| MickeyKnox | 10-18-2010 11:09 AM |
Kampmann on Shields: "He's a one dimensional fighter."
http://blog.tapology.com/2010/10/exc...-give-him-one/ Quote:
Welterweight contender Martin “The Hitman” Kampmann recently spoke with Tapology’s Steven Kelliher about derailing the hype train surrounding UFC newcomer Jake Shields before it even rolls into the station.
Kampmann will take on Shields in the co-main event of UFC 121: Lesnar vs. Velasquez, which kicks off this Saturday night, October 23, from the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. The main card airs live on Pay Per View.
While he has been considered one of the best welterweights in the world for over a year now, Kampmann recently opened some eyes with his three-round domination of Brazilian up-and-comer Paulo Thiago this past June. Heading into the fight, it was expected that Kampmann would be looking to keep it standing while his opponent attempted to get the fight to the ground in search of a submission victory. Unfortunately for Thiago, Kampmann did not seem to care where the bout took place, as he was continuously one step ahead both on the feet and on the canvas.
“I thought we matched up well and I felt confident striking-wise and on the ground,” Kampmann said. “I think people underestimated my ground game before that fight—and even now—but hopefully that performance opened some eyes. I try to be a well rounded fighter.”
Kampmann controls Thiago on the ground at UFC 115: Source: MMAWeekly.com
Aside from a somewhat controversial TKO loss to British banger Paul Daley in 2009, Kampmann is undefeated at 170lbs. In the past, he has shown a tendency to take more damage than necessary in striking exchanges, though he is one of the most technical and experiences strikers in the UFC.
“I think in the past I’ve had an idea in mind to try to finish fights in the first round and sometimes that gets me in trouble,” Kampmann said. “My last fight I took a more conservative approach and I didn’t get him out of there, but he had a lot of power in his hands so I needed to fight a smarter fight.”
While his new and more intelligent approach to the game will likely translate to a better win-loss percentage for the Danish fighter, he admits that finishing fights still takes precedence over out-pointing his opponents. “You want to win,” Kampmann said, “but in that last fight I think if I had three more seconds in the last round I would have finished it.”
“Some fighters have become a little boring by playing it too safe,” Kampmann said, referring to the ongoing debate between fans who believe fighters should compete to entertain and those who believe they should put winning above all else, “but I think the judges also put too much emphasis on the takedown. If one guy is beating the other up standing and his opponent gets a takedown, he’s probably going to win the round with that takedown. Why should he win if he didn’t do any damage?”
Speaking of the takedown, Kampmann’s upcoming opponent Jake Shields is known as one of the premier submission artists in the welterweight division. “He’s a one-dimensional fighter,” he said, “but what he does he’s really good at. He gets on top, he’s really heavy on top and he’s got good submissions.”
“He’s not the type of guy who’s going to bang it out with you,” Kampmann said. “He’s going to go for the takedown as fast as possible. I’ve been working a lot of takedown defense to keep it on the feet. I notice stuff that he does. He likes to go to a reverse side mount and then go to mount from there. I haven’t really seen him fight off of his back, but I wouldn’t consider him a slick guard player. I feel his biggest strength is the top game so we’ll see.”
Asked about his own improvements heading into the biggest fight of his UFC career to date, Kampmann said that his striking still has yet to live up to its full potential. “My striking hasn’t lived up to what it should be so far in the UFC,” he said. “I’ve been getting hit way more than I should be and my timing hasn’t been there, so now I’m trying to box smarter and more accurate, and I thought in my last fight I showed that my striking has improved to what it should be.”
Kampmann keeps his composure in the pocket | Source: MMAWeekly.com
As for his grappling, while he admits that Shields is a league above almost every other welterweight in the world, Kampmann still believes fans are overlooking him in that department. “I think I can hold my own on the ground,” he said, “but there’s no secret that Shields is one of the best Jiu-Jitsu guys in the country and he’s a great wrestler as well. I prefer to fight him where I feel I have the biggest advantage.”
Asked what was going to lead him to victory on Saturday night, Kampmann was noncommittal, but he did give a reason why Shields should lose. “He hasn’t lost in a long time, so it’s about time to give him one.”
With a victory, the winner of this fight could find himself in a position to challenge for the welterweight title in the first half of 2011. “I would hope so,” Kampmann said about the possibility of earning a shot at the belt. “You never know. Sometimes they say the winner gets a title shot, but then they change it up. I would love to get a title shot, but first I have to beat up Jake Shields.”
Just a month and a half after his own contender’s battle, Kampmann will watch Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre put his belt on the line in a rematch with number one contender Josh Koscheck. Most of the MMA world is counting Koscheck out of the fight, but Kampmann thinks that is a mistake. “Koscheck is something like a four-to-one underdog and I think that’s a good betting line to jump on. It’s not the same fight as the first one. I don’t think GSP’s going to surprise Koscheck in this one.”
Kampmann looks to keep his streak alive this weekend | Source: MMAWeekly.com
No doubt Kampmann is planning to surprise whomever holds the belt by the time he gets there, but before then, as he said, he has to beat up Jake Shields. If you ask Shields’s previous 14 opponents, including Jason Miller, Dan Henderson, Robbier Lawler, Paul Daley, Carlos Condit, and Yushin Okami, there is a huge difference in this sport between saying and doing.
| Interesting statements from Martin Kampmann. Hope he can prove it in the cage. I would love to see him upset Jake and the whole CG camp. |
