Martin Kampmann : UFC 139 Interview

UFC welterweight Martin Kampmann training out of Xtreme Couture MMA  has a vitally important fight with Rick Story coming up this weekend at UFC 139. Kampmann has dropped two bouts in a row and a third loss would be a setback in his quest for a title shot.

Kampmann stated: “With the Diego fight I made mistakes, but I still beat him up. His face  was a wreck afterwards and he still has the scars to prove it. I  definitely believe I won that fight and I got the better of him. I would  love to avenge any one of those two losses because I think I’m the  better fighter and I can beat any of those guys.”

Then he states he lost the Shields fight because he made a lot of mistakes, but Martin also has this to say:

“For the most part wrestlers take people down and lay on them. That is  how I lost to Jake Shields. I was kneeing Jake in the face and in the  body. I had a solid submission attempt with a choke. He landed one punch  on me in that entire fight and he didn’t once try to submit me. He won  the fight by getting on top of me and humping my leg. I think the  current scoring system favors wrestlers too much. You can punch a guy  ten times in the face, but if he takes you down and cuddles with you,  they give the round to that guy. It is what it is.”

Pretty candid from Kampmann there, which continues throughout other topics in the interview. He talks about his upcoming fight with Story in more measured terms:

“I’d love to make it a more technical striking match, but I don’t think  that is what he is going to do. I think he is going to want to come in  close. I think that is his strength; he’s a strong dude who wants to  come in swinging. He might get clipped, but when he’s in the pocket like  that he’s dangerous. From a distance though I will be able to pick him  apart.”

“He tries to take his opponents to the ground a lot. He is a wrestler by  nature. I’m sure he is going to try and take the fight to the ground,  but I’m prepared for that. I’m totally ready to counter or stuff the  takedown. If it does go to the ground I’m very confident in my Jiu-jitsu  skills too.”

But he turnes the heat back up when talking about Nick Diaz and the whole Diaz/Condit/GSP saga:

“I personally think Carlos Condit got screwed. Nick Diaz has been pretty  good at hyping himself up. To be honest, I don’t think Diaz is that  good. Anytime he has fought any good wrestlers he has had problems. I  think he’s going to lose badly to GSP. Diaz is good at running his mouth  and doing his thing…you know…being a punk. I would love to fight Nick  Diaz sooner than later. I would absolutely love to fight him somewhere  down the line.”

If you are in Vegas and looking for a free place to watch UFC 139, come to Xtreme Couture MMA. No cover, No Cost, just a night of great fights.

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Martin Kampmann pulls out of UFC on Versus 4 due to Injury

The UFC announced late Monday that Xtreme Couture fighter, Martin Kampmann , has stepped out of his UFC on Versus 4 fight against John Howard with an injury. To compensate, Matt Brown moves up the card to face Howard, and Brown’s original opponent, Rich Attonito, will now face Daniel Roberts. The UFC did not disclose the nature of Kampmann’s injury.

Just last week, the card’s main event, between Anthony Johnson and Nate Marquardt, had to change when Johnson pulled out with an injury. Marquardt, dropping from middleweight to make his welterweight debut, now faces Rick Story, who just 10 days ago upset Thiago Alves at UFC 130.

UFC on Versus 4 takes place at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh on June 26. The main card airs live on the Versus cable channel, part of a four-fight deal the UFC has with Versus for 2011. Versus previously was the home of the WEC, which was folded into the UFC at the start of this year.

Kampmann was looking to get back in the win column after a pair of decision losses – both controversial – to Jake Shields and Diego Sanchez. Shields beat Kampmann by split decision at UFC 121 last October to get a shot at Georges St-Pierre’s welterweight title. In March, at UFC on Versus 3, Kampmann lost a unanimous decision to Diego Sanchez – though many believe Kampmann won the fight, and FightMetric’s stats indicate Kampmann did more damage.

Brown has lost three straight, all by submission, to Ricardo Almeida, Chris Lytle and Brian Foster. Howard has lost two in a row, to Jake Ellenberger and Alves, after a 4-0 start to his UFC career.

