Hard-hitting welterweight striker Martin Kampmann will try to inch his way back into title contention when he takes on former IFL stud Rory Markham at UFC 108 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Jan. 2, according to multiple sources.
"The Hitman" last competed at UFC 103: "Franklin vs. Belfort," going limp against the heavy hands of replacement fighter Paul Daley. "Semtex" stepped in for an injured Mike Swick and delivered the goods for a memorable UFC debut win.
Prior to the loss -- just his second in 13 fights -- Kampmann had strung together back-to-back wins after dropping to 170-pounds in an effort to test the waters at a lighter weight class.
That's because his nine-fight win streak was snapped by the much larger Nate Marquardt at UFC 88: "Breakthrough" back in September 2008. It was apparently a wake up call for the Danish kickboxer that perhaps he is better suited to compete in a division 15 pounds lighter.
Kampmann was in line for a possible shot at reigning welterweight kingpin Georges St. Pierre, until the misstep against Daley sent him back to square one. Now he has the chance to rebound against the IFL vet, who is also coming off a knockout loss earlier this year.
Markham ate leather against British export Dan Hardy this past February at UFC 95: "Sanchez vs. Stevenson." It was a fight that saw him a tad overeager to brawl it out -- which he would pay dearly for.
The loss erased the memory of his head kick victory over Brodie Farber at UFC Fight Night 14 in July of last year, a knockout that was widely considered to be one of the most brutal of 2008.
History may repeat itself against Kampmann in January -- but who who does the knocking and who gets knocked out?
UFC 108 is expected to feature a main event between 185-pound division deity Anderson "The Spider" Silva defending his division title against former light heavyweight champion Vitor "The Phenom" Belfort. Another former 205-pound champion, Rashad Evans, will also likely return to action against another Brazilian, Thiago Silva, in the co-featured fight of the night.
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