrong, but thanks for giving us something to talk about.

:thumbsup

 

Tap N Nap

 

we already have a name for it - tig/tag

 

"Baby leg kicks." Heheh. I thought that was funny as well.

 

It even goes further than that. In scanning the internet for post fight reactions, there seems to be this overwhelming consensus among Diaz fans (and some who aren't fans), that Condit owed it to the audience to fight a fight that it was extremely unlikely he would win.
This is the height of arrogance and stupidity. What fighter ever goes into a fight thinking "I know I'm going to lose if I employ strategy X, but I should employ it because that's what the fans want to see."

I realize that Diaz fans are seriously hurting today because they had built Nick up as being invincible, the best boxer ever in MMA, and the most well rounded fighter in the game. Thus, to see him hopelessly stalking Condit around the octagon, while getting peppered with leg kicks and strikes was too much too bear.
But anyone who criticizes Condit for not fighting Nick's fight, and almost certainly losing in the process if he did, aren't true fans of the sport. They are a fan of one guy.

I wonder how many of these same people who are dumping all over Condit today would be dumping on him for utilizing a poor strategy if he had decided to brawl with Diaz and lost.

 

Were you guys that hated this fight upset after Cotto/Margarito II? Obviously Cotto was the more decisive winner, but the Condit employed a similar gameplan against a similar fighter. I can only remember people praising Cotto for good gameplanning.

 

Very good point.

 

Yeah, nobody wants to chase those $50,000+ Fight, Submission or KO of the Night bonuses. :good

:hat

 

Also, lets not pretend that Carlos doesn't have a 92% finishing rate. He fought with a smart gameplan last night; he is not all of a sudden a boring fighter. Also, a lot of the shots that he landed last night would have taken out fighters with less resilience than Nick Diaz.

 

Btw talking of people just accepting points victory when they could have finished, here's a line from Diaz's post fight promo.

 

Yep. Carlos threw a hell of a lot of flying knees, spinning elbows and head kicks for a boring guy who was only trying to run and survive.

:hat