Attonito also drops down from middleweight to welterweight for the first time. He is coming off a loss to Dave Branch at the TUF 12 Finale in December. Roberts had his three-fight streak stopped by Claude Patrick at UFC 129 in April.

“I feel I’m finally down at the weight class I should have been the entire time,” Attonito said in a release from his management company. “I feel better than I’ve ever felt physically and athletically.”

With just four bouts on the main card on Versus, the event will tie a UFC record for most preliminary card fights on one show with eight. UFC 103, in September 2009, was the first card in the promotion’s history with 13 fights – eight of which were prelims. That was also the first time a pair of prelims aired live on Spike TV.

Though not yet announced by the UFC, some of all of the UFC on Versus 4 prelims could wind up on Facebook. All of the UFC’s events since January’s Fight for the Troops 2 show have included preliminary fights streaming for free on the social networking site. Including this Saturday’s UFC 131 pay-per-view, the last four have aired each fight on the card with a combination of Facebook, Spike and pay-per-views.

The Aftermath – Martin Kampmann’s War

For the third main event of the year , the UFC the judges have rendered yet another controversial outcome.  A “unanimous” decision win for Sanchez.

Martin Kampmann vs. Diego Sanchez last night was a war plan and simple.  Kampmann destroyed Diego’s face which closely resembled Dr. Hannibal Lecters left overs, but still did not impress the judges with his precision striking, takedown defense throughout the fight.

The fight did earn a $60,000 Fight of the Night bonuses for both fighters.

Kampmann who thought his hand was broke during the fight said this morning  on his twitter “Good news, so my hand is still pretty swollen but doc says it wasn’t broken.”

Below are comments pulled from twitter from our Pro Team here at Xtreme Couture MMA on how they saw the fight.

“Judges scored activity over accomplishment in the kampman fight ! 1st and 3rd to kampman ! Classy performance win or loose . Nice work MK !”
– Randy Couture

 “Brother u me n the whole world had u winning that fight!!”
– Ray Sefo

The Hitman – Locked and Loaded

No one was more disappointed following UFC 121 last October than Martin Kampmann.

Kampmann faced off against former Strikeforce middleweight champion Jake Shields, who was making his UFC debut and needed just one win to earn a title shot against welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre. However, Kampmann proved to be an incredible challenge for Shields, just barely losing on the judges’ scorecards by split decision.

Yet as imprssive as his performance was, Kampmann took the loss hard, understanding whole-heartedly what a win in that position would have done for him in a welterweight division desperate for contenders. The fact that he completely believes that he could have and should have won that fight made it all the more disappointing.

“I was really disappointed in my performance,” Kampmann told HeavyMMA.com. “I didn’t fight the way I should have. I made a lot of mistakes in that fight. I could’ve won the fight. I should’ve won the fight, but I gave the victory away by making stupid mistakes. In the heat of the moment you do stupid things and I wish I could go back and change it and fight a smarter fight because I definitely believe I can beat Jake Shields. No doubt in my mind, I can beat Jake Shields.”

Regardless of his opinion on the Shields fight, Kampmann says that it is now in the past and that he must look forward to the future set before him by the UFC. Right now, the Kampmann’s future involves an intriguing match up with former lightweight top contender Diego Sanchez in the main event of UFC on Versus 3.

Sanchez, who has recently disposed of his nickname “Nightmare” and insists he has permanently exiled himself from the 155 lb. division, explained in the media call last week that he has refocused and done away with the negativity in his life. The news does not faze Kampmann, however, as he has been training for the most focused and best Sanchez he could possibly imagine.

“Good for him if he’s refocused,” Kampmann said. “When I train for him, I expect the best Diego Sanchez to show up and that’s what I want. I want the best fight that he can give me. I think he looked really good in his last fight against Paulo Thiago. I think he looked a lot better in that fight than he had earlier, so I think he is definitely back to his old self.”

Kampmann enters this contest on a one-fight losing streak after winning four of his last five contests. Meanwhile, Sanchez’s victory over Paulo Thiago at UFC 121 snapped a two-fight losing streak and has him back to his winning ways.

