UFC Quick Quote: Martin Kampmann refuses to fight TJ Grant at TUF 9 Finale

by MMAmania.com on May 21, 2009 6:02 PM EDT

"No disrespect to T.J. Grant, but I don’t think it’s a fight that makes any sense for me at the moment. I want to fight some higher ranked guys. I never even knew who the guy was, and he’s probably a tough guy. But I want to fight guys who make sense for me and who can escalate me up the ladder more, so I didn’t accept that fight. I don’t know what happened, but apparently some miscommunication somewhere because I saw it all over the Internet.... If I’m thinking with my b*lls, I’ll take any fight that comes up. But I got to be smart about my career and take the fights that make sense for me, and I don’t think that fight makes sense for me at this time. Maybe when he gets some more wins in the UFC and builds up some good wins in the UFC, then maybe will meet somewhere along the road later."

-- Top welterweight contender Martin Kampmann tells Versus.com that despite reports that surfaced yesterday, he has turned down the opportunity to fight relative UFC newcomer, TJ Grant, at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 9, citing intelligence as the basis for his decision. MMAmania.com has been informed by TJ Grant’s camp the Canadian is still slated to compete at "The Pearl" at the Palms Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, on June 20. Grant made a successful UFC debut at UFC 97 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, earning a split decision victory over Pride FC veteran Ryo Chonan. The FitPlus standout has won 14 of his 16 professional fights -- with a staggering 12 of those 14 by submission. We'll pass along the opponent for Grant as soon as possible.

Tweet Comment 42 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

Sounds like war machine, and we all kno wat happened to him.

by Lesnar-Rashad-Marquardt-GSP-Sherk on May 21, 2009 7:19 PM EDT reply actions

Except Kampman has a resume

by Ethan on May 21, 2009 8:23 PM EDT up reply actions

what a horrible comparison. one is a TUFer with only one UFC victory, against another another TUFer at the TUF finale no less. and the other is a former top ten ranked middleweight and current welterweight contender who just beat a top ten ranked fighter. and it’s not even like war machine was let go ONLY because he balked at a fight, it was multiple reasons with the biggest one being diarreah of the mouth. horrible, horrible comparison.

it was a fight that made zero sense not just because of the opponent, but because of it’s position on the card and the type of event. no one, not one fighter ever, has gone from main eventing AND winning a UFN or TUF finale to the undercard of a TUF finale. not even if it’s a boring fight. they have always moved up to a PPV, usually the televised portion.

by jj on May 21, 2009 8:38 PM EDT up reply actions

sounds like jardine vs houston alexander to me. i can respect kampmanns decision

by bump on May 21, 2009 8:40 PM EDT up reply actions

From a Carlos Condit win to fighting a no name? I agree with the Hitman. Give him a guy like Jon Fitch or Mike Swick.

by TabascoSAUCE on May 21, 2009 10:06 PM EDT up reply actions

Fighting a no-name just for the paycheck is really more of a Koscheck thing.

by PW on May 21, 2009 11:55 PM EDT up reply actions

Good on Kampmann for taking a stand on his career.

This fight makes no sense for him, it’s a lose/lose situation.

Wonder how long it will take for Dana to viciously screw him over in some way.

by Jeremyjackson on May 21, 2009 7:20 PM EDT reply actions

JJ: GOt some interesting news thats been flying under the radar for months. Yoshuki Yoshida just spent 2 months in new mexico, doing his training camp with Greg Jackson’s team! I expect some serious improvement.

by john on May 21, 2009 7:22 PM EDT up reply actions

Nice, yeah I saw that earlier today. I hope they teach him some striking and some boxing defence.

by Jeremyjackson on May 21, 2009 7:25 PM EDT up reply actions

John- I finally caught “How Bruce Lee Changed the World” tonight. Excellent, thanks for the heads up.

by DSmith on May 21, 2009 9:55 PM EDT up reply actions

no problem. Queen Maniac! lol

by john on May 22, 2009 12:53 AM EDT up reply actions

He,can improve but his chin in the kos fight seems a little bit fragile!

by Alpha Male 360 on May 21, 2009 7:26 PM EDT up reply actions

what does fragile even mean? I hope your not saying that his chin is weak.. cause that was some f’in bombs that Kos landed…
Kampmann vs Kos would be a good fight btw!

by RoB on May 21, 2009 7:53 PM EDT up reply actions

frag⋅ile /ˈfrædʒəl; Brit. ˈfrædʒaɪl/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [fraj-uhl; Brit. fraj-ahyl] Show IPA
–adjective
1. easily broken, shattered, or damaged; delicate; brittle; frail: a fragile ceramic container; a very fragile alliance.

