With the Diaz Rematch Up in Smoke, What’s Next For Carlos Condit And The Welterweight Division?

By Raphael Garcia

The stage was set. UFC 143 gave us a back and forth fight with an ending that wasn’t quite acceptable to many members of the mixed martial arts community. While Carlos Condit did what he needed to do to defeat Nick Diaz and become the UFC interim welterweight champion, many fans and media members were unsatisfied with the outcome. And with Georges St. Pierre expected to remain on the shelf for an extended period of time, it looked as if a rematch would determine who would be the man to greet him upon his return.

Then it happened. The Internet was lit by comments from Keith Kizer, head of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, that someone on the UFC 143 card had failed his drug test. Whether it was warranted or not, all eyes turned towards Nick Diaz, who has had “situations” with failed tests in the past. Who can forget the positive test result after he defeated Takanori Gomi back in 2007? While Diaz is an admitted smoker who holds a medical marijuana license in California, the fact still remains that the substance that appeared in Diaz’s screening is illegal in the state of Nevada, and now he faces potential disciplinary action for the results. His actions torpedoed the rumored rematch and a second opportunity to place himself in the best position he has seen thus far in his career.

While so many conversations are being had, and so many pieces are being written, about what is wrong with Nick Diaz, the UFC and the welterweight division will have to move forward. Georges St.Pierre is reportedly out until late this year, if not until early 2013. Carlos Condit is the current interim welterweight titleholder, and numerous fighters are available to take the position as challenger for that belt. The question now is: Who will the organization tap as the next fighter to face the “Natural Born Killer?”

The first individual who might raise his hand is Johny Hendricks. Hendricks is coming off of the biggest win in his career at UFC 141, where he blasted Jon Fitch in under a minute, becoming only the second man in the UFC to defeat Fitch, and the first to knock him out in nearly a decade. At 12-1 the two time NCAA champion may be in the best position to claim his place as the next contender to the title. The Fitch is bigger than any other win a potential contender can muster, and he has already been making noise through Twitter (and to anyone else that will put a microphone in his face) that he believes he is the number one contender, and now the door now be open for his opportunity.

However, before he can be recognized as the number one contender for the interim title, Hendricks will have to fight his way through former title challenger Josh Koscheck. UFC President Dana White recently announced that Hendricks versus Koscheck had been agreed upon for UFC on Fox 3 ,and the two NCAA national champions are now set to face off. If Hendricks can follow up on his KO victory over Fitch with another impressive win, it will be hard to deny him a shot at the belt. Koscheck, on the other hand, is coming off a performance against Mike Pierce that garnered him a lot of heat, but still resulted in a victory. However, due to the fact that Koscheck has already been defeated twice by St. Pierre, even a victory would be unlikely to place him into the title picture.

But for the rest of the welterweight division, February 15th looms large as a very important date, because Jake Ellenberger will take on Diego Sanchez. Ellenberger is a name that began to gain steam throughout 2011, and he topped it all off when he knocked out Jake Shields at UFC Fight Night 25. Immediately after the victory he was talked about as a welterweight contender to watch in 2012. In addition, Ellenberger has faced Condit before, losing a split decision back in 2009, in Ellenberger’s UFC debut. Since then he has gone undefeated, tearing through the welterweight ranks. A rematch to a contest that many people believe he won would just add to the fire of a Ellenberger-Condit title fight. Many are expecting this fight against Sanchez to be a coming out party for the “Juggernaut,” and if he finds a way to finish off the first Ultimate Fighter champion, and do so in impressive fashion, he can catapult himself right over Hendricks.

But how does Diego Sanchez fit into this mix? If he were to defeat Ellenberger and put on a show while doing it, would that make him the next contender for Condit’s title? Many fans may have forgotten that Sanchez was at one time being groomed as the big challenge for St. Pierre, but then he ran into AKA teammates Koscheck and Fitch, giving him back to back losses. After trying his hand at the lightweight division, he’s back at welterweight, and riding a tough two-fight win streak into this upcoming matchup. We’ve all come to expect exciting fights from Sanchez, and if he can find a way to derail Ellenberger, he may be added to the short list of title contenders.

The UFC’s welterweight division was at one time considered the most exciting division in the sport. While that title may have shifted to the lighter fighters, the injury to Georges St. Pierre, and now the potential suspension of Nick Diaz, has created a life and buzz in this group that has long been overdue. 2012 is going to be a scramble to reach the top of the pile, and the prize is a chance to face “Rush” when he makes his return.