By Raphael Garcia 
On Friday night at the TUF 15 Finale, Martin Kampmann may have become the latest addition to the long list of mixed martial arts Cinderella stories. While he may not exactly fit the description of his “Hitman” moniker, over his eight-year career he has amassed a highlight reel of victories by submission or knockout. Yet even as he sits at the precipice of what could be his shining moment as a mixed martial artist, people continue counting him out.
During Kampmann’s six-year UFC tenure, he has put together an 11-4 resume that is quite impressive, but often overlooked. Even before he defeated the man expected to next challenge for the welterweight title, Jake Ellenberger, Kampmann has seen his hand raised against a number of top-level fighters, including Paulo Thiago, Thiago Alves, Rick Story, and even the current interim welterweight champion, Carlos Condit. Kampmann’s defeats have all come to fighters who were considered Top 10 contenders in their respective weight classes at some point in time. His two recent losses to Jake Shields and Diego Sanchez were hotly debated topics, as many fans believed that the judges got the decisions wrong on those nights. Even still, it’s amazing how often Kampmann’s overlooked.
Not only does Kampmann continue to rack up quality wins, but he has recently been scoring comeback wins, fighting back to snatch victory from his opponents the same way that the beloved underdog Frankie Edgar has been able to do while competing in the Octagon. MMAodds.com listed Kampmann as the underdog for his last three bouts, against Story, Alves, and Ellenberger. In two of those fights their predictions almost came true, until the “Hitman” found a way to turn things around. Both Ellenberger and Alves had him either hurt or on the defensive for much of the fight until he was able to suddenly finish them off, with a knee strike in the case of Ellenberger, and with a tight guillotine choke on Alves. His ability to come back from the brink is very valuable, because that makes him seem more “human” to mainstream fans. Champions that bulldoze over their opponents (such as Georges St. Pierre has done over the years) grow stale, so if Kampmann were to secure the title and hold it, fight fans would know that each successful defense would come with some excitement.
With the current state of welterweight contendership up in the air due to injury, Kampmann has now placed himself into a very precarious position. When this fight was announced it was deemed a number one contender’s matchup, but is that truly the case at this point?
Condit, the interim champion, previously elected to wait for St. Pierre’s return, which is expected to be this coming November. However, he recently stated that if “Rush” is unavailable for that bout, he would like to face Kampmann. For those of us who don’t remember, Condit’s last defeat was a split decision loss to the “Hitman” back in 2009. However, that “if” is a pretty big one, because we have seen title shots and matchups get shifted around at a moment’s notice. Who’s to say that UFC matchmakers won’t forgo Condit’s request and instead put him in the cage against Johny Hendricks, whose following is starting to blossom after his recent performances. The TUF Live Finale may be his biggest career win to date, but the “Hitman” could still find himself on the outside looking in.
Even still, Kampmann’s never been the type of fighter to sit on the sideline while others are actively competing. It’s hard to expect him to wait, but at the same time, mixed martial arts is the type of sport where an underdog can pull out a victory and shock a fighter in Kampmann’s position — he just did it to Ellenberger. Any other fight outside of a bout against Hendricks would be risky for Kampmann, so it would be understandable if he wants to avoid being put in that position.
But at the same time, it’s also risky to wait a year for a potential title shot. We’ve seen what “cage rust” does to those who take extended time off, and we’ve also seen what happened to Rashad Evans, who was leapfrogged because he suffered an injury after waiting for a title shot at light heavyweight. Furthermore, Kampmann’s earning power is at its highest point right now. If he sits on the sideline while waiting for a title shot, fans and the media will forget about him. MMA is becoming a “what have you done for me lately” spectacle, and those individuals who elect to wait their turns are risking more than their abilities to perform.
With so many different paths in front of him, Kampmann should continue fighting. He has an opportunity to face off against Condit for the Interim title or call for a marquee fight against “Big Rig.” If Hendricks decides to wait for the title shot that he believes he’s earned, matchmakers should go out of their way to give Kampmann fights against other quality opponents. A win against Charlie Brenneman, Rory MacDonald, Dong Hyun Kim, or Mike Pierce would be enough to solidify his place at the top of the rankings. All of these fighters — except MacDonald, who recently fought — are slated to appear in the Octagon this summer, so scheduling would work out. The risk of a defeat is there in all of these bouts, but Kampmann has just as much to lose by sitting on the sidelines.
Every fighter on the UFC roster is a dangerous one, but at this point the best bet would be for Kampmann to continue fighting, to line his pockets, build his name, and create an irrevocable case for being considered the number one contender to the UFC welterweight champion, whomever that ends up being.
