By John Fullilove, jacksons.tv
jacksons.tv: Where are you from?
Carlos Condit: I’m from Albuquerque, New Mexico and grew up on the west side. I went to Cibola High School.
jacksons.tv: Did you participate in any activities in high school?
Carlos Condit: Ditching class, drinking beer in the bathrooms, naw … I wrestled. I’ve been wrestling since I was about nine. I didn’t go to high school that much so I didn’t have the best grades but that’s when I got involved with mixed martial arts and it really took off from there.
jacksons.tv: Did you start MMA in high school?
Carlos Condit: I started MMA in high school when I was about 15. I went down to Greg’s school and checked it out and started training. The rest is history.
jacksons.tv: Did you start with both striking and grappling combined?
Carlos Condit: When I started MMA I would do an hour of grappling and an hour of kickboxing/boxing. I pretty much learned both at the same time. I learned to incorporate both pretty much right of the bat.
jacksons.tv: What got you interested in MMA?
Carlos Condit: Actually my wrestling coaches back in the day introduced me to MMA when I was a kid. I liked it. I wanted to be Jean Claude Van Damm or like a Ninja Turtle. I was really interested and I saw that wrestlers and grapplers did real well so I looked in the phone book and found Jackson’s Gaidojitsu Gym.
jacksons.tv: What was it like when you first started fighting in MMA for you?
Carlos Condit: When I first started fighting, MMA was pretty much in its dark ages. It wasn’t televised anywhere. Nobody really knew what the hell it was. It was just a love for the sport at the time. Since then it has evolved into something bigger than anyone expected.
jacksons.tv: What does your family think of you fighting in MMA (Editor’s Note: Condit’s father is Chief of Staff for New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson)?
Carlos Condit: They’re really supportive. Of course they get concerned. I’m sure they are covering their eyes when I fight but they are really proud of me that I enjoy what I do and I work really hard and I’m successful at it.
jacksons.tv: What keeps you motivated and keeps you improving?
Carlos Condit: I’m really a student of the sport. It’s not always fun. It’s what I do for a living. I have to remember that I’m very fortunate to do what I love for a living. I don’t go to a 9-5. I need to take advantage of all the opportunities that have been given to me. I just have to keep working.
jacksons.tv: Can you describe the difference between the WEC and UFC?
Carlos Condit: Not a whole lot. The UFC is a little bit bigger show. The pressure is pretty much the same because I was defending my belt. I had big fights in the WEC. I’ve changed camps, once or twice, in the course of me changing form WEC to UFC. That’s been a bigger change in my career more than moving from one organization to the next.
jacksons.tv: What does it mean to be back at Jackson’s to you?
Carlos Condit: It’s awesome man. I started when I was really young with Greg. I used to come to Greg’s gym and really love the environment. I like the attitude everyone has here. I feel all the tools that I’ve gathered elsewhere I’m really putting together.
jacksons.tv: You recently became a father?
Carlos Condit: My fiancé and I had a little boy about two months ago. His name is Owen. We are just enjoying being parents.
jacksons.tv: How has becoming a father changed you?
Carlos Condit: It’s definitely changed me. Everybody says that, it’s kind of cliché, that it changes you forever but it’s true. Absolutely. I’m way more motivated; anytime I’m feeling like shit or run down, I just think of Owen and he keeps me going. I know I have to support him now. It’s not just me.
jacksons.tv: How has your training been going for your upcoming fight?
Carlos Condit: It’s been awesome. I’ve been basically training for this fight about 3 months at varying intensities. We’ve ramped it up in this last month or so. Everything has been right on track.
jacksons.tv: Who would you like to thank?
Carlos Condit: I want to thank Tapout. I have my signature shirt though them. I want to thank my family and my fiancé. I want to thank all my teammates and coaches here at Jackson’s. (Check out Carlos' Shirt from Tapout - Click Here)
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