Watch Action Heroes Carlos Condit & Joe Lauzon While You Still Can

Tonight’s (August 27, 2016) UFC on FOX 21 card (also known as UFC Vancouver) is not getting the respect it deserves.

The main card, in particular, is excellent. Featuring the featherweight debut of Anthony “Showtime” Pettis and the return of the exciting Paige VanZant, there will be no shortage of action on network TV tonight

But even on an event that is packed with potential fireworks, two fighters stand out from the rest: Carlos Condit and Joe Lauzon. Condit headlines the event against dangerous grappler Demian Maia. Lauzon, meanwhile, kicks off the main card against Jim Miller in a rematch of their 2012 Fight of the Year candidate.

Fan favorites since they began their UFC careers (Condit in 2009, Lauzon in 2006), the pair have continued to put on can’t-miss scraps every time they set foot in the cage. The two finish-minded brawlers have combined for 21 post-fight bonuses, and they have been plying their trade in the two most talent-stacked divisions in MMA.

Known as ‘The Natural Born Killer’ (Has there ever been a more apt nickname?) Condit has reached higher highs in his career than his all-action counterpart. He was the last WEC welterweight champion, winning and defending the belt three times before Zuffa dissolved the division and brought him to the UFC. Condit won the interim UFC welterweight title by beating former Strikeforce champion Nick Diaz over five rounds. He came within a hair’s breadth of finishing the greatest of all time, Georges St. Pierre, with follow-up punches after dropping him with a head kick. And many people, myself included, think he should have walked away with the belt this past January after challenging Robbie Lawler.

But Condit will not be remembered for coming up short in his title fights. His come-forward, all-offense-all-the-time style, both on the feet and on the mat, will be his lasting legacy. This is the man who one-shotted a former title challenger, shattered another’s face, authored a thrilling last-second comeback on a budding superstar, and absolutely destroyed an undefeated fighter. And that is without bringing up his all-time classic performances against Johny Hendricks and Lawler.

After coming up short against “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler, Condit openly floated the prospect of retirement. He is soon to be a father of two and has put nearly 14 years into one of the most grueling sports in the world. Few could blame the 32-year-old New Mexico native if he wanted to hang up his four-ounce gloves for good. But we, fight fans, have been blessed with at least one more appearance of ‘The Natural Born Killer’.

 

Lauzon could soon find himself in a similar situation. Also 32 years old, ‘J-Lau’ has been fighting professionally for nearly as long, and has been in some of the most grueling wars in UFC history. While he has 12 UFC stoppage victories to his credit, Lauzon has also been finished four times. And even when he has made it to the final bell, there have been times when the Boston native has taken some hellacious punishment.

We need to cherish every time we still have the opportunity to see this man compete. Lauzon is a finish machine, blowing the doors off a former champion, spoiling a heavy favorite’s title aspirations, and knocking out a guy who had never before been finished. He throws caution to the wind every time out, walking down his opponent to land power punches, even if he has to eat heavy leather in return. And his submission game is even more aggressive, as he hunts for a limb or a neck the moment the fight hits the floor.

If you’re reading this, you are probably a fight fan, and I don’t need to convince you to watch Condit and Lauzon every chance you get. But the fact remains that, even with their fights being broadcast on network television, fewer people will watch, care, or talk about these beautiful gems of violence than those that did last weekend when Conor McGregor battled Nate Diaz in the main event of the massive UFC 202 from Vegas. With that fight in the rearview mirror, the general public can go back to ignoring the constant stream of fights the UFC is churning out these days.

And that is a crying shame.

One of the many problems with the UFC’s torrid schedule is that almost every week, their hype machine is telling us that this next fight is “can’t miss”. But when a fight or a fighter comes along that truly fits that description, it gets drowned out in the unending promos.

Lauzon and Condit are both soft-spoken, smart, contemplative guys. They rarely engage in trash talk or the carnival that is mixed martial arts promotion. As such, they are outstanding ambassadors of the sport side of what is increasingly becoming “sports entertainment”. And while they don’t fulfill the latter half of that phrase with their mouths, they more than make up for it with their performances.

If you have friends who were drawn into MMA’s orbit by the spectacle of UFC 202 but haven’t yet become full-fledged fans, make sure they watch tonight too. MMA can be a weird freakshow at times, but at the end of the day, people who love this sport love it because of fighters like Condit and Lauzon. They put their well-being in serious jeopardy every time out in the name of exciting fisticuffs.

The least we can do is watch.