Tag: UFC on FX 2

UFC on FX 2: How Martin Kampmann Can Defeat Thiago Alves

Defeating Thiago “Pitbull” Alves without a precise and tenacious grappling-oriented game plan is like taking on Superman, but leaving the kryptonite at home. Even with your best foot forward, you better have the wrestling chops and steel will to to pus…

Defeating Thiago “Pitbull” Alves without a precise and tenacious grappling-oriented game plan is like taking on Superman, but leaving the kryptonite at home. Even with your best foot forward, you better have the wrestling chops and steel will to to push through his formidable takedown defense.

Contender Martin “Hitman” Kampmann has the rounded skill set to give any welterweight a run for their money, but his propensity to stray from game plans could lead him again to trouble when he faces Alves on Friday in the headlining bout for UFC on FX 2.

Both perennial contenders are highly respected for their striking games, but where Kampmann is known for his accuracy and technique, Alves is better known for his power and finishing abilities. Even though Alves might pose more danger on the feet, Kampmann’s pride has trouble in neglecting a firefight.

The test for Kampmann may be in imposing a grappling attack, where he poses the more dangerous submission threat if the fight hits the ground. The trouble is controlling position and getting the fight to the ground against the larger Alves.

Kampmann has submitted fighters bigger than himself. When competing in the UFC middleweight division, and not cutting much if any weight, Kampmann submitted three fighters in the first round. Regardless of the size of his opponent, if there is an opening, Kampmann is excellent at exploiting it.

However, Alves has gotten much better at minding the technical nuances in the ground fighting. Against Georges St. Pierre, Matt Hughes and against Fitch in their second fight, Alves spent periods on the ground where he looked comfortable and free of danger.

Complimenting the rounding of his ground game is his submission of Papi Abedi in his latest contest, the first submission of Alves’ UFC career.

This leaves Kampmann in a tricky spot. Stand and trade with a kickboxer who may possibly be better than you, or press the issue for grappling when it could very well tire you out, neutralize offense on both ends and lead to yet more curiously speculative judging.

Whatever Kampmann’s approach is, the key is to maintain pace and volume of offense, no matter where the fight goes. Kampmann can find success in any area of fighting, but to stop Alves, he better remember not to leave his kryptonite at home.

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UFC on Fox: Thiago Alves vs. Martin Kampmann Weigh-in Results and Reaction

The official weigh-ins for UFC on Fox 2: Alves vs. Kampmann will take place later today at Allphones Arena in Sydney, Australia’s Olympic Park.In the headliner, two of the welterweight division’s elite strikers will go toe-to-toe when Thiago Alves meet…

The official weigh-ins for UFC on Fox 2: Alves vs. Kampmann will take place later today at Allphones Arena in Sydney, Australia’s Olympic Park.

In the headliner, two of the welterweight division’s elite strikers will go toe-to-toe when Thiago Alves meets Martin Kampmann.

The card also features the semifinal bouts of the four-man flyweight tournament, which will ultimately crown the first ever UFC flyweight champion.

Former UFC title contender Demetrious Johnson will take on Tachi Palace flyweight champ Ian McCall, and Joseph Benavidez is slated to face Shooto bantamweight champion Yasuhiro Urushitani.

The festivities will begin at 10 p.m. ET. Fans can watch the weigh-ins live on Bleacher Report, or if you’re lucky enough to have Fuel TV, the Fox affiliated channel will also be airing the event.

Be sure to check back to this page for live updates.

 

Main Card (Fox)

Thiago Alves vs. Martin Kampmann
Joseph Benavidez vs. Yasuhiro Urushitani
Demetrious Johnson vs. Ian McCall
Court McGee vs. Constantinos Philippou

 

Undercard (Fuel TV)

Aaron Rosa vs. James Te Huna
Nick Penner vs. Anthony Perosh
Cole Miller vs. Steven Siler
Andrew Craig vs. Kyle Noke
Jake Hecht vs. T.J. Waldburger
Mackens Semerzier vs. Daniel Pineda

 

Preliminary Card (Facebook)

Shawn Jordan vs. Oli Thompson

 

Jordy McElroy is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. You can follow him on Twitter @JordyMcElroy for breaking news, updates and an occasional laugh here and there.

