That was fast.
Johny Hendricks and Martin Kampmann battled for a potential number one contender position in the UFC welterweight division last night (Nov. 17, 2012) in the co-main event of UFC 154.
Kampmann had a reputation for being extremely durable while Hendricks had a reputation for cracking dudes on the chin and putting them out with one punch.
Something had to give.
Unfortunately for "The Hitman," it was his reputable chin as Hendricks blasted him with a sweet left hand and send him crashing to the ground like a great oak tree.
Kampmann opened with some kicks from the outside, trying to keep his distance, but Hendricks quickly gave away his gameplan, lunging in and headhunting with his huge left hand, doubling up with a pair of monster hooks. The commentators even mentioned that Hendricks wasn't wasting any time trying to catch Kampmann cold in the first round.
Then it happened.
After stepping forward with a right hand, Hendricks scored with the left, blasting Kampmann in the face and sending him dropping straight backwards. Kampmann's head bounced off the ground hard and Hendricks added one blow on the ground for good measure and that was all she wrote.
All that left was the post-fight celebration where Hendricks pulled out the "discount double check" and asked for a much-deserved title shot.
For Martin Kampmann, he really didn't have any time to get in a groove. What else can you do other than not get hit by Hendricks' left hand? He avoided it in the first exchange but then Hendricks mixed up his attack and he got blindsided. While his chin had held up in the past, recovering from some serious turmoil to allow him to come back in incredible fashion, there was no coming back last night.
There are a slew of potential opponents for Kampmann to face once he's recovered. He could battle the beleaguered Nick Diaz upon being reinstated. Other options include a rematch against Carlos Condit or a fight against the Rory MacDonald vs. B.J. Penn loser.
For Johny Hendricks, this was as good as one could have possibly imagined. Kampmann had a reputation for being a slow starter and he went right after him, looking for the knockout. After doubling up his left hand didn't work, he shifted gears and set up the left perfectly, blasting Kampmann and putting him out with one shot for the first time in his career. That's something renowned power punches Jake Ellenberger, Thiago Alves and Paul Daley couldn't do.
If Hendricks doesn't get a title shot against Georges St. Pierre after this performance, then the UFC should be ashamed of themselves. He's now on a five fight winning streak and has beat Jon Fitch, Josh Koscheck and Martin Kampmann in consecutive bouts. The Fitch and Kampmann knockouts were in a combined 58 seconds. That's incredible. No one else in the UFC has three knockout inside the first minute, whether alone against Hendricks' strength of competition. Give him a title shot!
So what did you think, Maniacs?
Did you expect Hendricks to be able to crack Kampmann's chin like that? Should he get the next shot at the belt instead of a super fight between Anderson Silva and St. Pierre?
Sound off!
For complete UFC 154 results, including blow-by-blow, fight-by-fight coverage of the entire event as well as immediate post-fight reaction click here, here and here.