Still, regardless of each fighter’s last contest, Kampmann is still widely regarded as the better welterweight due to what he has done in the division in recent history. Though he may come into this contest as a favorite, he has never been one to disregard an opponent and ignore the potential threats. The case remains the same when looking at the threats and problems a man like Sanchez can pose in the cage when the Octagon door is closed.

“I think Diego Sanchez is a dangerous opponent. He’s been jumping up and down between welterweight and lightweight, but he fought for the lightweight title and he’s got some wins over some really good, tough welterweights. He’s definitely a real dangerous fight whichever weight division he chooses to fight in, so I think he poses a real threat, and I look forward to the fight. I think a win over him is definitely going to propel me closer to where I want to be and that’s closer to a title shot.”

Sanchez may be undergoing changes, but one thing that has always been constant with him is his exhilarating style of fighting. Just look back on his fight against Clay Guida in 2009 and you will understand exactly what he is all about.

Similarly, Kampmann has never been one to go out looking to grind away at his opponent in hopes of earning a decision. And that is why the Xtreme Couture product is confident that this main event will go above and beyond any expectations.

“I think it’s going to be a great fight. He’s going to fight. He’s not going to just grind out a boring decision. He’s there to fight you and I think that makes good fights. When you have a guy who wants to fight and I want to fight, that’s got the recipe for a good fight. I think it’s going to be action packed.”

Kampmann’s concern for putting on an exciting fight is certainly admirable, especially in the eyes of the fans who want nothing more than a riveting main event on March 3. But a bigger picture awaits him if he should walk away a winner.

Long struggling to break through into the absolute elite group of welterweights, Kampmann is granted an opportunity against Sanchez to catapult himself back into the 170 lb. title mix, which is exactly where he wants to be. But Kampmann is not one to worry about title shots. His focus is, and always has been, on winning fights and letting everything else fall into place.

“That’s totally up to the UFC (to determine) who gets a title shot. Right now my goal is to win my fights and keep winning. I’d like to go undefeated the rest of the year. (If I keep) winning my fights, everything’s going to come by itself.”

“My focus is on winning my fights and putting on good performances, and then the rest will come.”

by Heavy.com

Kampmann Aims to KO Sanchez

Through 11 fights in the UFC, Xtreme Couture’s Martin Kampmann has picked up a lot of victories a lot of different ways, but now he’s ready to try out a new one.

As he trained for his fight against Diego Sanchez in the main event of UFC on Versus 3 in Louisville, Ky., this week, Kampmann learned a valuable lesson from his last fight that he wants to carry into this one.

Kampmann lost a razor close decision to current top contender Jake Shields last year. He blames himself for the outcome, and promises it will never happen again.

“I did a lot of mistakes in that fight. I think I could of won it, and it was basically giving it away, through my mistakes. I was trying to hard to submit him and I should have just stuck to punching him in the face instead,” Kampmann told MMAWeekly Radio recently.

He comes from a diverse background learning both kickboxing and grappling. In his early days with the UFC, he was pegged primarily as a striker, but with four submission victories out of his eight wins in the UFC, he’s ready to knock someone out.

“I want to go in there and dictate the pace. I want to punch him in the face every time he tries to get in there, and I want to get back to my old days,” Kampmann said. “I want to get back to knocking people out. I started in boxing and Thai boxing, and I think it’s time to get back to my roots and start beating people up and standing again.”

While he continuously works in all areas of the game, Kampmann loves wrestling and jiu-jitsu, but he believes it’s high time to put his fist in someone’s face and watch them crash to the canvas.

Still, coming into a match-up with a fighter of Diego Sanchez’s abilities, and knowing that he has a diverse wrestling and submission background, Kampmann tells him not to sleep on his own ground game.

“I’ve trained submission wrestling for a long time as well, but I kind of got labeled as a striker when I first got into the UFC, even though I spent a lot of time in submission wrestling as well. For some reason people are underestimating my ground game always, but I think I have a pretty decent ground game,” Kampmann commented.

