Condit vs. Kampmann First Fight (Video): Who Will Win in the Second Meeting?
UFC Fight Night: Condit vs. Kampmann 2 on Wednesday features two of the league's top welterweights meeting for the second time after their first fight that ended via split decision in 2009.
Carlos Condit has been fighting top competition in the past few years, winning the interim welterweight strap but losing the unification bout against champ Georges St-Pierre. In his last six fights, The Natural Born Killer has bagged three Fight of the Night honors and two Knockout of the Night awards, a proof of how exciting he can be inside the Octagon.
Meanwhile, his opponent Martin Kampmann will be on the verge of another title shot if he wins on Wednesday night. Kampmann has fought previously for a title shot in his bout against Johny Hendricks but lost it via knockout just seconds in the beginning of first round.
Condit vs. Kampmann 1 was very close. Both fighters showed versatile skills, but it was Condit who get the better of striking exchanges and Kampmann who dominated the grappling department with several takedowns and submission attempts.
What could have given Kampmann the edge in the first fight is the time spent in the ground by both fighters. There was a clear advantage for Kampmann in the grappling department.
It is hard to predict who will win in their second meeting for both fighters have improved their games after their first bout. If Kampmann could utilise the same strategy of using wrestling and constant submission attempts in his second meeting with Condit, he will definitely have an advantage.
Nonetheless, if Condit can turn this fight into a striking game, he has a huge chance of winning the fight. The only questions is, how much did Condit improve in his takedown defense?
Watch Condit vs. Kampmann 1 below and judge for yourself who really won the fight. In round one, Kampmann was able to take Condit early on the ground and lock up submission attempts but Condit was able to get up later in the round to land some shots on his opponent. The next rounds got pretty much exciting, with both fighters becoming relentless in trying to finish each other.