In early-March, two talented welterweights will meet in the main event of UFC on FX 2, and attempt to reclaim their spots as top 10 fighters in the division.
Considered 170-pound champion Georges St-Pierre’s biggest threat in mid-2009, Thiago Alves lost three out of four fights, and dropped out of the top 10 welterweight rankings altogether.
At UFC 138, Alves bounced back with a submission win over Papy Abedi. The Brazilian will now hope to earn consecutive victories for the first time since October 2008, by beating Martin Kampmann.
With wins over the likes of Carlos Condit and Paulo Thiago, Kampmann was nearing contender status as he headed into a fight with Jake Shields in October 2010. However, the Xtreme Couture product then suffered back-to-back setbacks, in controversial losses to Shields and Diego Sanchez.
If he can follow up a bounce-back win over Rick Story with a victory over Alves, Kampmann would be well on his way to becoming a serious title threat.
Undoubtedly, this will be a pivotal fight for both Alves and Kampmann, so let’s see which fighter has a better chance at picking up a second straight win.