MMA’s Greats of the States | New Mexico: Carlos Condit

Mixed martial artists come from every corner of the globe, bearing a variety of styles. Sometimes, fighters are products of their environment, favoring disciplines prevalent in the country or state from which they hail. Various regions of the United States are considered factories for great fighters, though that certainly is not the case with each state. In this weekly Sherdog.com series, the spotlight will shine on the best mixed martial artist of all-time from each of the 50 states. Fighters do not necessarily need to be born in a given state to represent it; they simply need to be associated with it.

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Carlos Condit’s accomplishments speak for themselves.

An Albuquerque, New Mexico, native, “The Natural Born Killer” excelled on the regional circuit before arriving in World Extreme Cagefighting in 2007 and capturing the organization’s vacant welterweight championship with a rear-naked choke submission on John Alessio at WEC 26. Condit defended the title on three occasions -- he finished Brock Larson, Carlo Prato and Hiromitsu Miura in succession -- before moving to the Ultimate Fighting Championship as part of the WEC merger. The Jackson-Wink MMA rep continued to impress inside the Octagon.

Victories over Jake Ellenberger, Rory MacDonald, Dan Hardy and Dong Hyun Kim thrust Condit into title contention in early 2012. He captured the interim welterweight crown with a decision over Nick Diaz at UFC 143 but fell short against the great Georges St. Pierre in a unification bout some 10 months later. Condit has gone just 2-4 since, with wins over Martin Kampmann and Thiago Alves offset by losses to Johny Hendricks, Tyron Woodley, Robbie Lawler and Demian Maia. He has spoken openly about the possibility of retiring in recent months.

Condit, 32, owns a 7-6 mark in UFC competition and has won seven post-fight performance bonuses: five for “Fight of the Night” and two for “Knockout of the Night.” His aggressive style -- he boasts 28 finishes among his 30 career victories -- has made him a fan favorite for the better part of a decade.

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