The goal of every mixed martial artist is to one day become a champion. There isn’t a fighter in the world that doesn’t enter the sport with the aspiration to one-day wear championship gold around his or her waist. To MMA fighters, the belt is their equivalent to a World Series, NBA Championship or Super Bowl ring.  Along with the glory and pride of being top dog in their respective promotion’s weight division, the fame and pay increase gained by winning a title can prove too much of a major life change for some fighters to handle. 

Much like their bat-swinging, ball-dribbling and catching counterparts, fighters deal with the pressure and temptations of being champion in different ways. Some take on the persona of rock stars, rubbing elbows at exclusive parties with TMZ-worthy celebrities creating an aura of inapproachability around them. Others fall victim to the excesses reserved for Hollywood’s elite, becoming the fodder of tabloid magazines due to their erratic behavior and poor judgment.

On the other end of the spectrum is WEC welterweight champion Carlos Condit who prides himself on being good to his fans, graciously representing his belt with class and humility. According to the 24 year-old Albuquerque native, he has become used to people expecting him to be intimidating and standoffish, though he doesn’t know why.

“It bothers me when fans think I’m this famous fighter who thinks he too good for everyone. I might think I’m too good for everybody who I fight, but I take pride in being good to my fans and I make time for them whenever they approach me,” Condit explains. “I take my role as a champion very seriously. Being a role model to kids and making a difference in the community is one of the best things about holding the belt. Winning the belt hasn’t changed me. I’m still the same down to earth guy I always was. Fighting for the WEC has given me so many opportunities I never would have had otherwise like visiting the troops in Afghanistan and I’m really grateful for what I have.”

Paralleling the way the young champion carries himself outside the cage is the way he efficiently and professionally takes care of business inside of it.  Garnering him the nickname “The Natural Born Killer” for the calm, methodical way he dissected and disposed of his opponents, Condit tore through the WEC’s welterweight division leaving highly regarded fighters John Alessio, Brock Larsen and Carlo Prater in his wake. 

Condit says he’s always had the will to compete and from a young age he began to display the same aggression MMA fans have come to know from him – a quality that got him into trouble in some of the other sports he played growing up. 

“I’ve always been aggressive,” Condit says. “I was the kid who was tackling other kids on the soccer field so my parents always put me in as many sports as possible to get all of that out of my system. 

Recounting the event that began his foray into mixed martial arts, Condit admits he used to get star struck when he would meet fighters early on in his career.

“I was drawn to MMA because it was real and the sport was as much mental as it was physical. I watched a UFC tape with one of my wrestling coaches in high school and I knew the sport was for me. I began training soon after that,” Condit recalls. “I remember seeing Chuck Liddell at one of my wrestling tournaments and I was in awe. I was like ‘I’m going to be him one day’ and here I am.” 

Despite taking some time to convince his mom that the sport was safe and well regulated, Condit says both his parents are now his two biggest fans. His father who works as the Chief of Staff of New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson has always supported his son’s career, even turning his boss on to the sport. Richardson was ringside when Condit defeated Prater in his second title defense at WEC 32 in Rio Rancho, New Mexico February 13.

Finishing most of his opponents by submission, Condit has become known as a jiu jitsu specialist but he says he is planning to display his stand up skills when he defends his title against Hiromitsu Miura Sunday night at WEC 35 at The Joint in the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

“Miura is tough. I’ve seen a few of his fights and he has really good stand up and judo throw takedowns. I’d like to keep the fight on the feet for a while,” Condit says. “I think since my last few wins have come by submission, people discount the fact that I have decent striking skills. A lot of my wins were a result of a combination of my stand up and my ground skills.”

Although he isn’t looking past Miura, Condit says he would love to one-day test himself against other elite welterweights from other organizations. Having faced new EliteXC 170 pound champion Jake Shields in 2006 under the Rumble on the Rock banner, losing by unanimous decision, Condit thinks the outcome would be different if the two met today. He says that though he would love to erase each loss from his record as he did by beating Prater, some rematches are lose-lose situations.

“I’d love to beat everyone who beat me but I’m not going to worry about if I don’t. Down the road I’d like to face guys like St-Pierre, Fitch and Shields, but the WEC is my home and I’m their champion so I fight for them. If the opportunity were to come up [to fight one of those fighters] I’d do it in a second,” Condit explains. “I don’t necessarily get to pick my opponents, but [the WEC matchmakers] ask for my input when they have a fight in mind, which is great. I’ll face anyone put in front of me, be it a guy I’ve beaten or has beaten me – it doesn’t matter. If Brock [Larsen] beats [Carlo] Prater on Sunday, I can see him getting a rematch some time soon. To be honest, he’s kind of in my rearview mirror. I’ve already beaten him so fighting him again isn’t something that I’m really pushing for but if it happens I’ll be ready.”