Cage fighter has ties to troops, N.M. gov

By Jeff Haney

Saturday, Aug. 2, 2008 | 2 a.m.

Carlos Condit, the World Extreme Cagefighting welterweight champion who fights Sunday at the Hard Rock Hotel, has achieved an increasingly high profile in mixed martial arts since winning the title last year.

Condit, 4-0 in the WEC at age 24, established himself as a headliner in the WEC by defending his belt with consecutive first-round submissions against Brock Larson and Carlo Prater.

In June, Condit participated in a tour of military bases in Afghanistan with fellow MMA stars B.J. Penn, the Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight champ; Urijah Faber, the WEC featherweight champ; and Michael Bisping, the popular UFC middleweight.

And at Sunday’s sold-out WEC show at the Joint at the Hard Rock, Condit is expected to have at least one pretty powerful fan in his rooting section: New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson.

Condit’s father, Brian, serves as Richardson’s chief of staff, and the governor has followed Condit’s fighting career since the early days when Condit was appearing on small cards in New Mexico.

“I think the governor might be making an appearance at this fight,” Condit, an Albuquerque native, said after a training session at the Hard Rock. “He’s seen some of my other fights on TV. He’s always been very interested in boxing, and he’s followed mixed martial arts as it has evolved as a sport.”

Condit’s bout against Hiromitsu Miura (7-3) will be his first cage fight since his six-day, six-night trip to visit American troops in Afghanistan.

The visit included some helicopter flights, sparring and combat sessions along with personal meetings with the troops, Condit said.

“It was an incredible opportunity,” Condit said. “We got a really warm welcome from the soldiers, a really good response from them. They respect what we do just as we respect what they’re doing over there.”

In the two other title fights on Sunday’s 10-bout card, light heavyweight champion Brian Stann (4-0) faces Steve Cantwell (4-1), and Jamie Varner (13-2-1) puts his lightweight belt on the line against Marcus Hicks (6-0).