UFC Fight Night 19: Carlos Condit Beats Jake Ellenberger

Carlos Condit earned his first victory inside the Octagon Wednesday night at UFC Fight Night 19, surviving an early barrage from Jake Ellenberger and coming back to win a split decision on Spike TV.

Ellenberger dominated the action in the early going, landing punches that snapped Condit's head back and appearing close to having Condit finished early on. Referee Leon Roberts wisely allowed the fight to continue even though Condit appeared to be badly hurt, and Condit managed to get back up and even do some damage later in the round. Still, it was a dominant first round for Ellenberger.

In the second round Ellenberger landed a great double-leg takedown and got on top of Condit, but Condit looked comfortable on the bottom, got into an advantageous position and generally controlled the action. Condit showed in the second, as he has throughout his MMA career, that he's a tough, resilient fighter.

The third featured back-and-forth action on the ground that was mostly controlled by Condit, and that was what won him the fight. Ultimately, Condit showed that he was a better, more experienced fighter, but Ellenberger no doubt earned a lot of fans in his UFC debut.

"I was seeing stars for a second and I just figured I need to come back, I need to keep moving, otherwise they're going to stop the fight," Condit said afterward of his struggles in the first round. "There are a lot of tough up-and-comers in the welterweight division, any one of whom would be a great fight for me. I'm just looking forward to seeing who Dana White and Joe Silva put in front of me next."

Condit improved his professional MMA record to 23-5, and 1-1 in the UFC. Ellenberger falls to 21-5, and 0-1 in the UFC.

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