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By Tonto Balboa - tontobalboa@hotmail.com
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World Extreme Cagefighting was back in Vegas at The Hard Rock on Sunday night for WEC 35. Champions Jamie Varner and Brian Stann were looking to make their first title defenses while Welterweight champ, Carlos Condit was looking to move up the top 10 ranks by defending his belt for a third time in the main event against Hiromitsu Miura.  

Brock Larson (23-2-1) def. Carlo Prater (23-6-1) TKO rd.1 0:37
Every time I fought a guy with a messed up nose, I knew I was in trouble. They are tough as the inner thighs of a 50 year old stripper. One look at Larson’s nose tells you that he’s not a dude to mess with. After a brief feeling out process, Larson unloads a left straight that drops Prater. Larson pounces on top with a few more shots to end the fight.  
Fight Score: 5 out of 10 – Hard to score a fight much higher if doesn’t even go a minute.  

Josh Grispi (9-1) def. Micah Miller (9-2) TKO rd.1 0:50
Despite having a similar record, Grispi came into this featherweight contest as an underdog. Less than a minute later, a right hand from a circling Grispi drops Miller for a second time and finishes the fight. Looked like a flash KO, but Miller’s eyes went glassy for a split second… just long enough for referee Herb Dean to stop it.  
Fight Score: 5.5 out of 10  

Brian Bowles (6-0) def. Demacio Page (10-4) Submission (Guillotine) rd.1 3:30
Both featherweights come out furiously throwing shots with the subtlety of a Michael Bay film. A slip from a Page head kick takes the action to the ground. Bowles presses Page against the fence sinks a Guillotine in but can’t hold onto it. The fight returns to the feet, where Bowles grabs another Guillotine, this one much tighter. Page thinks about slamming his way out of it, but taps instead. Probably the wise decision on his part.  
Fight Score: 7 out of 10  

Jamie Varner (15-2) def. Marcus Hicks (8-1) TKO rd.1 2:08 to retain the WEC Lightweight Title
Fighting a reach advantage can be a real pain in the ass, which was the case for Hicks as he was staring at a nine inch disadvantage in the reach department in his attempt to snatch the WEC strap from Jamie Varner. When they locked up, Hicks was able to nullify Varner’s offense with slams, but once Varner stepped back and could tee off, he did. To Hicks’ credit, it took a ton of damage to put him down.  
Fight Score: 8 out of 10  

Steve Cantwell (6-1) def. Brian Stann (6-1) TKO rd.2 4:01 to win the WEC Light Heavyweight Title
Cantwell was out for revenge in this rematch against Stann who won in 0:41 in their March 2007 fight. Both men pushed a hard, fast pace for the first round. Stann was looking to land his big right hand, while Cantwell was mixing up his strikes and constantly changing his levels. By the end of the second round, Stann can’t keep up the pace and has no answer to Cantwell’s strikes.  
Fight Score: 8.5 out of 10

Carlos Condit (23-4) def. Hiromitsu Miura (9-5) TKO rd.4 4:43 to retain the WEC Welterweight Title
Miura entered his title fight with Condit as a gigantic underdog, but someone forget to tell him that. Condit had no answer for Miura’s judo and was tossed several times throughout the fight. Miura didn’t seem to have enough ground and pound or BJJ to finish off Condit. At times, both fighters seemed mere moments away from finishing the fight. Going into rd.4, Condit was up big on the scorecards, but it was still anyone’s fight. Condit ends the fight with a knee to Miura’s chin and some punches on the ground. Great, great fight!
Fight Score: 10 out of 10

Overall Score: 44 out of 60 = 7.3 out of 10 (keep in mind that only televised fights were rated)
If you get a chance to catch a rerun of this event, do it! DVR it, tape it, burn it, whatever you have to do, make this event a part of your MMA library. Three title fights highlighted a terrific fight card from top to bottom.

By means of comparison, the most recent EliteXC card (a solid show unto itself as well) scored an overall 6.6 out of 10.  

- Tonto Balboa, real name unknown, is a former prizefighter with a record of 48-10. He is best known for getting his ass royally whupped by Larry Holmes in Madison Square Garden. Since then, Balboa has toured the country as a salesman, attempting to cash in on his 1/64th Native American heritage, by selling Indian artifacts. He is currently the editor and chief (after all, he Native American) of Tonto and Friends.

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