Wrath of Condit bound to show against Miura

Much like a caged animal being let loose to stalk his prey, World Extreme Cagefighting welterweight champion, Carlos Condit, has become known not only for his acumen in the cage, but the sheer intensity that he brings with him from the time his music hits the speakers to the time when the referee raises his hand in victory.

Whether it's the stare across the cage that seems like Condit is ready to pounce or his willingness to engage at a moments notice, the 170-pound king of the WEC has proven that his intense style in the cage works as he's currently riding a seven-fight win streak that has included two straight title defenses.

Carlos Condit will defend his WEC welterweight championship against Hiromitsu Miura on Aug. 3 in Las Vegas.

While the champion admits that it's nothing personal before the fight, once that cage door closes, the switch is flipped and he makes it personal.

"Before the fight I don't like to talk a lot of crap about my opponents, it's nothing personal, when it comes to interviews or anything like that," said Condit in a recent interview with MMAWeekly Radio. "But once I get in there, I make it personal. This is my livelihood, my life is either going to go up or go down depending on what happens right here, so it's really personal. I make that guy my enemy."

Condit understands the competition involved with mixed martial arts, but he also knows at the core of it all his opponent wants to knock him out or submit him and take what's his.

"He's going to get in there and he's going to try to take something from me," Condit stated. "Not only my reputation, my pride, but he's going to try to knock my (expletive) in the dirt."

At the end of the day it's still business, but a fight is always personal.

"I've got nothing but respect for the guys I compete against, but in the cage it's a different story," said the champion.

His style of "kill or be killed" in the cage has always earned Condit a reputation as a very tough match-up for any opponent. Early in his career, the New Mexico native was primarily thought of as a devastating striker as he showed in fights in Hawaii with Renato "Charuto" Verissimo and Ross Ebanez.

It was when Condit used his jiu-jitsu skills to tap out former Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight contender, Frank Trigg, that notice was given that he was dangerous no matter where the fight landed.

Submitting his last three opponents in under two rounds, Condit has shown that he continues to improve his ground skills everyday, but his next opponent, Hiromitsu Miura, may just be the first fighter in a while to test his stand-up skills.

"He's a pretty tough striker, he's got some good judo throws, and his grappling is pretty tough, he's good at staying out of submissions," Condit said of his opponent. "The big thing in my mind is he's real tough, he's resilient as is common for a lot of the Japanese fighters. They go for it and it's hard to stop them, they never quit."

"I think it's going to make for an exciting fight. I think he's going to stand with me which is something I've been hoping for a while."

Condit, whose precision striking has garnered comparisons to UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, has been asking for a chance to showcase his stand-up skills and Miura may just be the opponent to bring it out of him.

"This guy I think he's going to (stand)," Condit commented. "I don't know if that's a good decision on his part."

Carlos Condit will defend his WEC welterweight championship against Miura on Aug. 3 in Las Vegas.