In a night that should deliver some entertaining bouts and spirited fighters, it is the fight between Carlos Condit and Martin Kampmann that is taking all the headlines. Condit, the former WEC Welterweight champion, will be making his debut in the UFC – and it couldn’t be much tougher against a fighter who has lost just one fight in eleven.

Kampmann, fighting out of Xtreme Couture, is the underdog going into the fight and will be under pressure to deliver in the division after recently dropping down from Middleweight. However, the Danish fighter remains a dangerous prospect on the ground and his stand-up is slowly improving – as demonstrated by his recent TKO victory over Alexandre Barros at UFC 93.

However, the hype surrounding a fighter like Carlos Condit is warranted. Sitting on an eight fight win streak, and showing a winning mentality with a variety of punishing submissions and stand up striking, the American is one of the most dangerous Welterweights in the UFC.

Of course, you could argue that he has never been tested in the big league and that his only real test in the last two years was against Brock Larson. Purists will also point at the WEC’s former Welterweight division and argue that if those fighters were talented enough, then surely they would have been fighting in the UFC already? The jury is out, but Condit certainly has the ability to prove the doubters wrong.

The fight is a hard one to predict. Kampmann, with half his wins coming by submission, will more than likely look to take control early. However, he will be wary of a quick opening from Condit, who will look to emulate the strategy employed by Nate Marquardt during his dominating win over the Danish fighter. During that fight, Kampmann couldn’t handle the onslaught and seemingly collapsed under the pressure of an intense stand up battle. Kampmann will no doubt feel that he can defeat Condit on the ground, but with Condit matching him in ability, it means we could get a very technical battle.

You would certainly have your arguments for giving both men the victory in what should be a fantastic fight at the top of the card.

The other televised bouts include TUF 8 winner Ryan Bader up against Carmelo Marrero, Junie Browning taking on Cole Miller and Tyson Griffin hoping to bounce back from a defeat to Sean Sherk when he takes on Rafael dos Anjos.

The fight between Ryan Bader and Carmelo Marrero will more than likely be a battle on the ground as each fighter tries to out-wit the others wrestling ability. Bader, coming off the back of his Ultimate Fighter victory, will want to add to his already impressive repertoire and continue his undefeated record to 9-0 with another victory.

His opponent, former UFC heavyweight Carmelo Marrero, is certainly no easy push-over. Having defeated Cheick Kongo at UFC 64, Marrero faced Gabriel Gonzaga in a fight that would determine an opponent for number one contender Mirko Cro Cop.

Unfortunately, for Marrero, he suffered his first ever MMA loss by submission and while Gonzaga went on to face Cro Cop and cement his place in history, Marrero became a journeyman in MMA. Now ready to prove a point once again, the 28-year-old will be more than ready to step up to the plate and deliver a solid performance.

The ever-controversial Junie Browning will be looking to maintain his undefeated streak when he takes on talented American Top Team fighter Cole Miller.

Browning, coming off the back of a good victory of Dave Kaplan, will look to enhance his reputation as a serious contender in the UFC lightweight division with a win. However, he’ll know that complacency against another TUF alumnus will knock him off the ladder.

Cole Miller, with just two defeats in thirteen fights, is heading into the fight as the underdog and would love nothing more than to upset the odds and take the victory. The talented BJJ specialist certainly has the attributes to do so if he is allowed to control the fight.

Tyson Griffin is going into his fight with Rafael dos Anjos knowing that he must not let the judges decide the fight if he is to give his title ambitions any credibility. Griffin, once considered one of the most exciting up-and-coming lightweights in the world, has gone 4-2 in his last six fights and he hasn’t finished, or been finished, in a fight since he defeated David Lee by rear naked choke in September 2006 at UFC 63.

Rafael dos Anjos will know that a victory, no matter how it is earned, is needed to keep his UFC career alive. The Brazilian walked into the UFC last November on the back of a nine win undefeated streak, but his debut went completely against the form book, as he was knocked out by Jeremy Stephens with a thunderous right uppercut.

Both men know that there is a lot at stake and so a slow, tactical battle might be on the cards in this fight.

The event will also feature eight preliminary bouts, with a number of WEC fighters making their UFC debuts after switching over from the organisation. The likes of Tim McKenzie, Steve Steinbess and Nissen Osterneck will be looking for impressive starts to their UFC careers, whilst fighters like Brock Larson will be returning to the UFC to build on their previous performances.

The card will also feature some intriguing match-ups as Nick Catone comes up against Tim Credeur, Gleison Tibau meets Jeremy Stephens and Matt Horwich takes on Ricardo Almeida.

The headlines may have been dominated by our main event fighters but it still remains a solid card with some exciting bouts on offer. Whilst there are only four fights on television, you can almost be assured that the event will be another top-notch effort by the UFC. A great night of MMA is to be expected as the company build towards the debut of the next season of The Ultimate Fighter.

Martin Smith
martin@ifight365.com