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UFC on FX 2 Fight Card: Questions We Have About Martin Kampmann

As the last person to defeat the current interim UFC Welterweight champion, Martin Kampmann surprisingly gets little attention in a division crowded with exciting stars. This is mostly due to a string of bad luck in his recent bouts.Headlining this Fri…

As the last person to defeat the current interim UFC Welterweight champion, Martin Kampmann surprisingly gets little attention in a division crowded with exciting stars. This is mostly due to a string of bad luck in his recent bouts.

Headlining this Friday’s UFC on FX 2 opposite former top contender Thiago Alves, “Hitman” will look to solidify his status in the division and add his name to the list of top contenders. But questions still remain as to whether he is even a viable, top tier welterweight.

An easy way to determine his ranking would be to simply review his record, a respectable 18-5 mark filled with big wins over Paulo Thiago, Thales Leites, Jorge Rivera and the previously mentioned Carlos Condit.  But his losses to Paul Daley, Nate Marquardt and most recently Jake Shields and Diego Sanchez, has made some analysts think Kampmann is nothing more than a gatekeeper or a mid-level fighter.

That couldn’t be further from the truth.

Delving deeper, Kampmann could realistically be on a five fight win streak, as both his losses to Shields and Sanchez were highly controversial.  Especially in the Sanchez fight, “Hitman” was the more technical striker and produced more damage, two key elements of his game that have been integral to his success, but aspects that the judges often overlook.

In order to get these big wins, Kampmann has to start finishing these higher profile fighters.  And that’s the big question: Does he have the ability to put away big-name stars?

In terms of pure ability, Kampmann is on-par with almost anyone in the division with his technical kickboxing skills as well as an underrated ground game.  But as fight fans know, accomplishments overshadow ability every time.

MMA is all about “what have you done for me lately”, and besides a decision win over Rick Story at UFC 139, Kampmann really has nothing to show for his efforts.  Sure, the blame can be rightfully placed on the judges for the Sanchez and Shields bouts, but at some point, a fighter has to take his destiny into his own hands or else risk being left in the dust.

Against Alves, Kampmann will have a tough test on the feet as “the Pitbull” brings both heavy hands and a tight technical striking game to the table.  If Kampmann wants to make that leap into the upper echelon of the division, he has to do more than out point Alves, he has to finish him.

Be sure to “Like” Matt on Facebook or “Follow” Matt on Twitter @MattJuulMMA.

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Win a Signed Copy of Gary Goodridge’s ‘Gatekeeper’ in This Weekend’s Fight-Picking Contest!


(HAVE I EVER TOLD YOU ABOUT THE TIME I ACCIDENTALLY DRANK TOM ERIKSON’S SWEAT? I HAVE? WELL F*CK YOU THEN!!)

In December, our dear friend Gary Goodridge released an autobiography called Gatekeeper. Co-written by CagePotato contributor Mark Dorsey, the book is an honest and eye-opening account of Goodridge’s hard-knock upbringing, his early career triumphs in arm-wrestling and MMA, his career decline, and everything in between. It’s a must-read for any hardcore fight fan, and we’ve got two copies to give away, signed by Big Daddy himself.

To earn one, you’ll have to dominate our latest test of fight-picking skill. This weekend gives us two notable MMA events: UFC on FX 2: Alves vs. Kampmann on Friday and Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey on Saturday. Submit your predictions for both main events in the comments section below, including the winner’s name, the method of victory, and the time/round of stoppage, if any. Your entry should be in this format:


(HAVE I EVER TOLD YOU ABOUT THE TIME I ACCIDENTALLY DRANK TOM ERIKSON’S SWEAT? I HAVE? WELL F*CK YOU THEN!!)

