Carlos Condit Speaks Out for First Time Since MMA Retirement

Longtime UFC welterweight Carlos Condit surprised many in the MMA community when he announced his retirement from the sport last week and he’s recently talked about what into his decision to leave the sport and to reflect on his incredible career.

Condit is just two months removed from his last UFC octagon appearance, falling to Max Griffin by unanimous decision in a fight where he had little success as he once did in his career. Entering the fight with Griffin, Condit made quite the comeback to the sport with back-to-back wins over Court McGee and Matt Brown.

But, the recent loss to Griffin made Condit reflect on what could be next for his career and his life in general. Ultimately, he decided to leave the sport he was once feared and move on to new ventures.

Just days following his retirement, Condit spoke with MMA journalist Ariel Helwani about what went into his decision to retire and how he looks back on his success in the octagon.

“It was time. For a lot of different reasons,” Condit said. “After that last fight, I felt like I put together a good camp and I was just a step behind Max [Griffin]. I feel like I could really try to tweak things and I could try to figure out what’s missing, what part of the formula isn’t working right now and then go and test it again and test it again, but that’s a tough thing to do.

“At a certain point there’s diminishing returns, so I think it’s time to move on. Probably about three weeks or a month ago I called Dana [White] and I let him know, so this thing has been coming down the pipe for a little while.”

When Condit made his return to the UFC after a two-year hiatus late last year, it was expected to be the last potential title run for the UFC fan favorite. Over his career, Condit had accumulated a 32-14 record including 15 wins by knockout.

Condit has also competed with some of the best welterweights in UFC history, including former champions Georges St-Pierre and Tyron Woodley. After defeating Nick Diaz at UFC 143, Condit went on to challenge for the welterweight title and would go on to lose by unanimous decision to Georges St-Pierre.

What is Carlos Condit’s legacy in MMA? How will you remember him?