The UFC International Tour continues with the second UFC on FX event headlined by Thiago Alves and Martin Kampmann this Friday night.
Alves has had a mediocre 2-3 run since defeating Josh Koscheck at UFC 90, but two of those losses came against elite welterweights Georges St-Pierre and Jon Fitch. He was successful in his last bout with a quick first-round submission against Papy Abedi.
Kampann has had his own struggles as of late, losing two straight fights before a victory over Rick Story at UFC 139. He is headlining his third event—the most recent one being that memorable bout against Diego Sanchez last March.
UFC on FX 2
Where: Allphones Arena in Sydney, Australia
When: Friday, March 2 at 9:00 p.m. EDT
Watch: Preliminary Card starts at 6:00 p.m. EDT on FUEL TV; Main Card starts at 9:00 p.m. EDT on FX.
Fight Card
Main Card (FX)
Welterweight bout: Thiago Alves vs. Martin Kampann
Flyweight bout: Joseph Benavidez vs. Yasuhiro Urushitani
Flyweight bout: Demetrious Johnson vs. Ian McCall
Middleweight bout: Court McGee vs. Constantinos Philippou
Preliminary Card (FUEL)
Light Heavyweight bout: James Te Huna vs. Aaron Ross
Light Heavyweight bout: Anthony Perosh vs. Nick Penner
Featherweight bout: Cole Miller vs. Steven Siler
Middleweight bout: Kyle Noke vs. Andrew Craig
Welterweight bout: T.J. Waldburger vs. Jake Hecht
Featherweight bout: Mackens Semerzier vs. Daniel Pineda
Preliminary Card
Heavyweight bout: Oli Thompson vs. Shawn Jordan
Alves’ Keys to Victory
Keep the fight standing; don’t be afraid to get aggressive early.
Alves is a power fighter. He wants to knock his opponents out and has had great success in doing so throughout his career.
His problems have come when he gets into the Octagon with fighters who aren’t afraid to wrestle and get things on the ground. Alves doesn’t like to work on the mat, so he will have to avoid Kampann’s takedowns.
Another factor that could work for Alves is trying to force the issue early. Kampmann is a good striker and is tough as nails, so you have to stun him early to take him out of his element.
Kampmann’s Keys to Victory
Follow up his offense and don’t be afraid to finish the fight.
Kampmann should have a better record than 18-5. It’s a respectable mark, sure, but he tends to fight the way that his opponents want instead of using his skills to make them adjust.
His talent works best when he is able to stand with an opponent early before taking things to the ground. He is a solid wrestler with a more-than-capable ground game, so he can take Alves out of his comfort zone.
When he gets the opportunity to finish the fight, he needs to do it. That has been a problem in the past and cost him bouts he should have won.
What They Are Saying
Martin Kampmann sees the end coming in this fight. Unlike his previous bouts, which almost always go to a decision, he has aspirations of finishing Thiago Alves when they step into the Octagon.
From HeavyMMA.com:
I’m going to finish this fight. I’m tired of these decisions, and I’m going to finish Thiago. He’s a tough guy and he’s beaten some of the best fighters in the welterweight division. He’s defeated Matt Hughes, Josh Koscheck, and I definitely believe he’s one of the better fighters in the weight class.
I think it’s a good matchup. We both like to strike and mix it up. I believe having well-rounded skills will be a factor in this fight, but Alves has pretty good takedown defense. He has been taken down a bit more in some of his recent fights and if he gives me the opportunity, I’ll take him down, too.
Undercard Fight to Watch: Cole Miller vs. Steven Siler
Miller will be dropping down to featherweight to begin his career anew. His first test will be against Siler, who is making his second appearance on a UFC fight card.
Both of these fighters make their living with submissions and ground-fighting. Miller has won the Submission of the Night bonus three times and Knockout of the Night once, so he knows how to finish when he gets the chance.
Siler is still trying to carve out his niche in UFC and as a mixed martial artist. He can make a good impression if he is able to get a victory over Miller and would do even more for himself if he can end the fight.
Main Event Prediction
Kampmann has been one of the most frustrating fighters to watch because he has a lot of potential to do great things. This will be the start of his turnaround.
Kampmann wins via third-round TKO.
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