Top middleweights Nate Marquardt (26-8-2) and Martin Kampmann (16-2) could throw some leather at UFC 88: "Breakthrough" at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Ga., on September 6.
MMAmania.com can confirm that the fighters have been offered the match up; however, bout agreements have not been signed at this time.
Marquardt is coming off a bizarre split decision loss to Thales Leites at UFC 85: "Bedlam" back in June in which he was deducted two points for fouls. It was a competitive fight that he clearly would have won if the infractions -- one of which was questionable -- were not enforced.
The former number one 185-pound contender called for an immediate rematch after the bout; however, the Brazilian was not interested.
Kampmann rebounded from a 15-month layoff because of major knee surgery to stop Jorge Rivera via submission (guillotine choke) on the same London card as Marquardt. He is on a blistering nine-fight win streak and is undefeated inside the Octagon (4-0).
"The Hitman" was on the short list of title contenders prior to his injury. And now that he is back in the mix, a win over a fighter the caliber of Marquardt would once again put him right near the top.
There are still some lingering questions about the health of his knee, as well as whether or not Kampmann is big enough to compete at middleweight -- he is on the smaller side compared to the rest of the field at 185 pounds. On the flip side, Marquardt is among the division's largest fighters.
Size and health could play a major role in this one if indeed it is made official. We shall see.
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