Author: Damon Martin

Martin Kampmann Picks GSP to Win at UFC 158; Happy to Face Nick Diaz Next

UFC welterweight Martin Kampmann isn’t dwelling on his loss to Johny Hendricks at UFC 154 last year, but he is certainly itching to get back in the cage to wash out the bad taste of defeat from his mouth. Kampmann lost to his former training partner in…

UFC welterweight Martin Kampmann isn’t dwelling on his loss to Johny Hendricks at UFC 154 last year, but he is certainly itching to get back in the cage to wash out the bad taste of defeat from his mouth.

Kampmann lost to his former training partner in the first round last November. Since that time, he’s been healing and making sure that his body is fit and ready when he gets back in action.  The timeline for his return has been delayed, however, due to a lingering problem with his knee that has haunted him for a couple of years now.

Following his win over Jake Ellenberger last year, Kampmann opted to have some corrective knee surgery. But now two months into 2013, he’s still having issues, so he’s awaiting his leg to fully heal before booking another fight.

“I’d love to fight soon, but I want to get my knee healthy, I want to get my knee strong,” Kampmann told Bleacher Report over the weekend while attending the Arnold Classic in Columbus, OH.  “I had surgery on it last summer, but it’s still been bugging me.  It’s annoying, I guess cut it off and get a new leg or something, but it will be better.  Hopefully, I’ll get a fight lined up by summer. I don’t want to be on the sideline for too long and get back in there hopefully against a big named opponent.”

Realistically, Kampmann knows he’s coming off a loss and won’t get a title shot, or likely even one of the top contenders who win at UFC 158 in just a couple of weeks.

So why not target the fighter who doesn’t come away with the belt in the main event between current welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre and challenger Nick Diaz?

“There’s a lot of tough fights coming up.  A lot of good fights in March. I’m not going to get to fight for the title so maybe I can fight the guy that comes up short, Nick Diaz or GSP,” Kampmann stated.   “Whoever loses that fight, I’d love to fight.  I’d prefer to fight the winner, but I know that’s not going to happen so maybe I can get the loser of that fight.”

UFC matchmaker Joe Silva typically likes to match up fighters coming off of wins with other fighters who have recently been victorious and the same with competitors fresh off of a loss.  Kampmann‘s theory plays well into whom he’s hoping to fight next, and with his projected return date during the summer, it could be a fight the UFC would look to book no matter who comes out on top at UFC 158.

Kampmann believes, like a lot of fighters do, that Georges St-Pierre will come out on top in his fight against Diaz, but no matter who wins, he’ll happily challenge the other guy.

“I think GSP‘s going to beat Diaz, so maybe fight Nick Diaz.  If Diaz pulls it off, I’d be happy to fight GSP as well,” said Kampmann.

Kampmann‘s sole focus now is to get his knee healthy so he can return to action later this year as close to full health as possible and get back on track towards his ultimate goal of earning a UFC title shot.

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report and all quotes were obtained first hand unless otherwise noted.

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Takanori Gomi X-Ray Shows Broken Hand Suffered in First Round Against Sanchez

Former Pride lightweight champion Takanori Gomi came close to beating Diego Sanchez at UFC on Fuel 8 on Saturday, and he did it with only one hand. Gomi suffered a broken hand during the first round of his fight with Sanchez, which forced him to switch…

Former Pride lightweight champion Takanori Gomi came close to beating Diego Sanchez at UFC on Fuel 8 on Saturday, and he did it with only one hand.

Gomi suffered a broken hand during the first round of his fight with Sanchez, which forced him to switch up his striking throughout the 15-minute fight with the former Ultimate Fighter winner.

The Japanese lightweight posted a picture of the x-ray of his broken hand in his official blog on Monday showing off the broken bone just below his right index finger.

Regardless of the injury, Gomi battled throughout all three rounds and when it was over, most believed he had done enough to secure the victory over Sanchez.

Unfortunately, the judges felt otherwise and handed down scores of 29-28 favoring Sanchez, with one judge giving the nod to Gomi 29-28.

UFC President Dana White apparently agreed with the judge who voted for Gomi after he watched the event from home.  White tweeted: “how the f—k did Diego win that fight? Crazy s—t.”

The win moved Sanchez back into the positive column after sitting out most of the last year due to injury, and officially welcomed him back to the lightweight division after a three-year absence.

As for Gomi, the loss broke his two-fight win streak after back-to-back wins over Eiji Mitsuoka and former Ultimate Fighter winner Mac Danzig.

Overall since coming to the UFC in 2010, Gomi has gone 3-4, as he looks to find solid ground in his new home.  The broken hand will keep Gomi on the sidelines until he can heal up, but he will likely have a job when he comes back to action later this year.

