This fight has similar meaning for both competitors. Condit already has a high ranking in the welterweight division – sixth according the Bloody Elbow's February meta-rankings – but this is his debut in the UFC. Since Condit, the former WEC welterweight champion, is a newcomer to the UFC, a win should make him a top-five welterweight.
Kampmann, on the other hand, already had a successful stint as a UFC middleweight, where he defeated notable fighters such as Crafton Wallace, Drew McFedereis, Jorge Rivera, and Thales Leites (Thales’ only loss).
After Kampmann’s second career loss to Nate Marquardt, he dropped down to welterweight, which makes him relatively untested in the 170 pound weight class. A win over Condit would immediately qualify Kampmann to fight against upper-echelon welterweights including Jon Fitch, Josh Koscheck, Mike Swick, and Karo Parisyan (recently suspended), just to name a few.
Carlos “Natural Born Killer” Condit’s Fighting Style
Condit is a well-rounded, well-conditioned fighter with a nasty ground game. Based on his previous fights, he will probably want to take the fight to the mat and use his impressive submission skills; the same submission skills he used to submit Frank Trigg with an arm bar in the first round of their fight.
Despite Trigg’s out of the ring activities, tanning salon visits, and nickname “Twinkle Toes,” he’s not a slouch inside the ring.
Martin “Hitman” Kampmann’s Fighting Style
The Danish “Hitman,” like many other Dutch fighters, is a seasoned Thai oxer. Kampmann has displayed a variety of skills in his wins over top opponents. In his unanimous decision victory of Thales Leites he put on a boxing clinic and showed an excellent sprawl and takedown defense (that was Thales' only loss).
Kampmann showed off a steel chin during his fight with Drew McFedries and a viscous head kick against Bandon Seguin. At middleweight Kampmann was a relatively small, yet he still beat top competition. His drop to welterweight should only improve his chances of success.
The Kampmann - Condit Match-up
Two game fighters with everything to gain and a lot to lose. Kampmann has the edge standing up, and Condit has the edge on the ground. Both fighters have excellent conditioning.
Kampmann has beaten more impressive fighters than Condit, and he has UFC experience; this is Condit’s first UFC fight. Expect Kampmann to effectively use his takedown defense to keep the fight standing and pick apart Condit with his superior kickboxing. Condit’s only chance is a submission and Kampmann has probably been training specifically to keep that from happening.
Kampmann will slowly pick Condit apart standing up and win by decision.
David Barer - David is currently a freelance writer. He contributes to the Blogger News Network at www.bloggernews.net and ...
