World Extreme Cagefighting’s last welterweight champion on Tuesday was given the green light for his promotional debut.
Carlos Condit checked in at a fit and ready 170.5 pounds for his welterweight main event against
Martin Kampmann (170) at UFC Fight Night 18 on Wednesday at the Sommet Center in Nashville, Tenn.
Twenty of the 22 other men booked to compete also tipped the scales without incident at Tuesday’s official weigh-in.
Jeremy Stephens (158) and
Gleison Tibau (156.5) failed to make weight for their scheduled lightweight tilt. They agreed instead to meet at a 158-pound catchweight.
The 24-year-old Condit will carry an eight-fight winning streak, which dates back to a 2006 loss to
Pat Healy, into his first UFC appearance. Now based out of the Arizona Combat Sports camp, the New Mexico native last appeared in August when he stopped former middleweight
Hiromitsu Miura on fourth-round strikes at WEC 35. Condit, who has never been knocked out, also holds victories against Pride Fighting Championships and UFC veteran
Frank Trigg,
Carlo Prater,
John Alessio and
Brock Larson.
Kampmann, who moved to welterweight after a lopsided loss to middleweight contender
Nate Marquardt at UFC 88, made his debut at 170 pounds in January and scored a second-round technical knockout against
Alexandre Barros at UFC 93. The former Cage Warriors champion overcame a career-threatening knee injury in 2007 and remains the only man to defeat current UFC middleweight title contender
Thales Leites. Based out of Xtreme Couture Mixed Martial Arts in Las Vegas, Kampmann has delivered 12 of his 14 career wins by knockout, TKO or submission.
Meanwhile,
Ryan Bader (206) will return to the cage for the first time since he defeated Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace
Vinny Magalhaes in December to win the light heavyweight tournament on “The Ultimate Fighter 8.”
Rooted at Arizona Combat Sports, Bader will tackle American Top Team’s
Carmelo Marrero (205) in a featured attraction. A two-time All-American and three-time Pac-10 conference champion in college, the 25-year-old can call upon considerable wrestling skills inside the cage. Only one of Bader's eight career bouts has gone to the judges, and he has finished six opponents inside one round.
Marrero, a former heavyweight, will enter the Octagon for the first time since he submitted to a
Wilson Gouveia guillotine choke at UFC 71 in May 2007. He last fought in November, when he earned an underwhelming split decision against Bader’s teammate,
Steve Steinbeiss, at WEC 38. Marrero will ride a three-fight winning streak into the match.
Other UFC Fight Night 18 matches pair former King of Pancrase
Ricardo Almeida (185.5) with one-time International Fight League middleweight champion
Matt Horwich (185), Brazilian
Rafael dos Anjos (156) with lightweight contender
Tyson Griffin (156) and American Top Team’s
Cole Miller (156) with the volatile
Junie Allen Browning (156).
UFC Fight Night will air live on Spike TV at 8 p.m. ET/PT and will serve as a prelude to “The Ultimate Fighter 9” premiere, which features coaches
Dan Henderson and
Michael Bisping.
Carlos Condit (170.5) vs.
Martin Kampmann (170)
Ryan Bader (206) vs.
Carmelo Marrero (205)
Tyson Griffin (156) vs.
Rafael dos Anjos (156)
Cole Miller (156) vs.
Junie Allen Browning (156)
Gleison Tibau (156.5) vs.
Jeremy Stephens (158)
Ricardo Almeida (185.5) vs.
Matt Horwich (185)
Brock Larson (171) vs.
Jesse Sanders (171)
Tim Credeur (186) vs.
Nick Catone (186)
Jorge Rivera (185) vs.
Nissen Osterneck (186)
Rob Kimmons (185) vs.
Joe Vedepo (184)
Tim McKenzie (184.5) vs.
Aaron Simpson (186)
*
Steve Steinbeiss (186) vs.
Ryan Jensen (186)
Editor’s Note: The Steinbeiss-Jensen middleweight bout was called off because of a "medical approval issue regarding Jensen," according to UFC.com.
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