Tonight at UFC Fight Night 27, two of the UFC’s most exciting fighters square off, as former UFC Interim Welterweight Champion Carlos Condit faces perennial top 10 welterweight Martin Kampmann in a rematch of their memorable 2009 battle. This is probably one of the the most interesting rematches that could be made in the 170-pound division. This piece will break down both fighters, as well as where the fight will likely be won and lost.
Carlos Condit
Condit, an Albuquerque, New Mexico native, has been a longtime member of Team Jackson/Winklejohn in his home city. Early in his career, Condit fought in many major promotions across Asia and continental America, amassing a record of 18-4 by the age of 22. After a successful run in Japanese promotion Pancrase, World Extreme Cagefighting came calling, and his signing in 2007 began his path towards becoming a fan favorite. Condit debuted against the ever-tough Ryan Jensen and made light work of the veteran, defeating him via rear naked choke within two minutes. The victory and the manner in which it came forced WEC to give Condit a title shot, and it was a decision they wouldn’t regret, as it was deja vu, with Condit winning his second consecutive fight by rear naked choke.
Once Condit won the belt it seemed impossible for his opponents to pry the gold from around the waist of “The Natural Born Killer,” as he defended his belt three times, firstly against Minnesotan wrestler Brock Larson, and next against Carlo Prater, whom he finished with ease, setting up his amazing WEC title defence against Hiromitsu Miura, which was a back and forth display that earned Condit “Fight of the Night honors. In 2009, the UFC absorbed WEC, and pit the last WEC welterweight champion Condit against Martin Kampmann, who was fresh off a successful welterweight debut. Following a very close fight, judges awarded a controversial split decision to Kampmann.
In the years that followed, Condit developed significantly, winning five straight fights –three by a form of knockout — en route to capturing the interim UFC Welterweight championship. However, he goes into the rematch with Kampmann having dropped decisions to Georges St.Pierre and Johny Hendricks.
Condit is known for his technical striking. Whether moving forward or on the back foot, he looks to get off first and score points. His standup defence is second to none, and has frustrated opponents like Nick Diaz and Johnny Hendricks. On the ground, Condit is phenomenal — of his 28 victories, 13 have came by tap out, and he’s always active from his back.
Keys for victory for Condit are pretty straightforward: he needs to be aggressive, and even though Kampmann is a great counter-striker, his chin seems to be waning in recent years, and Condit has to power to put him away.
Martin Kampmann
Martin Kampmann has been considered a top name in the UFC for almost 8 years now. He started his promotional rise when he was brought in to face Crafton Wallace at UFC Fight Night 6. Following a first round victory against Wallace, Kampmann was paired with the highly-rated Thales Leites, and in a bout many expected Kampmann to lose, he shocked the fans and put on a dominant display.
Following his victory against Leites, Kampmann racked up two victories before being paired against Nate Marquardt. This defeat made Kampmann aware that he wasn’t fit for the 185-pound division and made him cut to 170, where he has had success ever since.
A familiar narrative in Kampmann’s career is that his ascent to stardom is always halted at the final hurdle, and whenever he has been on the precipice of a title shot he has faltered. This was the case in his bouts with Paul Daley, Jake Shields, and Johnny Hendricks.
On the feet Kampmann is always technical but really doesn’t supply much power; his real skill in my opinion is his wresting, which has long been underestimated. On the canvas Kampmann is ever-dangerous, especially with chokes, which he has used to finish five of his UFC opponents.
The keys for victory for Kampmann are simple: he needs to keep his hands up and try to take down Condit whenever possible.
The Verdict
Since their first fight, the progression in Carlos Condit’s game has been far more obvious than for Martin Kampmann. I’m backing Condit to make a statement in Indianapolis and score a knockout in the third round.
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• Carlos Condit vs. Martin Kampmann
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UFC Fight Night 27: Kampmann vs. Condit 2 is due to take place on August 28, 2013 at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.
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