Carlos Condit – A Champion In and Out of the Cage

By Thomas Gerbasi

Note to Carlos Condit’s mom – Mrs Condit, don’t get mad at Carlos for what you’re about to read. Boys will be boys, and not only was he with trained professionals, but he’s back home, safe and sound, and the only danger he’ll be dealing with for the next couple of weeks will be getting punched in the face by his training partners as he gets ready to defend his WEC welterweight title against Hiromitsu Miura on August 3rd.

With that out of the way…

You could hear it in Carlos Condit’s voice. Not one to get overly hyped up – at least not in interviews – the WEC welterweight champion’s excitement was clearly evident when asked about some of the things he did while on a six base tour of Afghanistan in June.

“We flew around in some helicopters, which was definitely a highlight,” he said. “I had a really good time doing that. We got to hang out the back and sit on the very edge while the back was open – it was incredible.”

So, did the calls back home to his parents to assure them that everything was all right include that little tidbit about him hanging out the back of a CH-47 Chinook?

“I told certain people, but I didn’t tell my mom that,” he chuckles. “She was nervous with me being out there in the first place. I didn’t want to really scare her.”

Fear wasn’t an issue for one of the top welterweight fighters in the game today. And when asked to travel to Afghanistan with some of his world-class peers – fellow WEC champ Urijah Faber, UFC lightweight boss BJ Penn, and UFC middleweight contender Michael Bisping, he didn’t pause to give a response.

“It could be a once in a lifetime opportunity,” said Condit. “I wanted to go out there, get the experience, and it kind of broadened my perspective of the world. The other and most important part is, a lot of these guys are out there and they don’t have a choice – as soldiers they have to be out there, and they’re sacrificing for real. So I weighed the options and I didn’t hesitate to say yes. Of course you have some apprehension about going into a war zone, but if you live your life being scared, then you never live.”

And once he got there, he was instantly reminded about the wisdom of his decision.

“It was awesome,” he said. “They were very warm, very inviting, very happy to see us, and we were happy to be there. We got a very warm reception.”

From June 14th to the 23rd, Condit and his compatriots toured six bases, where they got to meet and eat with the troops, visit injured soldiers, sign autographs, take pictures, and even work out with some of the members of the Armed Forces.

“We all did demonstrations and a little bit of instruction, and I actually got in there and rolled with some guys and did some kickboxing sparring,” he said.

Any potential WEC or UFC fighters among the group?

“There are a lot of tough guys and definitely some guys with potential,” he said.

The fighters even got a taste of the military life themselves, not only by sleeping and eating on base, but by firing some of the military’s firearms and getting some instruction from US Special Forces members. Needless to say, Condit’s trip lived up to the expectations he had for it as a once in a lifetime experience.

“It was an incredible experience and there was so much stuff that it’s hard to choose one highlight, but I would probably say the highlight was just seeing how much the soldiers appreciated us being out there and how them seeing someone from back home went such a long way for them,” he said. “I couldn’t even imagine being out there, being separated from your family for one, and then basically from the rest of the world that you know as well. I’m sure that seeing someone or something that reminds you of home is obviously gonna be a big thing.”