Archives: Carlos Condit finishes Larson to defend WEC title
Old-school action featuring “The Natural Born Killer.”
If there’s anyone who lived up to their nickname as an active fighter, it would be Carlos Condit. The man was a known finisher with only four out of his 32 wins ending by decision.
“The Natural Born Killer” faced and finished a who’s who of welterweights in his time. From Dan Hardy to Dong Hyun Kim and a pre-UFC 189 Rory MacDonald, he has quite an impressive resumé.
But many younger fans likely didn’t get to see Condit’s rise in the WEC. Within 19 months, he was able to capture the 170-pound title and defend it three times. One of his challengers was submission artist Brock Larson, whom he faced at WEC 29 in 2007.
Larson, at the time, was on a nine-fight win streak. Eight of which he ended in the first round. Five of those wins ended via submission. But that didn’t deter the 23-year-old Condit, who had just come off a submission win over John Alessio five months earlier to win the title.
The action moved at a snail’s pace in the opening minutes as both men approached with caution. 40 seconds in, Larson shot for a takedown which Condit easily stuffed. But like the clever wrestler and grappler that he was, Larson completed a trip as Condit fought for an underhook.
Condit spent a good amount of time on his back, warding off attacks and defending pass attempts. He eventually broke Larson’s posture with an effective closed guard, shot his hips up, and got in a perfect position to set up an armbar.
He held on despite a slam and eventually got the job done bellied down. That’s some guard work and finish you likely won’t see in this day and age of MMA.
For the old-school fans and practitioners of the sport, this one should be a treat to watch.
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