Condit Says He Wasn’t Offered New Foe at UFC 193, Still Hoping for Title Fight with Lawler

If he has his way, Carlos Condit won’t return to the Octagon until Robbie Lawler is healthy.

“The Natural Born Killer” was supposed to challenge for Lawler’s welterweight title in the UFC 193 main event on Nov. 14, but those plans were put on hold when the champion was forced to withdraw from the bout due to a thumb injury. The promotion acted swiftly, transferring the Ronda Rousey-Holly Holm women’s bantamweight championship clash from UFC 195 to the Melbourne event.

Condit says the UFC didn’t even present him with the option of remaining on the card.

“At this point no, I’m not fighting on the same card, and I have not been offered any other opponents,” Condit told AXS-TV’s “Inside MMA” on Friday. “Nothing other than the news that Robbie’s out.”

While the severity of Lawler’s injury is currently unclear, Condit would like to keep the matchup intact for a later date. The Jackson-Wink MMA product once held interim 170-pound gold, but lost a five-round verdict to Georges St. Pierre in a title unification bout at UFC 154 in November 2012.

“We don’t really have a timeline at this point on his return. We’ll see,” Condit said.”If it’s plausible for that to be my next fight, if he heals up in a decent amount of time, of course I’d like to fight him. I was really, really excited for that matchup.”

Condit only recently returned from a year-long layoff due to knee surgery in May, when he earned a doctor stoppage victory over Thiago Alves at UFC Fight Night in Goiania, Brazil. Like most anyone else affiliated with MMA, Condit understands that injuries come with the territory.

“It’s obviously disappointing, but this is something that I have been through before,” he said. “It’s really just the nature of the sport.”

For now, Condit says he plans on remaining in the gym, if only to stay in a positive frame of mind.

“Another opportunity might come my way,” he said. “Either way, I need to stay in shape. Not just in case of an opportunity but for my sanity. Training is my therapy.”