04-30-2019, 12:30 AM
INDIANAPOLIS -- Sixteen fights into his UFC career, Martin (The Hitman) Kampmann has 11 wins and a few regrets. In October 2010, he flubbed a chance to fight for the welterweight championship when the Danish-born 170-pounder opted to take on Jake Shields at his own game -- on the ground. Shields went on to win a split decision. Last time out, Kampmann (20-6) stepped into the cage against top contender Johny (Bigg Rigg) Hendricks with his head not on straight. Issues outside of training weighed on his mind. Hendricks knocked him out in 46 seconds. On Wednesday, sixth-ranked Kampmann has another chance to rise up the welterweight ranks when he takes on No. 2 Carlos (The Natural Born Killer) Condit in the main event of a televised UFC card in Indianapolis. "I think I still have a lot left to prove," Kampmann said. "The UFC hasnt seen the best of me, at all. So thats what I intend to show." The bookmakers see Condit (28-7) as more than a 2-1 favourite. "I love to prove the oddsmakers wrong," said Kampmann. "Ive done that countless times before and Id love to do it again on Wednesday." The winner could find himself in the title mix once the dust settles from UFC 167 in November, when Montreals Georges St-Pierre defends his crown against Hendricks and No. 3 Rory (Ares) MacDonald, a native of Kelowna, B.C., who trains out of Montreal, takes on No. 9 (Ruthless) Robbie Lawler. "Ill be happy to fight either St-Pierre or Hendricks," said Kampmann, who now calls Las Vegas home. "Of course Id love to get a chance to avenge a loss and fight Hendricks again. Id also like to fight GSP since hes the top guy in the division, hes been champion for so long." Both Condit, 29, and Kampmann, 31, have plenty of weapons. Physically the six-foot-two Condit has an edge in height and reach over the six-foot Kampmann. But both fighters didnt come much further than seven-foot-two Roy Hibberts shoulder when the Indiana Pacers centre, an MMA fan, dropped in on the fighter workouts Wednesday. "I think were both very well-rounded and were able to finish the fight wherever the fight goes," said Kampmann. "We both like to go for the finish and that makes a great recipe for a good fight," he added. Both fighters are known for their resolve and refusal to break. MacDonald took it to Condit for the first two rounds when they met at UFC 115 in Vancouver in June 2010, only for Condit to rally in the third and put the young Canadian away. In 2012, Kampmann was in trouble against both Jake (The Juggernaut) Ellenberger and Thiago (Pitbull) Alves before turning the fight around to win by TKO and submission, respectively. Both men are prickly on their feet with sharp striking and powerful knees. Condit has the more dangerous kicks and is likely to pull something unorthodox and nasty out of his bag of tricks. Just ask Dan (The Outlaw) Hardy and Dong Hyun (Stun Gun) Kim. Both can finish you via submissions with St-Pierre noting that Condit is especially tricky on his back, baiting his opponent into a position he can then take advantage of. Condit is susceptible to the takedown. Hendricks and St-Pierre combined to take him down 19 times in his last two fights. But Hendricks is a former NCAA wrestling champion and GSP is the UFCs most effective takedown artist. Kampmann won a split decision when the two first met in April 2009 in the UFC debut for Condit, a former WEC champion. The Dane took Condit down five times in that fight but he only managed five takedowns in his next nine fights. "Thats a long time ago, but it was a tough fight," said Kampmann. "I remember I was getting pretty tired in the second round but in the third round I got a second wind. The first two rounds were pretty close but the third round, I think I won it decisively and I think thats the reason I got the decision win." Kampmann has gone 5-4 since, with the Hendricks defeat snapping a three-fight winning streak. Condit is 5-2 since the Kampmann defeat thanks to the recent Hendricks and St-Pierre losses. Kampmann rues the loss to Hendricks, mainly because he didnt get a chance to show any of his skills. FightMetric, which tracks UFC bouts, had Kampmann at zero significant strikes. Hendricks had three, which including a thundering left that put Kampmann down and another to the chin as he lay prone. "I didnt show up mentally for that fight," Kampmann said "I was there but I wasnt there and I paid dearly for it. You cant go in and not be mentally ready in a fight like that when youre fighting a heavy hitter. If he connects, then youre going to get hurt. "Ive done that in the past with other fights where Ive been knocked down, getting hit, and -- coming back -- have won it. But its not a good thing to go long-term so Ive changed up. Im going to come in and be ready to go from the beginning this time around." Kampmann did not detail what was weighing on his mind against Hendricks, other to say there were issues outside the fight world. "I thought I left it outside but maybe I didnt." He insists this time he is ready both physically and mentally for the five-round challenge. Over his career, Kampmann has been criticized for being drawn into his opponents game at the expense of his own strategy. "Ive definitely made mistakes in the past," Kampmann acknowledged. "Especially when I fought Shields. Thats the fight Im most disappointed in my own performance. Because I pretty much game that fight away. I was beating him ... Even the way I fought, I still thought I beat him. Because he didnt really do nothing other than lay on me and hug me." Despite that, in the cage after the fight, Kampmann pointed to the lack of damage on his face in making his case for the win. Two of the three judges disagreed. "I was trying too much to submit him, which was stupid," Kampmann said of Shields, a jiu-jitsu expert. "I should have just pounded him out." A former engineering student, Kampmann started out in karate