Carlos Condit won a stunning comeback victory over Rory MacDonald Saturday at UFC 115, getting beaten through the first and second rounds only to brutalize MacDonald in the third and win by technical knockout with just seven seconds left in the fight.It was clear from the get-go that MacDonald wanted to get to the ground: He caught a Condit kick and put him on his back just seconds into the first round, and after Condit got back up MacDonald immediately started working for another takedown. Condit got up again, but just after the midway point of the first round MacDonald put Condit on his back for the third time. MacDonald ended the first round with one more takedown, and the fans in Vancouver were cheering for the local favorite.
In the second round Condit tried to regroup and get more creative, throwing spinning back fists and spinning crescent kicks, but MacDonald looked more composed and was connecting with the cleaner, more effective strikes. At the end of the second round MacDonald landed a front kick that knocked Condit flat on his butt.
But in the third round Condit exploded, knocking MacDonald down, landing a series of strikes on the ground and badly bloodying MacDonald's face. Condit, the former World Extreme Cagefighting welterweight champion, simply pulverized MacDonald throughout the round, and the referee finally decided to step in and stop it just before the end of the round.
Share
The referee's stoppage will be considered somewhat controversial, as MacDonald could have held on for seven more seconds -- and might have won a decision if he had. But Condit was simply dominating the fight, and he earned the hard-fought victory he had.
MacDonald is only 20 years old and came into this fight with a 10-0 record. He left with a 10-1 record and a badly bruised, bloodied, swollen mess of a face. Let's hope this fight didn't discourage him, because he's a promising prospect -- but just not as good a fighter as Condit. At least not in the third round on Saturday night.
Get the latest gear
