Martin Kampmann Makes UFC Debut Tonight
Mike Sloan Aug 17, 2006
Denmark has a storied history of sorts and the country is an
integral part of Scandinavia. With leading exports such as
machinery, sugar beets, natural oil, windmills and, of course,
pastries, the Danish folk have had much to celebrate.
Now the friendly country might have something a bit more menacing than sugar beets to be proud of.
Promising mixed martial artist Martin Kampmann (Pictures) will make his UFC debut tonight
on the off-TV portion of the UFC Fight Night card in Las Vegas. The
mellow Kampmann said he expects to make the most of the first fight
of a new three-fight deal with the UFC.
“I am very excited to be fighting in the UFC,” Kampmann, 24, told Sherdog.com. “It’s like a dream come true for me. I have been training and fighting for a while and I always knew that the UFC was the best, now I fight for them. I am very excited and happy to be here.”
Kampmann has powerful strikes, a solid ground-and-pound attack and he’s versed in submissions. Still a relative novice to the sport (he’s only 9-1), Kampmann knows that the sky is the limit and all he needs is more experience.
And if you’ve never heard of him, that’s OK — Kampmann likes being a relative unknown.
“Nobody knows who I am, not even in my home in Denmark,” Kampmann laughed. “I mean, if I am fighting or at a fight event then some people will recognize me, but if I am just walking around town, nobody knows who I am or what I do. But that’s OK, I kind of like it that way. I don’t know if I’d be able to handle being a superstar like Tito (Ortiz). I’m fine with just being me and having some people recognize me when at a fight.”
In Kampmann’s last outing, which came during the off-TV portion of the World Fighting Alliance card in July, he scored a highlight reel knockout over Edwin Aguilar (Pictures). Those in attendance saw firsthand the kind of weaponry “Hitman” wields.
“I know that my manager, Ken Pavia, was contacted by good friend Phil Baroni (Pictures)’s manager and they got me a fight in the WFA,” revealed Kampmann about how he signed with the UFC. “After I won that fight, my manager made a bunch more phone calls and they eventually got in touch with the UFC. The UFC liked what they saw and then they offered me a (three-fight) deal. Hopefully I can make them happy and continue to fight exciting fights and keep beating my opponents. I think I will.”
Kampmann’s fight tonight will not be a walk in the park. Well, it might be a walk in Central Park in August at about 3 a.m. because he is scheduled to face the dangerous Crafton Wallace (Pictures). Aside from a draw against Ben Saunders, Wallace has been unbeaten in his last nine bouts. While none of his victims have been A or even B-level, Wallace has looked superb in racking up victory after victory and could pose a threat to Kampmann’s immediate plans.
“I have only seen I think two fights of his on tape,” Kampmann said with his heavy Danish accent. “He looks like a tough guy, a guy who likes to trade with you on his feet. I didn’t see much of him on the ground so I don’t think he is very comfortable there, so we’ll see. If he wants to stand with me, that’s great. I like to bang as well.”
But Kampmann doesn’t seem overly concerned about his opponent’s Muay Thai prowess and is instead focused on his own strengths. Kampmann suggests with much confidence that he is feeling better before this fight than any previous bout.
“I am feeling really good right now,” said Kampmann, who has been preparing furiously in Las Vegas with the Xyience squad. “I have been training very hard with my good friend Mike Pyle (Pictures) and the rest of these guys. I feel very strong and I am prepared for everything. The Xyience team, Mike Pyle (Pictures) and all my teammates with shootersmma.com have helped me so much. I think the fans will like what they see. All I know is that I will win, either by knockout or submission. I hope the fans will like it.”
Now the friendly country might have something a bit more menacing than sugar beets to be proud of.
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“I am very excited to be fighting in the UFC,” Kampmann, 24, told Sherdog.com. “It’s like a dream come true for me. I have been training and fighting for a while and I always knew that the UFC was the best, now I fight for them. I am very excited and happy to be here.”
For those who follow the sport of mixed martial arts and may not
know anything about Kampmann or what he’s capable of, he brings a
complete package to table.
Kampmann has powerful strikes, a solid ground-and-pound attack and he’s versed in submissions. Still a relative novice to the sport (he’s only 9-1), Kampmann knows that the sky is the limit and all he needs is more experience.
And if you’ve never heard of him, that’s OK — Kampmann likes being a relative unknown.
“Nobody knows who I am, not even in my home in Denmark,” Kampmann laughed. “I mean, if I am fighting or at a fight event then some people will recognize me, but if I am just walking around town, nobody knows who I am or what I do. But that’s OK, I kind of like it that way. I don’t know if I’d be able to handle being a superstar like Tito (Ortiz). I’m fine with just being me and having some people recognize me when at a fight.”
In Kampmann’s last outing, which came during the off-TV portion of the World Fighting Alliance card in July, he scored a highlight reel knockout over Edwin Aguilar (Pictures). Those in attendance saw firsthand the kind of weaponry “Hitman” wields.
“I know that my manager, Ken Pavia, was contacted by good friend Phil Baroni (Pictures)’s manager and they got me a fight in the WFA,” revealed Kampmann about how he signed with the UFC. “After I won that fight, my manager made a bunch more phone calls and they eventually got in touch with the UFC. The UFC liked what they saw and then they offered me a (three-fight) deal. Hopefully I can make them happy and continue to fight exciting fights and keep beating my opponents. I think I will.”
Kampmann’s fight tonight will not be a walk in the park. Well, it might be a walk in Central Park in August at about 3 a.m. because he is scheduled to face the dangerous Crafton Wallace (Pictures). Aside from a draw against Ben Saunders, Wallace has been unbeaten in his last nine bouts. While none of his victims have been A or even B-level, Wallace has looked superb in racking up victory after victory and could pose a threat to Kampmann’s immediate plans.
“I have only seen I think two fights of his on tape,” Kampmann said with his heavy Danish accent. “He looks like a tough guy, a guy who likes to trade with you on his feet. I didn’t see much of him on the ground so I don’t think he is very comfortable there, so we’ll see. If he wants to stand with me, that’s great. I like to bang as well.”
But Kampmann doesn’t seem overly concerned about his opponent’s Muay Thai prowess and is instead focused on his own strengths. Kampmann suggests with much confidence that he is feeling better before this fight than any previous bout.
“I am feeling really good right now,” said Kampmann, who has been preparing furiously in Las Vegas with the Xyience squad. “I have been training very hard with my good friend Mike Pyle (Pictures) and the rest of these guys. I feel very strong and I am prepared for everything. The Xyience team, Mike Pyle (Pictures) and all my teammates with shootersmma.com have helped me so much. I think the fans will like what they see. All I know is that I will win, either by knockout or submission. I hope the fans will like it.”