In December, our dear friend Gary Goodridge released an autobiography called Gatekeeper. Co-written by CagePotato contributor Mark Dorsey, the book is an honest and eye-opening account of Goodridge’s hard-knock upbringing, his early career triumphs in arm-wrestling and MMA, his career decline, and everything in between. It’s a must-read for any hardcore fight fan, and we’ve got two copies to give away, signed by Big Daddy himself.

To earn one, you’ll have to dominate our latest test of fight-picking skill. This weekend gives us two notable MMA events: UFC on FX 2: Alves vs. Kampmann on Friday and Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey on Saturday. Submit your predictions for both main events in the comments section below, including the winner’s name, the method of victory, and the time/round of stoppage, if any. Your entry should be in this format:

– Martin Kampmann def. Thiago Alves via split-decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)
– Miesha Tate def. Ronda Rousey via TKO, 3:08 of round 2

Please include the judges’ scores if you think a fight will end in a decision, in case we need them for a tie-breaker. (Keep in mind that Alves vs. Kampmann is a three-rounder, and Tate vs. Rousey is scheduled for five.) The two most accurate predictions win a copy of the book. Entries must be in by tomorrow at 9 p.m. ET, and we’ll announce the winner on Monday; one entry per person, please. Any other questions, let us know. Good luck!

Buy ‘Gatekeeper’ at Amazon.com for $13.83

UFC on FX 2: Alves vs. Kampmann Live Streaming Weigh-in Video

This weekend’s UFC on FX 2 will feature a clash between welterweight contenders and the long-awaited introduction of the 125-pound division to MMA’s premier organization.In the card’s main event, Thiago Alves and Martin Kampmann will both be attem…

This weekend’s UFC on FX 2 will feature a clash between welterweight contenders and the long-awaited introduction of the 125-pound division to MMA‘s premier organization.

In the card’s main event, Thiago Alves and Martin Kampmann will both be attempting to pick up their second straight win in a fight that could catapult one of them toward contending for the 170-pound title.

Both fighters have had their highs and lows over their last few fights, but a win at UFC on FX 2 could quickly erase the impact of their recent defeats.

Before Alves and Kampmann enter the Octagon, four flyweights—Joseph Benavidez, Yasuhiro Urushitani, Demetrious Johnson and Ian McCall—will compete for the chance to fight in the UFC’s first ever 125-pound title fight.

Before Friday’s event, the fighters will hit the scales at the Allphones Arena in Sydney, Australia on Thursday at 10 p.m. ET. Video of the weigh-ins will be streamed live on the above video player. After the weigh-ins, stay tuned to Bleacher Report MMA for all the latest on UFC on FX 2 and the rest of your MMA needs.

Sean Smith is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. For the latest insight and updates on everything MMA, you can follow Sean on Twitter @SeanSmithMMA.

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UFC on FX 2: Questions We Have About Thiago Alves

After scoring consecutive big wins over Matt Hughes and Josh Koscheck in 2008, many thought that Thiago Alves was the future of the welterweight division. Alves was thrust into a title fight against Georges St-Pierre at UFC 100, and many thought that h…

After scoring consecutive big wins over Matt Hughes and Josh Koscheck in 2008, many thought that Thiago Alves was the future of the welterweight division.

Alves was thrust into a title fight against Georges St-Pierre at UFC 100, and many thought that he would be the toughest test of St-Pierre’s career, as Alves had completely shut down the wrestling of Koscheck in his last bout and was a force to be reckoned with on the feet.

As it turns out, St-Pierre was on a completely different level than the rest of the welterweight division, (and still is), and Alves was left to try and crawl his way back up the welterweight ladder.

Since that bout, Alves has gone 2-2 in one of the promotion’s deepest divisions, but his two wins are against a couple of very average welterweights and he has yet to prove that he is still the same fighter that we saw wrecking everyone in sight a few years ago.

Now with his return to the main event scene against Martin Kampmann at UFC on FX 2 on the horizon, Alves has left fans with more questions than answers about his potential to rise to the top of the division once again.

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