The UFC has made the message clear that they need to slim the roster down by about 100 fighters, but Gomi‘s performances in victory and defeat almost assuredly made his job safe.  Add to that the fact that UFC president Dana White personally believed he won his bout against Sanchez, and Gomi is almost a lock for another fight when he returns to action after letting his broken hand heal.

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report

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UFC: Diego Sanchez Wants to Be the First to Beat Both Nick and Nate Diaz

It didn’t take former The Ultimate Fighter winner Diego Sanchez long to introduce himself to a whole new crop of lightweights and call out one of the top contenders in the division. After more than three years away from the 155-pound division, Sanchez …

It didn’t take former The Ultimate Fighter winner Diego Sanchez long to introduce himself to a whole new crop of lightweights and call out one of the top contenders in the division.

After more than three years away from the 155-pound division, Sanchez decided to finally return there following a 2-2 run at welterweight between 2010 and 2012.

The last time Sanchez fought at lightweight, he went through two top contenders in Joe Stevenson and Clay Guida to earn a title shot at then-champion B.J. Penn.  Ultimately, Sanchez lost to Penn, but now that he’s back at lightweight he’s wasting no time jumping right back in the thick of the bee’s nest that is arguably the deepest weight class in the UFC.

Sanchez defeated former Pride champion Takanori Gomi by split decision at UFC on Fuel 8 in Japan over the weekend in a very closely contested fight.  It wasn’t an easy weekend for Sanchez, who first missed making weight on Friday, and then nearly fell to defeat in the fight against Gomi the following night.

“I feel fortunate to be off the injury list and back in the Octagon doing what I love. I don’t think this victory was given to me, I think I earned it,” Sanchez told Fuel TV after his win at UFC on Fuel 8.

Now the former title contender is ready to begin a new rivalry because it didn’t take him long to call out another top lightweight, but Sanchez managed to invoke a little family pride along the way.

“Nate Diaz,” Sanchez answered when asked who he wants next.  “I want to be the first one to say I beat both the Diaz brothers.”

Sanchez fought and defeated Nick Diaz all the way back at The Ultimate Fighter season 2 finale in 2005.  Now he’s targeting Nick’s little brother, who also happens to be one of the best lightweights in the world.

“I got the big brother, I want the little one next,” said Sanchez with confidence.  Currently, Nate Diaz is awaiting an April 20 showdown against former Strikeforce lightweight champion Josh Thomson at UFC on Fox 7 in San Jose.  If he gets past Thomson, a showdown with Sanchez could be a very intriguing matchup for Diaz and UFC matchmaker Joe Silva.

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report.

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Wanderlei Silva Knows ‘Sooner or Later’ He Will Retire but That Day Is Not Today

Prior to Saturday’s fights in Japan, Wanderlei Silva appeared to be on the verge of retirement if you listened to most fighters, critics, analysts and journalists. A run in the UFC that has landed him with a 4-5 record overall, Silva’s best days where …

Prior to Saturday’s fights in Japan, Wanderlei Silva appeared to be on the verge of retirement if you listened to most fighters, critics, analysts and journalists.

A run in the UFC that has landed him with a 4-5 record overall, Silva’s best days where he was known as the wrecking machine of MMA seemed well behind him, and his bout against Brian Stann headlining UFC on Fuel 8 seemed like a great swan song for the Brazilian legend.

The only problem was Wanderlei Silva had no intention of going quietly into the night.

A vintage performance emerged, as Silva went to battle with Stann in an epic slugfest that reminded everybody in attendance and all those watching at home what made him such an icon of the sport.

Silva stood toe-to-toe with Stann like two charging bulls until he finally dropped the former Marine with a 1-2 combo in the second round, signifying the end of the match and giving the former Pride champion yet another historic win in Japan.  Silva’s run as a champion in Pride while fighting in Japan made him one of the most beloved fighters in the sport.

UFC on Fuel 8 just reinforced that to anyone who wondered what Silva had left.

“I feel really happy.  I don’t know what’s happening in Japan but it makes me feel young again,” Silva said at the UFC on Fuel post-fight press conference.  “I’m happy to make a good fight, Brian Stann‘s a tough opponent, and I’m so glad for that opportunity that the UFC and Dana White give to me.”

In the past, Silva has shot down much of the talk about his potential retirement because, like any great athlete, no competitor truly wants to walk away no matter how much anyone else tries to talk him into it.  It has to be a personal choice in most cases, and Silva has always had the dream to keep pushing forward.

The last time retirement talk loomed over Silva’s head, he finished former Strikeforce middleweight champion Cung Le, and then on Saturday, he put away Stann in similar fashion.