When the fight is over, he doesn’t seem to care much how he gets his hand raised, as long as it’s his hand being raised. He does admit however that putting someone away on the feet would feel really good right about now.

“I like to win, period,” Kampmann stated. “If Diego’s going to give me submissions, of course I’m going to take it, cause I’m in there to get the win, but I think the fans definitely appreciate knockouts more than submissions, and I don’t have any knockouts in the UFC yet, so I think it’s about time.”

If Kampmann’s strategy comes to fruition, he believes he’ll walk out of Kentucky with a win on his record. One thing he won’t do however is celebrate the way his opponent does.

“I think I’m going to leave the cartwheels to Diego.”

by MMA Weekly –

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UFC on Versus 3: Sanchez vs. Kampann official for March 3 in Louisville

UFC on Versus 3: Sanchez vs. Kampann” official for March 3 in Louisville

The Ultimate Fighting Championships’ Kentucky debut now is official.

As MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) first reported this past month and officials today formally announced, “UFC on Versus 3: Sanchez vs. Kampann” takes place March 3 at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville.

The Versus-televised event features co-headliners of Diego Sanchez (22-4 MMA, 11-4 UFC) vs. Martin Kampmann (17-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC) and Mark Munoz (9-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) vs. C.B. Dollaway (11-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC).

The event’s main card airs live on Versus. It’s the first of four 2011 shows expected to air on the cable station.

“Diego Sanchez and Martin Kampmann of Xtreme Couture MMA Camp are two fighters who always go for broke, so this should be a great fight,” UFC President Dana White stated. “Both of these guys feel they belong at the top of the welterweight division, and they’ll have a chance to prove it on March 3. The same goes for Munoz and Dolloway. They push the pace and look to finish fights and both want to fight the best middleweights out there. We’re really excited to bring a card like this to Louisville.”

The KFC Yum! Center hosts a variety of sporting and entertainment events and is the primary home of the University of Louisville’s mens and women’s basketball teams. The arena holds up to 22,000 fans, though it’s likely that a smaller seating configuration would be used with a UFC event.

Tickets for the event go on sale next week.

The latest UFC on Versus 2 card now includes:

• Martin Kampmann vs. Diego Sanchez
• C.B. Dollaway vs. Mark Munoz
• Alexandre Ferreira vs. Rousimar Palhares*
• Maiquel Falcao vs. Alessio Sakara*
• Brian Bowles vs. Damacio Page*
• Cyrille Diabate vs. Steve Cantwell*
• Matt Brown vs. Mark Scanlon*

UFC 121 Weigh In Results – Watch Here at the Gym Tomorrow

All the other fighters made weight for the card. Martin Kampmann looks to again take another critical step forward in the 170lb division against Jake Shields.

Another Xtreme Couture fighter Gabriel Gonzaga takes on Brendan Schaub.

Members of Xtreme Couture MMA can watch UFC 121 free of charge at the gym. Doors open at 6pm.

Pay-Per-View Bouts
Brock Lesnar (264) vs. Cain Velasquez (244)
Jake Shields (170.5) vs. Martin Kampmann (170)
Tito Ortiz (206) vs. Matt Hamill (203.5)
Brendan Schaub (239) vs. Gabriel Gonzaga (254)
Diego Sanchez (170.5) vs. Paulo Thiago (170.5)

Spike TV Preliminary Bouts
Court McGee (184.5) vs. Ryan Jensen (185)
Patrick Côté (185) vs. Tom Lawlor (185)

Unaired Preliminary Bouts
Mike “The Joker” Guymon (170) vs. Daniel “Ninja” Roberts (170)
Sam Stout (155.5) vs. Paul Taylor (155)
Chris Camozzi (185) vs. Dong Yi Yang (186)
Jon Madsen (254.5) vs. Gilbert Yvel (249)

Xtreme Couture Shines at UFC 115

Martin Kampmann’s total domination of Paulo Thiago, epic fight by teammates Evan Dunham and Tyson Griffin and  perhaps one of his best performances by Mike Pyle against Jesse Lennox.

