With the welterweight division quickly becoming the most interesting in the UFC, tonight’s main event between Martin Kampmann and Thiago Alves is a gigantic fight for both fighters’ title hopes.
Both Kampmann and Alves have been sitting near the top of the division for years, but since Alves earned a title opportunity in 2009, neither man has been able to put enough of a streak together in order to receive a title fight.
Kampmann and Alves are both extremely talented on their feet and are well above average on the mat, and this fight is going to come down to which fighter can do the little things better in order to pull out the win.
Alves is one of the hardest hitters in the UFC, and his technical Muay Thai makes him a man to be feared when the fight is standing, but Kampmann may be the only other guy in the division that is on his level.
Kampmann has showed off his striking in his last few bouts, battering Diego Sanchez in a close decision loss and outworking Rick Story to win a decision, and will look to do the same against Alves.
While Alves is one of the best pure strikers in the organization, Kampmann can easily hang with him on the feet and is the greater threat on the ground.
The ground game is actually why Kampmann has an advantage in this fight, not because he’s likely to take his opponent down, but because he at least has the option of doing so.
This will cause Alves to have to worry about Kampmann shooting on him and getting submitted, and in turn, it will make him a bit hesitant to let loose on the feet.
Meanwhile, Kampmann is going to be able to start throwing combinations from the start, and with Alves always looking to keep the fight upright, it will be up to “Hitman” to decide where the fight takes place.
Kampmann will outpoint Alves on the feet for the majority of the fight, and while there might be a few moments towards the end of the fight where Alves give him trouble, this is Kampmann’s fight to lose.
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