and Thai boxing. He began to add submissions to his arsenal in 2000, studying tapes at first and then training in Sweden and parts further afield. He made his pro debut in February 2003. After meeting American fighter Mike Pyle in Denmark, he hooked up with him in Las Vegas to train. The World Fighting Association was looking for a middleweight and Kampmann got the job on two days notice. He stopped Edwin Aguilar in two minutes 43 seconds in July 2006 to up his record to 9-1. The UFC noticed and he was fighting in the organization a month later. What started as a hobby for Kampmann, who moved down to welterweight after a 2008 loss to Nate (The Great) Marquardt, has become a career. "Im happy," he said. "I can live and do my hobby and I can compete at the highest level of the sport. "But I still have goals left that I want to achieve. Beating Condit, finishing Condit is one of them. Of course, getting the title is a goal of mine too." Kampmann has endured some tough times along the way. In early 2008, not having access to health insurance, he removed stitches from under his eyebrow using sterilized tweezers, nail clippers and a mirror. A survivor inside and outside the cage, he says his path to a world title consists of small steps. "Ive had some missteps but Ill keep working my way back." 11:29ET 27-08-13 Jalyn Holmes Jersey . Not to be outdone, Atletico Madrid bettered its title rivals by demolishing 10-man Getafe 7-0 with Diego Costa returning from injury to score with a brilliant bicycle kick. "It was an almost perfect night," Atletico coach Diego Simeone said. Randy Moss Vikings Jersey . 1. Did the Senators trade the wrong goalie? Lets make one thing clear: The Ottawa Senators acquired Ben Bishop from the St. Louis Blues for one reason and one reason alone. http://www.officialauthenticvikingsshop....ersey.html. Directly ahead was open field, the end zone and the Seattle Seahawks place in the NFC championship game. Mike Hughes Jersey . That time around, the cage is as much a part of baseballs daily routine as a beer and a hotdog is to a fan in the stands. Coaches, scouts, broadcasters and other media hover, tossing verbal barbs, telling stories and sharing laughs. Occasionally, especially in spring when the atmosphere is relatively laid back, the list of invited guests expands and on this day, Gibbons welcomed two men strongly influential in his life. Minnesota Vikings Jerseys . In the Brewers six games this season, no starter has allowed more than three runs. "We see the guy in front of us do a great job and we want to do even better," Gallardo said after the Brewers beat the Red Sox 4-0 on Sunday, his second straight scoreless start.Ivory Coast, Greece meet in crucial Group C finale (Live on TSN Radio 1050, TSN Radio 690 and TEAM Radio 1410 at 4pm et/1pm pt) The Ivory Coast and Greece will meet in a crucial Group C match on Tuesday at the Estadio Castelao with a spot in the knockout round on the line. Les Elephants got their group-stage campaign off to a flying start with a 2-1 victory over Japan, but suffered a setback on Thursday with a 2-1 loss to group-leaders Colombia at the Estadio Nacional in Brasilia. The Ivory Coast managed to keep Colombia off the score sheet in the first half, but they couldnt hold them off in the second half as goals from James Rodriguez and Juan Fernando Quintero scored to lift Los Cafeteros to the victory. Colombia struck for the opener in the 64th minute as a corner kick from Juan Guillermo Cuadrado was expertly nodded into the top left corner of the net by Rodriguez. Colombia doubled its advantage in the 70th minute following a giveaway from the Ivory Coast in the center of the park. Gutierrez advanced the ball and slid a well-weighted pass into the path of Quintero, who slotted a left-footed shot past the on-rushing Boubacar Barry. Ivory Coast pulled one back just three minutes later. It was Gervinho who did the honors, capping a weaving run from the left flank by pumping a right- footed shot past Colombia goalkeeper David Ospina at the near post. But it wasnt enough as Les Elephants could not find an equalizer. "We didnt deserve to lose, I feel a draw would have been fair," Ivory Coast coach Sabri Lambouchi said. "We made a few untimely errors and paid a heavy price.ddddddddddddIm not going to get too carried away with what went on, there are only some small things to iron out ahead of the next game. Well now go back to our camp and get plenty of rest, because well need to beat Greece by a big margin. I cant see us qualifying any other way." Greece, meanwhile, is coming off a scoreless draw against Japan in Natal at the Estadio das Dunas on Thursday. A win for the Greeks would keep them alive for a spot in the round-of-16 with four points, but they could still go home if Japan beats Colombia earlier in the day. The run of play in Thursdays affair was even until the 38th minute when Greece had Kostas Katsouranis sent off for a second caution, which came by way of a sliding challenge on Makoto Hasebe. But the Greeks almost took the lead shortly after when Vasilis Torosidis took a failed clearance and hammered a shot on goal, but goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima was equal to the task, turning the attempt out of play to deny the Roma man. "We struggled to even get close to the Japanese box, particularly in the first half. Thats why I feel we played really well in the second 45 minutes," Greek head coach Fernando Santos said. "We thought Japan might change their style and play more long balls, rather than always playing short passes. We now need to win our next game because Cote dIvoire have three points and weve just one. We need to find a way to put the Ivorians under pressure. I hope that everything turns out like Euro 2004, when Greece also needed to win their last [group] game and ended up going through." 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