If there was any knock against the co-main event of UFC Fight Island 7, it was that it had come too late. Too late in the careers of welterweight stars Carlos Condit and Matt Brown. Had the bout been booked in 2013, it would have been a competitive, relevant bout with Fight of the Year potential. After 2013 and 2018 attempts to schedule the fight fell through, however, at least 2021 managed to get the pair into the cage.
And there was still no way that Condit vs. Brown would be anything but a fun fight. Albeit in the twilight of each man’s career, this remained as fan-friendly a match-up at the UFC could possibly book at 170lbs (short of the fabled Masvidal vs. Covington bout, or a Diaz brother vs. anyone).
Condit opened with a combination punctuated with a kick, and Brown answered with a kick of his own. Condit landed a pair of leg kicks and missed with high kick that followed. The former interim champ moved forward with another combination, but Brown was prepared and secured a quick take down. On the mat Brown worked from guard and landed a solid elbow that was followed by a pair of left hands.
For his part, Condit defended and worked strikes from the bottom. The knock on Condit over the years had always been his wrestling, and early on, that seemed accurate. Condit was able to create some space, but Brown stuck with him and brushed off the submission attempts from Condit. Condit was able to work up to his feet but Brown again stuck with him, until Condit swept Brown and took him back to the mat. As the round came to a close Condit was working from top and was able to get off a few strikes of how own.
Round two, Condit came out quickly with a pair of kicks but Brown walked forward and landed a hard elbow that looked to have hurt Condit. Condit recovered quickly and landed a hard body kick on Brown, but “The Immortal” kept moving forward, locked up the clinch and landed a solid knee to the body of Condit. After a quick exchange against the cage Condit landed an impressive takedown on a tired looking Brown, taking his feet out from under him. Now Condit worked from top position. He landed a nice elbow then went to work with body jabs to open up Browns head for the elbow. Condit continued to grind out Brown from the top until the end of the round. Brown looked tired bordering on exhausted.
In the third, Condit again came out quickly with a low kick — but that struck low on Brown and caused a quick halt of the action. Brown was quick to recover from the low blow; when action resumed, both men exchanged and worked into the clinch. Condit broke free and Brown followed. Brown landed a nice right hand then dropped levels for the take down but Condit defended and ended up on Brown’s back. Condit worked to improve his position and worked into mount but Brown gave up his back and Condit went for the choke. Hooks were in, Condit was high but Brown couldn’t shake him.
That said, the choke wasn’t there, and Brown managed to escape to his feet and then took Condit to the ground. Working from the guard, Brown looked visibly tired and didn’t have much offense to give. Condit exploded to his feet and Brown stuck with him. Condit landed an elbow before he took Brown back to the mat but Brown reversed and ended up on top. From top Brown worked strikes and elbows but Condit defended and worked to get free as the round came to a close.
3️⃣0️⃣-2️⃣7️⃣ across the board!
🙌 @CarlosCondit delivered in the co-main.
[ #UFCFightIsland7 main event is next on @ABCNetwok & #ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/pSamKwxSE2
— UFC (@ufc) January 16, 2021
With confidence in his wrestling and a solid gas tank, Condit got the nod form the judges. The biggest surprise may in fact be the triple 30-27 scores, as there was an argument to be made that Brown won the first round. In any case, Carlos Condit, on the final fight of his UFC deal, took home the win. He’s now won two straight.
Official Result: Carlos Condit def. Matt Brown by unanimous decision (30-27 30-27 30-27)
