I'm going to relish my victory today. My predictions paid off in a big way, and I had some readers contact me regarding my reasoning behind some of the picks. I thought I'd go through the thought process a bit, but to be honest, nearly every website who has their picks up has their ups and downs. Upset picks happen quite a bit in MMA, but it's up to the picker to do the research, and that's what I did.

Condit vs. Prater

Surprisingly enough, Condit ended this fight fairly quickly. It should have went a bit further, but it looks like Condit's progression on the ground is coming along nicely. He's dangerous on his back, and his striking can produce something fierce. After a few takedowns from Prater, Condit sunk in the guillotine choke in the first round, defending his title once again and redeeming his loss against Prater in a previous matchup.

I was adamant in believing that Condit could potentially strike with Prater and put him to the canvas for the TKO, but Condit showed some fantastic active guard to keep Prater from landing any big shots. The consequence from that guard was opening up attempts for the submission, and that's exactly what Condit did. It may be time to move him into the UFC, although I think it'll be very tough for him there, especially with the influx of new talent.

McCullough vs. Varner

I've never been sold on "Razor" Rob. He's primarily a striker with great Muay Thai credentials and a good sprawl, but I've always found that if he was taken down, he wouldn't last. This wasn't the case in his matchup with Varner. McCullough successfully sprawled multiple times to stop Varner's takedowns, and it looked as if he had tired Varner considerably.

Unfortunately for Rob, his biggest asset was on hold from the get go. He never let his hands go and was hesitant to trade with Varner. Varner continued forward, lasted through the rounds, and was able to finally catch McCullough with a nice exchange. McCullough recovered slightly until Varner unleashed another flurry that put him down for good. Impressive victory for Varner, and in a fashion that I didn't see coming.

Beebe vs. Torres

Fighters with great jiu-jitsu skills and high guard position have always been favorites of mine, and Miguel Torres was no exception to this rule. In the high guard, the possibility of the triangle choke, armbar, or even the shoulder lock are always higher. Torres proved that in his fight with Chase Beebe. The high guard was definitely making Beebe very cautious of his movements inside Torres's active guard. Eventually, Torres showed that his vastly superior grappling skills, lengthy limbs, and high guard tactics were too much for Beebe.

Garcia vs. Takaya

I can't say too much about this fight. I picked Garcia because I thought his cage experience would help, and it was only Takaya's second time in the cage. I was looking for a decision win here, but Garcia is explosive. It paid off big time. It's unfortunate for Takaya, who is a great fighter in his own right.

Grispi vs. Hominick

Many people emailed me about Grispi, and Luke Thomas over at BloodyElbow.com had a small profile on the fighter. Fortunately for me, I've been following Grispi ever since I heard some inklings about how good he actually was for being so young. Hominick has been susceptible in the past in both ground and standup, but he's a veteran fighter that was a nice test for Grispi.

I took Grispi based on a couple of factors. First and foremost was his explosive striking. Some of his bouts feature impressive surgical strikes to the head that have put his opponents out in seconds. Secondly, his ground game is fantastic, and once again, he is a fighter that has an active guard that is tough to handle for wrestlers. Great win for Grispi.

Maeda vs. Valencia

Why did I pick Maeda? Explosiveness. He has great knees and kicks, and it showed in his battle with Valencia. Many fans were picking Valencia based on his German suplex in his last fight, but I refrained from taking the bait. Maeda had the skills to devastate Valencia if he continued to shoot in with his wrestling, and I couldn't pick Valencia over Maeda's huge amount of experience.

Final thoughts

It was a great night of fights, and it looks like the WEC has two new champions in the promotion. Condit continues to dominate, but I look forward to seeing who the WEC will get for Torres and Varner. Marshall vs. Stann should be a nice upcoming matchup that many will want to see for one reason, Marshall is the Tim Sylvia of the WEC in regards to his popularity. Fans want to see him lose.

Keep an eye on Grispi, he may very well be the next big thing in MMA.