Congratulations to all the guys for their great performances!

UFC 115 Preview: Paulo Thiago, Martin Kampmann Meet in Crucial Welterweight Confrontation

by Leland Roling- Bloody Elbow

The most appealing fight of the evening has to be the welterweight clash between special police forces’ officer and Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Paulo Thiago (13-1, 3-1 UFC) and Danish kickboxer and legitimate ground threat Martin Kampmann (16-3, 8-2 UFC). Not only is the match-up a solid test for both fighters in terms of styles, but the fight could determine who will move up in the ranks far enough to be matched in a contention bout next. Thiago has the most solid case as he’s defeated Josh Koscheck, Mike Swick, and Jacob Volkmann in his UFC career with his lone loss coming against Jon Fitch at UFC 100. Kampmann’s recent run was abruptly stopped at UFC 103 when he was knocked out by Paul Daley, but he did manage to defeat Jacob Volkmann at UFC 108 in quick fashion via guillotine choke.

While there is a possibility that the winner really puts himself into prime position for a run toward the top, my own attraction sits on how this fight will play out in what we could call an evenly-matched bout between well-rounded combatants. Thiago’s boxing has improved immensely to the point in which I’ve found myself surprised in his learning ability and determination in correcting past problems that have plagued his form. Kampmann’s ground tactics continue to get him out of tough situations, and it’s improved to a point where he’s positionally solid in his control and form.

Kampmann’s striking is going to be the question, and while he hails from a region in the world that’s notorious for kickboxers — Kampmann hasn’t shown the crisp kickboxing of a K-1 veteran. He doesn’t loop his overhands horribly all of the time, but he tends to tire and fall into the mold. His defense is lacking, and that’s probably one of the most consistent criticisms of his stand-up game.

Thiago, on the other hand, looked sloppy in his battle with Josh Koscheck, but a perfectly-placed uppercut downed the AKA veteran. Jon Fitch didn’t give him the opportunity to punch, but Thiago did show some wizardry in his grappling skills. Jacob Volkmann and Mike Swick were victims of an ever-improving arsenal of strikes that Thiago has been molding. Crisp, straight punches that landed accurately, and Swick was the recipient of the follow-up of submission knowledge from Thiago’s Brazilian jiu-jitsu background while Volkmann held off Thiago long enough to lose via judges’ decision.

On the ground, I think Paulo is hands down a better fighter. We haven’t seen a whole lot of Thiago off his back in recent memory, but the Jon Fitch fight is a good example of looking at the potential that is there. Thiago was able to work in some great reversals of position, but Fitch’s wrestling was too much. Kampmann is a crafty ground fighter, but Paulo’s black belt-level skill will trump anything Kampmann can muster.

I also think Thiago has that mental edge as a fight in the Octagon is probably a safer reality than his every day job of hunting drug lords in Brazil. I don’t want to take anything away from Kampmann, but very few in this sport have a day job that is more dangerous or unnerving than Paulo Thiago. It surely must help him maintain composure in the heat of battle, and that’s a plus.

In the end, I think some fans will be a bit surprised at the progression of Paulo Thiago. He’s certainly rode the roller coaster in the UFC with an upset victory over Koscheck, a standard loss to a blanketing wrestler in Jon Fitch, and two subsequent wins that earned him some much deserved accolades. I think he’s going to put on a good performance and make a claim as to being the next man to fight for contention.

Martin Kampmann and Mike Pyle – Law Enforcement Seminar

XC LAW ENFORCEMENT 1 DAY SEMINAR
Sunday May 9th, 2010

There will be a day of instruction focusing on teaching.

~ Arrest Techniques
~ Takedowns
~ Stand Up Fight Techniques
~ Mental Game
~ And More

XCMMA instructors:

• Mike “Quicksand” Pyle – UFC Fighter
• Martin “the Hitman” Kampmann – UFC Fighter

Limited to Law Enforcement (Not open to Public)

$150 – Special Flat Rate

>> More Information and Pre- Register Here <<