2. vulnerably delicate, as in appearance: She has a fragile beauty.

3. lacking in substance or force; flimsy: a fragile excuse.

by Alpha Male 360 on May 21, 2009 7:55 PM EDT up reply actions

Koscheck should never have been matched up with Paulo Thiago, and a guy like Yushin Okami that has been winning forever were to fight Miller, that is insane.. Matchups like that should be illegal when you’re top 5 in the UFC!

by RoB on May 21, 2009 8:01 PM EDT up reply actions

thx Alpha, it meant what i thought it did..

by RoB on May 21, 2009 8:02 PM EDT up reply actions

Okami was coming off a long injury layoff, and Miller is no joke. I thought that was an acceptable match-up.

by Jeremyjackson on May 21, 2009 8:04 PM EDT up reply actions

For sure rob I would ove to see Kapman vs Koscheck that would be a great fight!

by phlicutioner on May 21, 2009 8:07 PM EDT up reply actions

smart move on Kampmans part! There was really no upside for him fighting Grant. Happy that this kid has sense and didnt take this BS fight! If I were him, i would have been insulted just being asked to take this fight!

by john on May 21, 2009 7:21 PM EDT reply actions

Agreed!

by Alpha Male 360 on May 21, 2009 7:22 PM EDT up reply actions

Exactly. I completely agree. That fight would be a throw-away. No one even knows who TJ Grant is and it wouldn’t benefit Kampmann in any way after coming off a huge win over the WEC former 170 lb. champ except for some money, like he said. The UFC is trying to save their bigger-name 170 lb.ers for PPV.

by RedDog on May 21, 2009 7:53 PM EDT up reply actions

its understandable how kampman feels but I think its letting a big oppurtunity go by the wayside he is turning down being featured in the main attraction at the tuff finally which will garner around 2 million viewers

throwing away that type of expsure for someone who is trying to get more recognition is dumb

as far as im concerned fighters should not be allowed to durn down fights

you here guys like shogun, liddel a silva, w silva saying they dont choose opponents they fight who ever the promotion has them fight thats the way it should be

I like kampmann but he is no position to be turning down fights

by dia mette on May 22, 2009 1:39 AM EDT up reply actions

I dont agree with your point of view. Kampamn has nothing to gain, other then exposure that you mentioned.

YOu do make some great points!

I dont think fighters should be allowed to turn down fights. U should fight who you are told to fight, the only thing a fighter should be able to turn down, is the date of when he faces his (chosen by the UFC) opponent!

by john on May 22, 2009 9:03 AM EDT up reply actions

going from Carlos Condit to TJ Grant is definitely a step down, no offense to Grant but Kampmann should be fighting the bigger names that people know so he can move closer to a title shot.

by Toad on May 21, 2009 7:24 PM EDT reply actions

exactly fair play to Kampmann…hes 100 percent correct…id love to see him fight Anthony Johsnon? but since hes injured then atleast another top welterweight like Koscheck or Fitch!

by Randy for Couture on May 21, 2009 7:24 PM EDT reply actions

Kos is injured and unforunately, the UFC isn’t going to waste a Fitch v Kampmann fight on a UFC Fightnight.

by RedDog on May 21, 2009 7:54 PM EDT up reply actions

good for kampmann. who the F do you go from fighting Condit to a prospect?

i want whatever joe silva and dana are smoking. maybe they’ll put leites up against anderson silva……..oh wait a minute….

by chris on May 21, 2009 7:29 PM EDT reply actions

About time – I love fighters who take their career seriously – instead of .. I am a fighter, I will fight anyone bullshit – we all know they are tough for stepping into the cage, once you have established yourself like The Hitman has, you should get top level competition. He was going to headline the Ireland card against Franklin before his injury, and took on the WEC champ .. not to mention he is in the top 10 already.

by DownUnder on May 21, 2009 7:31 PM EDT reply actions

Disagree. There is always possible upside in ANY fight (unless you are at the top of the pile). There are two ways to advance your career. One is beat a big name (OK, so he missed that with this fight). The other is to beat a guy with a memorable finish (like a stunning KO). People remember awesome finishes no matter who it is against. If Kampmann KO’s this guy in stunning fashion, then it helps his cause. People want to see fights finished.