Silva isn’t shy to admit that mixed martial arts is not an easy sport to participate in for as long as he’s been doing it.  The rigors of training and the battles in the cage take their toll on the mind, body and spirit.

“This job is a tough job,” said Silva.  “I know after so many years (that) I fight, every time it’s more harder to do that.”

There are more years behind Wanderlei Silva than in front of him when it comes to his fighting career, and as amazing as Saturday in Japan felt for him, even he knows eventually it all has to come to a close.  Everything ends and Silva knows one day he will have to call it a career—that day just isn’t today.

“I fight one fight at a time right now.  I feel healthy, having a couple injuries is normal, but sooner or later I’m going to need to stop this job,” Silva stated.  “But I’m happy getting this feeling, this energy from my fans.  It makes me happy to make this show for my fans.”

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and all quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

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Stefan Struve Suffers Broken Jaw in Loss to Mark Hunt at UFC on Fuel 8

UFC heavyweight Stefan Struve put on an epic battle against Mark Hunt in Japan on Saturday but ultimately fell to the former K-1 champion’s power in the third and final round. After a back-and-forth fight through the first 10 minutes, an exhausted Mark…

UFC heavyweight Stefan Struve put on an epic battle against Mark Hunt in Japan on Saturday but ultimately fell to the former K-1 champion’s power in the third and final round.

After a back-and-forth fight through the first 10 minutes, an exhausted Mark Hunt lunged forward with his signature power punches and eventually landed a huge left hook that sent the seven-foot Struve crashing to the mat.

Struve lay prone on the mat almost looking like he was waiting for Hunt to jump down and attack, but in reality he was in serious pain suffering from a broken jaw.

Struve fought a valiant battle but fell to Hunt’s power as the fight wore on, thus breaking his four-fight win streak (the longest in the UFC’s heavyweight division).

Following the fight, Struve actually continued to update fans via Twitter, letting everyone know that apparently the ambulance he was currently in awaiting transport to the hospital didn’t offer much in the way of pain relief and his broken jaw wasn’t getting any better.

UFC president Dana White didn’t end up handing Struve and Hunt the “Fight of the Night” bonus, but assured the Dutch fighter he would be taken care of after the night saying, “I will take care of you bro. I got you!”

Meanwhile, Hunt has now moved into the enviable position as the fighter with the longest winning streak in the UFC heavyweight division, marking his own four-fight win streak.

Hunt has never been much for long speeches or self-promotion before, during or after fights, but he did tell the UFC on Fuel post-show that he was hoping for a top-10 matchup next after his win over Struve.

It remains to be seen who Hunt will get next, but with a bevy of heavyweight fights on the dockets over the next few months, any number of opponents could pop up for the one-time K-1 champion.

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report.

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Bellator Featherweight Daniel Straus Arrested in Florida on Numerous Charges

Bellator featherweight title contender Daniel Straus is currently in lock-up after being arrested on several charges overnight in Broward County, Fla. According to an arrest report from the Broward County Sheriff’s department, Straus (real name Daniel …

Bellator featherweight title contender Daniel Straus is currently in lock-up after being arrested on several charges overnight in Broward County, Fla.

According to an arrest report from the Broward County Sheriff’s department, Straus (real name Daniel Mason-Straus) was arrested in conjunction with four separate charges on March 1 and is currently being held awaiting $2,200 bail.

The arrest took place by Fort Lauderdale police, and he’s currently being held in North Broward County, Fla.

Straus‘s arrest charges include driving with a suspended license, possession of cannabis over 20 grams, possession of drug paraphernalia or use and possession of MDMA (ecstasy).

The four charges combined come with a total of a $2,200 bail or bond amount. The highest charges on his count are for possession of cannabis and possession of MDMA, which both come with a $1,000 bail amount set.

Straus was recently forced out of his scheduled Bellator featherweight title fight against champion Pat Curran because of a broken hand suffered in training. Straus is an Ohio native but routinely spends much of his training camp in Florida working with American Top Team.

When he was forced out of his fight against Curran, Straus was replaced by recent featherweight tournament winner Shahbulat Shamhalaev, who now fights for the championship in early April at Bellator 95.

In his fight career, Straus had been on a roll ever since losing to Patricio “Pitbull” Freire in 2011. Straus won five fights in a row to not only win the Bellator featherweight tournament but also picked up a victory over former UFC featherweight Alvin Robinson, while at the time awaiting his shot at the 145 pound belt.

While none of Straus‘s charges come with serious jail time attached to them, the arrest is obviously not good, especially just days after he was forced out of his scheduled bout for Bellator.

As of noon ET, Straus remained in custody in Broward County lock-up.

 

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com