Martin Kampmann rarely comes out of his fights unscathed. Win or lose, there’s usually some of his blood left on the canvas. His last two bouts have been especially tense.
In his scrap with Thiago Alves at UFC on FX 2 in March, Kampmann was well on his way to a decision loss after being largely outstruck and outwrestled for three rounds by the Brazilian, but when Alves dove for a takedown with a minute to go in the final frame, “The Hitman” locked up a guillotine choke, immediately swept to mount and got the dramatic tap seconds later.
At The Ultimate Fighter 15 Finale three months later, the Dane found himself the wrong end of Jake Ellenberger’s power punching early on. He was floored by a monster left hook in the first and bullied around the cage with strikes in the second, but his resolve and durability carried him through. When Ellenberger’s wild strikes gave him an opening, Kampmann landed a short right cross, buckling “The Juggarnaut’s” legs. Kampmann drove three hard knees up the middle, got the finish, and scored another improbable comeback wearing a familiar crimson mask.
[caption id="attachment_222" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images"]
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There is a logjam at the top of the UFC’s welterweight division right now. Champion Georges St. Pierre is out with an injury until at least November, Interim Welterweight Champion Carlos Condit will most likely wait for the champions return, and other contenders like Kampmann and Johny Hendricks all have legitimate claims at being next in line.
I’m not here to argue that Kampmann deserves a title shot over any of the other contenders, although considering the contentious nature of his last two losses, many fans have him on an unofficial seven-fight win streak. People continually count out Kampmann, though, because many of his wins are of the come-from-behind variety. They write him off, asking, “Is he even a legitimate contender?”
Sure, he doesn’t cruise through people like St. Pierre; he battles back from the brink of defeat, overcoming significant adversity to win. That’s not a weakness. Martin Kampmann is one of the most dangerous contenders in the division, if not the most dangerous.
Let me explain: Nobody in the welterweight division can realistically go technique-for-technique with Georges St. Pierre. I’ve still yet to see anyone that can beat GSP on paper, and Kampmann is no exception. “Rush” outstrikes strikers, outwrestles wrestlers, and outgrapples grapplers with brilliant strategies and a polished, well-rounded skill set.
You have to catch St. Pierre with something. You have to take advantage of small openings and hunt for a finish like Matt Serra and Matt Hughes did in their first fights with "Rush." St. Pierre has obviously grown since then, and the window of opportunity against GSP is very, very small as a consequence. But Martin Kampmann is very good at exploiting those opportunities. Ask Jake Ellenberger or Thiago Alves.
If Kampmann fights for the title, he will lose rounds, but so will Johny Hendricks, Carlos Condit, Nick Diaz, or anyone else you throw at the champion. Winning a decision against St. Pierre is almost impossible at this point, given his masterful ring control and powerful position work. The question is, can they strike gold and take him out? Maybe Kampmann can, maybe not, but he has as good a chance as anyone in the division, and anyone who says different underestimates his persistence and tenacity to finish (especially in a five-rounder).
"I cant tell you one thing: You can never count me out," Kampmann said at the TUF 15 Finale press conference. "I don't want you to stop the fight. I'm always going to be there, fighting until the very end. Don't stop the fight if I am the one who is hurt."
Don’t sleep on Martin Kampmann.
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