I hate to break it to Kampmann, but 50% of the UFC viewers don’t know who he is. He isn’t exactly a household name himself.

by mikemick on May 21, 2009 7:34 PM EDT reply actions

the only problem is that TJ will gain way more with a win over Kampmann than vice versa. Kampmann doesn’t have anything to gain by taking this fight and a lot to lose.

by Killer on May 21, 2009 7:44 PM EDT up reply actions

so pit him against a guy like TJ so he could possibly get beat by a no-name guy and be even worse off than before?

i see your point but your point also works towards kampmanns decision to not fight TJ. if he pulls of a spectacular finish against a top name opponent, it’s worth that much more in exposure.

by chris on May 21, 2009 7:48 PM EDT up reply actions

mikemick you bring up good points but tj grant isnt a pushover you make a highlight from easily. kampmann was smart to turn down this useless fight and wait for a legit contender to fight

by Clinton Jackson (formerly Jared) on May 21, 2009 9:32 PM EDT up reply actions

I agree completely with Kampmann!!!! He just beat one of the top 5 welterweights in the world in Condit. This fight does nothing for his career.

by knowone on May 21, 2009 7:48 PM EDT reply actions

This “top welterweight contender” Kampmann stuff is a joke.

You dont hear any REAL top contender ever say, I’ll pass on a fight because I dont want to think with my balls.

Randy, Forrest and your camp are not going to protect you forever.

Hitman, you think your sparring partner Jay Heiron would pass on a fight to get back into the UFC?

by torresisawarrior on May 21, 2009 8:16 PM EDT up reply actions

kampmann lost that fight with condit, in my opinion. i’m surprised he would openly admit that he turned down this fight. it’s not like kampmann is a superstar. he’s a very good fighter with one fight and a questionable win at WW. grant has one win in the UFC at WW, also a questionable win in some people’s eyes, but over ryo chonan.

i hope tj gets this fight someday and puts kampmann to sleep.

by battery on May 21, 2009 8:28 PM EDT reply actions

Kampmann is no top contender in the WW division thats for sure I agree with Battery i hope TJ gets this fight at some point and messes him up so all you guys who think the hitman is so good sorry to break it to ya hes not that good he will lose his next fight whoever he fights his a p ussy for saying no to this fight

by kingkong on May 21, 2009 9:20 PM EDT reply actions

hey terreis…. Who were the last 1-0 guys (in UFC) that forest or Couture fought? THEY DIDN"T!!! They dont fight cans or no names, and the reason top guys say they will fight whoever, is because its understood that they will be fighting people close to their ranking, When Ks lost to GSP his ranking dropped but not dramatically, loosing to a no name dropped him of top contender spot As soon as i saw the rumor I thought it was a dumb idea… Good for Martin, I do think him vs Fitch is a sick fight…

by Riskreturngroup on May 21, 2009 9:22 PM EDT reply actions

I thought all real fighters will fight anyone??? guess not…I like Kongo but he hasnt really fought top guys imo to be considered as number 1 contender..maybe kampmann is afriad of a thaigo kos situation

by sokhl on May 21, 2009 9:46 PM EDT reply actions

Kampmann vs Dustin Hazelett!!!! please!!

by serial killer on May 22, 2009 1:08 AM EDT reply actions

You got to fight the top guys when you only get to fight twice a year in the UFC.

by natedog77 on May 22, 2009 1:23 AM EDT reply actions

Everyone fights lower level guys between big fights sometimes. Kos, Fitch, Karo, and Swick do it all the time, what makes Kampmann more important than those WW fighters? If he is so good then this fight should be a good addition to his highlight reel

by EazyEismydad on May 22, 2009 1:54 AM EDT reply actions

Every who is siding with Kampmann take a look at the opponents that this guy has had in the past.

I completely agree that every fighter is dangerous but Kampmann’s resume does nothing to give him any sort of privileged status to turn down fights.

In the UFC his has beat: Crafton Wallace, Jorge Riveria, Drew McFedries, Alexander Barros.
Went to a decision and won against Carlos Condit and Thales Leites.
Lost to Nate Marquardt.

What I am saying Riskreturngroup is that Randy, Forrest and his camp are protecting him, they have since he stepped into the octagon.

by torresisawarrior on May 22, 2009 11:28 AM EDT reply actions