Ellenberger, Kampmann Given Thumbs Up for ‘The Ultimate Fighter 15’ Finale

---

Jake Ellenberger has designs on a welterweight title reign. Martin Kampmann may be all that stands between him and the opportunity.

Ellenberger checked in at 171 pounds for his five-round showdown with Kampmann (170) in “The Ultimate Fighter 15” Finale main event on Friday at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. The eight other fighters scheduled to appear on the main card, Season 15 lightweight finalists Al Iaquinta (155) and Mike Chiesa (156) among them, also met their contracted weight requirements without issue at Thursday’s official weigh-in.

---

Sherdog Fantasy MMA: “The Ultimate Fighter 15” Finale Free Fan Pick’Em

---

Anchored at Reign MMA in California, Ellenberger will carry a six-fight winning streak into the event. The 27-year-old Omaha, Neb., native last appeared at UFC on Fuel TV 1 in February, when he outlasted “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 1 winner Diego Sanchez en route to a unanimous decision. A dynamic offensive fighter, Ellenberger has recorded a dozen first-round finishes as a professional, including his eight-second knockout over Brazilian pioneer Jose “Pele” Landi-Jons in 2007. He owns a 6-1 mark in the UFC.

Kampmann last fought at UFC on FX 2 in March, when he submitted American Top Team’s Thiago Alves with a third-round guillotine choke in a stirring come-from-behind win at the Allphones Arena in Sydney, Australia. The 30-year-old Dane holds the rank of brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and will enter the cage on the strength of consecutive wins. Since arriving in the UFC as an undersized middleweight in August 2006, Kampmann has compiled a 10-4 mark. He holds wins over two of the five men who have beaten Ellenberger: current interim UFC welterweight champion Carlos Condit and Brave Legion’s Rick Story.

“The Ultimate Fighter 15” Finale -- which airs at 9 p.m. ET on the FX network -- will also feature a featherweight duel pairing Charles Oliveira (144) with “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 12 winner Jonathan Brookins (146), a lightweight tilt pitting Justin Lawrence (155) against John Cofer (155) and a featherweight scrap matching Max Holloway (145) with Pat Schilling (145).

Two hours prior, Fuel TV will carry four other undercard bouts, all of them at 155 pounds: Daron Cruickshank (155) vs. Chris Tickle (154), Myles Jury (155) vs. Chris Saunders (156), Cristiano Marcello (156) vs. Sam Sicilia (155) and Jeremy Larsen (155) vs. Joe Proctor (156). The remaining preliminary matchup, a bantamweight encounter between John Albert (136) and Erik Perez (134), will stream live to the UFC’s Facebook page.

“The Ultimate Fighter 15” Finale
Friday, June 1
Palms Casino Resort
Las Vegas

Jake Ellenberger (171) vs. Martin Kampmann (170)
Al Iaquinta (155) vs. Mike Chiesa (156)
Charles Oliveira (144) vs. Jonathan Brookins (146)
Max Holloway (145) vs. Pat Schilling (145)
Justin Lawrence (155) vs. John Cofer (155)
Daron Cruickshank (155) vs. Chris Tickle (154)
Myles Jury (155) vs. Chris Saunders (156)
Cristiano Marcello (156) vs. Sam Sicilia (155)
Jeremy Larsen (155) vs. Joe Proctor (156)
John Albert (136) vs. Erik Perez (134)