You can add Martin Kampmann’s name to the growing list of fighters campaigning for a chance to beat up Nick Diaz.
Fresh off of his first-round knockout loss to Johny Hendricks, the Danish welterweight contender has been licking his chops for an opportunity to reinsert himself into the title picture.
He may have sniffed out his golden ticket in Diaz, who is coming off of a unanimous decision loss to UFC welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre. During an appearance on BJPenn.com Radio, Kampmann officially threw his name in the Diaz sweepstakes.
I’d be happy to fight [Diaz]. He’s still got a ton of hype behind him, and he’s ranked in the top 10, so that would be a good win for me, and I’d love to beat his ass.
Wins over Jake Ellenberger, Thiago Alves and Rick Story helped propel Kampmann to the top of the division, but it all came crumbling down thanks to Hendricks’ sleep-inducing left hand.
Kampmann is looking to quickly climb back into title contention. Who better to call out than the biggest marquee name in the division not named Georges St-Pierre?
A bout between Kampmann and Diaz does make sense from a purely stylistic perspective. Both are world-class strikers with a reputation for being aggressive and pushing the fight. Their candid personalities should also play over well enough in the media to spin off another grudge match.
Unfortunately for Kampmann, there could be a pair of roadblocks standing in the way of his request.
Ellenberger and Carlos Condit have also asked for a fight with Diaz. The most recent request came from Condit at the UFC 158 open workouts.
When asked if he would rather fight St-Pierre or Diaz, Condit admitted he would much rather face Diaz, despite already defeating him more than a year ago.
Ellenberger has been calling out Diaz since 2011. During an interview with ESPN UK, Ellenberger criticized Diaz for having “no power” and playing “patty-cake” during stand-up exchanges.
It has yet to be determined who Diaz’s next opponent will be or if he will even continue to compete in the UFC. After his loss to St-Pierre, he once again hinted at possibly retiring from the sport.
Whether it’s Diaz or someone else, Kampmann hopes the next man standing across from him in the Octagon is a top-10 contender.
More than anything, I’d like to fight a top-10 opponent, so guys like Diaz, [Tarec] Saffiedine, but also Condit could be a possibility. We fought before and had a great match, and it would be fun to do it again.
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