Martin Kampmann
Martin Kampmann | “The Hitman”
Ht: 6’0 – Wt: 170 – Age: 30
Born: Aarhus, Denmark
Fights out of: Las Vegas, NV, USA
Team: Xtreme Couture
Overall Record: 20-6
UFC Record: 11-5
Background:
Martin Kampmann has been a perennial top 10 contender in the UFC welterweight division. Kampmann made his mixed martial arts debut in 2003, competing in his native Denmark where he quickly established himself as one of the top European prospects. Kampmann went 9-1 overall before signing with the UFC in 2006. Kampmann debuted as a middleweight, impressively defeating veterans Thales Leites, Drew McFedries, and Jorge Rivera on way to an unblemished 4-0 UFC record. Kampmann’s undefeated run would come to an end though as he was overwhelmed by Nate Marquardt. Following the loss, Kampmann decided to cut down to welterweight. Kampmann defeated Brazilian newcomer Alexandre Barros before facing off against recent WEC import Carlos Condit. Kampmann and Condit put on a back-and-forth war that eventually ended with Kampmann getting his hand raised in a narrow split decision victory. Kampmann could not capitalize on his momentum, losing his next fight to Paul Daley via 1st round TKO. Kampmann rebounded with consecutive wins over Jacob Volkmann and Paulo Thiago before losing a razor-thin decision to Jake Shields. Kampmann moved on to face Diego Sanchez in an all-out war that easily earned Fight of the Night honors. The two fighters battered each other for 3 rounds with Sanchez ultimately winning a hotly-contested unanimous decision. Kampmann bounced back with a solid unanimous decision win over former rising contender Rick Story.
2011 Breakdown:
Kampmann fought twice in 2011, going 1-1 overall.
Kampmann began the year headlining UFC on Versus 3 against Diego Sanchez. The fight was an all-out war that left both men bruised and bloody. Kampmann dominated most of the 1st round with crisp striking. Sanchez stormed back in the 2nd round, pushing forward and hurting Kampmann with his wild flurries. The 3rd round was too close to call as Kampmann continued to tag Sanchez with counter punches, though Sanchez would not back down pushing forward with flurries. The fight could have easily been scored a draw, but Sanchez walked away with the narrow victory.
Kampmann was scheduled to face John Howard in at UFC on Versus 4, but he was forced off the card due to injury.
Kampmann ended up squaring off against former rising contender Rick Story at UFC 139. Story pushed the pace early and had Kampmann hurt at one point in the 1st round. Story began to quickly tire down and Kampmann was able to grind out the final 2 rounds by using effective wrestling and grappling. Kampmann took a split decision win that was later declared a unanimous decision.
2012 Forecast:
Kampmann continues to fall just short of winning against elite-level opposition. Kampmann’s counter-striking is effective, but it usually gets him into trouble as his chin has failed him in the past. Kampmann is solid on the ground and has routinely pulled off submissions against unsuspecting opponents. Kampmann is very adaptable, but that sometimes has allowed his opponents to dictate the pace and style of the fight. Kampmann would benefit from being the aggressor like he showed in his fight with Story. Considering how close his losses have been, Kampmann is still a viable contender, but will need to win some big fights in order to shed the fringe contender label.
Martin Kampmann Fight Record
Overall Record: 18-5
2008-2011 Record: 6-4
2011 Record: 1-1
Win | Rick Story | Dec | Rd 3 | UFC | 11/19/2011
Loss | Diego Sanchez | Dec | Rd 3 | UFC | 03/03/2011
2010 Record: 2-1
Loss | Jake Shields | Dec | Rd 3 | UFC | 10/23/2010
Win | Paulo Thiago | Dec | Rd 3 | UFC | 06/12/2010
Win | Jacob Volkmann | Sub | Rd 1 | UFC | 01/02/2010
2009 Record: 2-1
Loss | Paul Daley | Tko | Rd 1 | UFC | 09/19/2009
Win | Carlos Condit | Dec | Rd 3 | UFC | 04/01/2009
Win | Alexandre Barros | Tko | Rd 2 | UFC | 01/17/2009
2008 Record: 1-1
Loss | Nate Marquardt | Tko | Rd 1 | UFC | 09/06/2008
Win | Jorge Rivera | Sub | Rd 1 | UFC | 06/07/2008
