UFC Fight Night: Carlos Condit Earns Second-Round TKO Vs. Thiago Alves

After a long layoff due to injury, former UFC interim welterweight champion Carlos Condit got back to business Saturday at the Goiania Arena in Goiania, Brazil, and it was like “The Natural Born Killer” never left, as he scored an exciting second-round TKO of fellow contender Thiago Alves.

The bout was the 31-year-old Condit’s first since March of 2014, when he was stopped by Tyron Woodley due to a knee injury that sent him into surgery. But he was back in top form as soon as he was waved in to fight Alves, a Fortaleza native who was making his first start in Brazil since 2003.

Condit switched stances often in the first round, trying to keep Alves guessing as he fired off kicks from the lead and back legs. The stalking Alves kept moving forward, getting off his share of thudding leg kicks, but neither fighter was able to land that momentum-altering strike.

The pattern continued early in round two, but a flush left elbow to the face by Condit changed the complexion of the bout immediately, with the bloodied Brazilian falling to the mat and nearly getting stopped.