UFC veteran and fan favorite Martin “The Hitman” Kampmann (17-5-0) will get his next shot in the Octagon at UFC 139 on November 19th in San Jose and he plans to use that opportunity to make a statement. He is coming off two consecutive “losses” in which, for lack of a better word, he was robbed.
In a battle of styles, the well rounded striker in Kampmann will clash with the heavy handed wrestler known as Rick “The Horror” Story (13-4-0) in his 13th UFC appearance. Story is known for coming forward and pressuring his opponent, throwing bombs and shooting for takedowns before you know what’s going on. That being said Kampmann is never in an boring fight and his thoughts are that this fight will be just as exciting his others
. “I think Rick Story is a real tough opponent. He comes forward and he’s a great wrestler but he can punch too so I think it will be a war.”
Kampmann feels he can efficiently stop Story’s takedown attempts and punish him on the feet, putting his precision and technical striking to good use as he clearly states during the course of our conversation. “His wrestling is definitely the strongest part of his game but I’m prepared for that. I’m not going to let him take me down. If he does get me to the ground, I will pop right back up and punish him. No wrestler is ever going to hold me down.”
After seeing how Story handled the Thiago Alves (23-7-0) fight, The Hitman believes the wrestler from South Oregon University will try to employ the same strategy against him. “I think he is going to use the same strategy against me as he did on Alves. I just gotta keep my back away from the cage. He put the pressure on against Thiago and pinned him to the cage. I can’t let him push me against the fence like that,” Martin said in response to being asked about his opposition’s gameplan.
Furthermore, the Xtreme Couture based fighter sees a weakness in his opponent’s ability to fight from his back, which he feels was brought to light in his last performance against Charlie Brenneman (14-3-0). The problem is…it is quite difficult to get him there.
“I think he showed some weaknesses off his back, so if I can get him down I can do damage and hopefully finish him but he’s got great takedown defense and it is even tougher to put him on his back,” the Danish kickboxer said. “When watching his fights, I wouldn’t just look at his mistakes and weaknesses. I also looked for his best performances and that’s what I prepare for. I am preparing for the best Rick Story, which is really what I do for every opponent,”
he added.
After losing his last bout with Diego Sanchez (23-4-0), in which he made Diego’s face look like cold cuts, Kampmann is more motivated than ever to never see a judge’s scorecards. As if the Sanchez robbery weren’t enough, his [Kampmann] fight with Jake Shields (26-6-1) was terribly close with many stating that they thought he won. You would think Martin crashed the athletic commission’s last Christmas party with the way he is treated.
“I am sick of letting these fights go to the judge’s decision, especially the way the decisions have been going in my last two fights. I beat Diego up pretty badly and he has got the scars to prove it. I won that fight. I’m not looking to go the distance ever again. I plan on going in and finishing Rick Story. I’m here to whoop somebody’s ass and make a statement.”
In conclusion, Kampmann was asked who he would like to rematch more to which he replied,
“I want to rematch both. I can’t pick just one,” he said. “When I fought Shields, I made a lot of stupid mistakes and I’m really upset with myself over that performance. That was my fight but I gave it away. When I fought Diego, I still made a lot of mistakes but I think overall, I fought better than I did against Shields.”
A solid decisive victory over Story could put Kampmann right back on track and back into the mix of top welterweight contenders. With new talent like Brazil’s Erick Silva (13-1-1 NC) and Afghan fighter Siyar Bahadurzada (20-4-1) entering the picture, getting back to title contention won’t be easy but it certainly won’t keep The Hitman from whacking his way there.
source:buddhasport.com
In a battle of styles, the well rounded striker in Kampmann will clash with the heavy handed wrestler known as Rick “The Horror” Story (13-4-0) in his 13th UFC appearance. Story is known for coming forward and pressuring his opponent, throwing bombs and shooting for takedowns before you know what’s going on. That being said Kampmann is never in an boring fight and his thoughts are that this fight will be just as exciting his others
. “I think Rick Story is a real tough opponent. He comes forward and he’s a great wrestler but he can punch too so I think it will be a war.”Kampmann feels he can efficiently stop Story’s takedown attempts and punish him on the feet, putting his precision and technical striking to good use as he clearly states during the course of our conversation. “His wrestling is definitely the strongest part of his game but I’m prepared for that. I’m not going to let him take me down. If he does get me to the ground, I will pop right back up and punish him. No wrestler is ever going to hold me down.”
After seeing how Story handled the Thiago Alves (23-7-0) fight, The Hitman believes the wrestler from South Oregon University will try to employ the same strategy against him. “I think he is going to use the same strategy against me as he did on Alves. I just gotta keep my back away from the cage. He put the pressure on against Thiago and pinned him to the cage. I can’t let him push me against the fence like that,” Martin said in response to being asked about his opposition’s gameplan.
Furthermore, the Xtreme Couture based fighter sees a weakness in his opponent’s ability to fight from his back, which he feels was brought to light in his last performance against Charlie Brenneman (14-3-0). The problem is…it is quite difficult to get him there.
“I think he showed some weaknesses off his back, so if I can get him down I can do damage and hopefully finish him but he’s got great takedown defense and it is even tougher to put him on his back,” the Danish kickboxer said. “When watching his fights, I wouldn’t just look at his mistakes and weaknesses. I also looked for his best performances and that’s what I prepare for. I am preparing for the best Rick Story, which is really what I do for every opponent,”
he added.
After losing his last bout with Diego Sanchez (23-4-0), in which he made Diego’s face look like cold cuts, Kampmann is more motivated than ever to never see a judge’s scorecards. As if the Sanchez robbery weren’t enough, his [Kampmann] fight with Jake Shields (26-6-1) was terribly close with many stating that they thought he won. You would think Martin crashed the athletic commission’s last Christmas party with the way he is treated.
“I am sick of letting these fights go to the judge’s decision, especially the way the decisions have been going in my last two fights. I beat Diego up pretty badly and he has got the scars to prove it. I won that fight. I’m not looking to go the distance ever again. I plan on going in and finishing Rick Story. I’m here to whoop somebody’s ass and make a statement.”
In conclusion, Kampmann was asked who he would like to rematch more to which he replied,
“I want to rematch both. I can’t pick just one,” he said. “When I fought Shields, I made a lot of stupid mistakes and I’m really upset with myself over that performance. That was my fight but I gave it away. When I fought Diego, I still made a lot of mistakes but I think overall, I fought better than I did against Shields.”
A solid decisive victory over Story could put Kampmann right back on track and back into the mix of top welterweight contenders. With new talent like Brazil’s Erick Silva (13-1-1 NC) and Afghan fighter Siyar Bahadurzada (20-4-1) entering the picture, getting back to title contention won’t be easy but it certainly won’t keep The Hitman from whacking his way there.
source:buddhasport.com
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