From the start, Hicks repeatedly chased Varner down and got inside the nine inch reach advantage. He grabbed body locks and got multiple takedowns on the All-American wrestler Varner, but Varner was able to quickly get up each time. Eventually Hicks stood back to exchange from further outside with Varner, and it did not last long. Shortly they got back into a brief clinch exchange, and it was punctuated by two flush knees to Hick's chin from Varner. Most fighters would have been done right there, or maybe in the seconds following. Rogan would have been shouting "He's ROCKED!" and Goldie would have been saying "CAN -- HE -- FINISH -- IT!?!" but it would have been premature. Hicks showed a granite chin and a massive heart as he continued to persist for about another minute with Varner pounding on him on the feet and with ground and pound, with punches, kicks, and knees. Finally Hicks went down for good 2:08 seconds into the first round. It was one hell of a two minutes.
It's likely these two will meet in the future. Hicks showed some great potential, and Varner showed that he's still the creme of the crop in WEC's 155 division.
A Preliminary bout was the next televised fight. Brock Larson took on Carlo Prater in a Welterweight (170 lb) matchup that could potentially be for a title shot.
Larson looked unstoppable again. They circled around a bit, and then Larson exploded forward with a straight left punch that sent Prater to his back. He jumped on him with explosive strikes and finished the fight :37 seconds into the first round. Looks ready for a rematch with Condit to me. After watching a fight like this it's hard to believe that anyone can submit Larson as fast as Condit submitted Larson in their first matchup (by armbar off his back within a minute).
Next, there is the Light Heavyweight (205 lb) title fight between Brian Stann and Steve Cantwell.
This fight is a rematch. In the first bout, Stann disposed of Cantwell in under a minute. Cantwell was not prepared, nor watching out for, the vicious power in the hands of Stann. Coming into this fight, most people probably didn't put much thought into it and assumed another win for Stann as he continues to grow as a fighter, and dominate the 205-pound division at the same time. I was one of those people. I learned from this fight that that can't happen unless you're an immortal like Fedor Emelianenko. Stann needed this loss if he truly wanted to grow as a fighter. It will be his next step as a fighter to learn and develop.
Cantwell was a much more technical and versatile striker in this bout and that was the difference. As I listened to Mir talk about Cantwell before the fight and in its early stages, I began to realize Cantwell probably had a lot better chance to win this than I had originally thought. And as I watched the fight, I stopped expecting Stann to win about half way through the first round. Even when Cantwell exchanged in the pocket with Stann -- as opposed to sticking, moving, and using angles -- he overwhelmed Stann with combinations and didn't get caught. The first round had some explosive flurries and a fast pace that made it very exciting, and it was also fairly clear that Cantwell had taken the first round.
In the second round, there was both good news and bad news for Brian Stann. The good news: he learned he can take a punch. The bad news: he learned he can take a punch. Stann showed phenomenal cardio and an iron jaw, and I was really in awe that he survived Cantwell's storm as long as he did. Just the same, I was extremely impressed with Cantwell and his great kickboxing. Herb Dean jumped into stop this fight with Stann lying face first on the mat 4:01 into the second round. It was a very exciting fight.
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