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White advises Condit to ignore Ellenberger

Diego Sanchez almost finished Jake Ellenberger in the UFC on Fuel main event © Getty Images

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UFC president Dana White all but confirmed that Jake Ellenberger had not done enough to earn an interim welterweight title shot with Carlos Condit at UFC on Fuel on Wednesday night.

Ellenberger put on a war with Diego Sanchez at the Omaha Civic Auditorium, dominating his rival for over two rounds. However, a late slip that almost saw him choked out may well have cost him the chance to fight for UFC gold.

Condit is currently in limbo, robbed of an opponent in Nick Diaz due to a positive marijuana test, and still some nine months away from a unification bout with Georges St-Pierre. A rematch with Ellenberger, whom Condit barely beat in their first encounter, could work, but White says it is unlikely.

"If you're Carlos Condit, you just fought Ellenberger not too long ago, I'd wait for GSP," White told MMAjunkie.

"We'll see what happens over the next few months, here. Had Diego won, it probably would have been a little bit more interesting."

White also blamed himself for a big mistake on Wednesday, after the main event only lasted three rounds. The UFC recently made a move towards making most main event fights five-round affairs, but the Sanchez v Ellenberger bout remained a 15-minute battle.

The enthralling end, which saw Ellenberger clinging on under enormous pressure, left all in attendance wondering if Sanchez would have won with two extra rounds, and White admits all main events will now be five-rounders.

"Already thought and done," White said. "I'm actually pissed at myself about it, so yeah. From this day forward, as we speak right here, right now today, every fight that is a main event that is not a title fight will be a five-round fight.

"I can do 33 rounds on Fuel TV if I want to," White said. "Fuel TV can't get enough. We blew it tonight. It should have been a five-round fight."

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