August third is going to be a crazy night. There are going to be wars and there are going to be massacres, but more importantly, there are going to be three title fights, and that’s going to make this night worth the money those of us who have Versus don’t have to pay for.

Brian Stann is a warrior, and his opponent, Steve Cantwell, is supposed to be an easy addition to his only mildly impressive resume. Stann is supposed to pound Cantwell, and while Cantwell may make this a fight with his substantial ground game. The truth, though, is that Stann beat Cantwell when Cantwell debuted in the WEC, and that ass-whupping only took 41 seconds. It’s supposed to be an easy win for Stann, which will display his visceral game and remind us all how exciting a champ he is, even in a relatively boring 205 pound division.

Carlos Condit is a great champ, and the WEC loves his marketability. While he may move up the UFC soon, Condit’s jiu-jitsu and striking skills make him an exciting champ, and so it follows that the WEC might throw him a paper opponent. Unfortunately, there’s not much developed talent besides Condit in the division, and Hiromitsu Miura is a tribute to that. He’s 2-1 in the WEC, with his loss coming at the hands of the far more accomplished Jason “MayheM” Miller, who’s contract the WEC couldn’t hold onto. While someone like Miller would make for a much more exciting title fight, Miura will show up to get tapped out early and easily.

Now, the fight that you should be watching closely is Marcus Hicks vs. Jamie Varner, two very versatile fighters who are always fun to watch and who finish fights. Both guys have impressive records (Varner is 14-2 and Hicks is 10-0) and have finished all of their WEC fights. Varner is the defending champion, and Hicks is a serious warrior, with three straight guillotine choke finishes, the two most recent ones coming in the first round. Expect two guys who can brawl and make the fight exciting on the ground.

Sometimes, when a fight hits the ground, the pace slows as the better grappler takes control. Both of these guys are grapplers (though I tend to hand the edge to Hicks) and they’re not going to slow the pace on the mat. They’re going to go to war standing up, and if someone gets hurt and tries to take the fight to the ground, they’re going to have to work, and if they’re stunned, they won’t get time on the mat to recover.

I’m picking Hicks in this fight, but it’s the one title fight I’m not sure of, because I expect both of these guys to make it a war. They’re going to throw bombs and make it the fight of the night. Condit and Stann make end up in more challenging matches than they’re supposed to, but they’re going to come out on top.