European Roundup – Baroni vs. Bailey?
Danish middleweight Martin “Hitman” Kampmann (16-2-0) could very well become the next top contender in the UFC 185 lbs division. The Aarhus native is set to do battle with seven-time King of Pancrase champion Nate Marquardt at UFC 89, scheduled for Oct. 11 in Birmingham, England. While neither fighter has confirmed the match-up, an anonymous source in one of their camps claims the deal is “as good as signed.”
The bout is great news for Kampmann, who is inches away from getting a shot at the UFC middleweight title. Last year, the twenty-six year old was but a step away from taking on Anderson Silva, when a knee injury forced him to give up training for nearly 16 months.
The spectacular striker trains with Xtreme Couture in Last Vegas. Among his regular training partners is top grappler and ADCC champion Ronaldo “Jacare” Desouza, who, according to recent reports, has greatly improved Kampmann’s ground game.
“Ronaldo Jacare has been coming in [to Xtreme Couture] more recently,” said Kampmann in a recent interview. “I have learned a lot from him.”
With wins over numerous top tier middleweights, including Kazuo Misaki (20-8-2), Dean Lister (11-5-0), and Jeremy Horn (80-18-5), Marquardt is still seen as one of the UFC 185 lbs division’s top fighters. In fact, his only recent losses have come at the hands of middleweight champion and top pound-for-pound striker Anderson Silva (22-4-0), and a controversial split decisions loss to Thales Leites (13-1-0) at UFC 85 last June.
While Marquardt is definitely the more well-rounded and experienced fighter, MMA enthusiasts will not be counting Kampmann out come September.
Kampmann’s last outing resulted in a win over Jorge “El Conquistador” Rivera (15-7-0) at UFC 85.
FINKLESTEIN TALKS FEDOR-RANDY
Earlier this week, Vadim Finkelstein, the manager behind top heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko (28-1-0), spoke to the Russian press regarding a plethora of topics, including the undying possibility of a match-up between Emelianenko and UFC heavyweight legend Randy “The Nature” Couture (16-8-0).
“If the UFC will negotiate with us, this fight [between Emelianenko and Couture] can take place within a year,” said Finkelstein. “We are ready to negotiate, the fighters are ready, everything is ready – the only deal is with UFC policy headed on their [path of] separation and singularity.”
While the UFC has yet to respond to Finkelstein’s offer, previous statements made by UFC President Dana White makes it seem that a joint venture or co-promotion between the UFC/M-1 Global and Affliction is unlikely. In a statement last month, White attacked the Affliction promotion, predicting that it would go out of business. During his interview, Finkelstein took a moment to respond to White’s comments:
“Dana White is mistaken,” said Finkelstein. “He shouldn’t compare Affliction to other promotions, like the IFL.”
BARONI VS. BAILEY IN THE WORKS?
British bruiser Jeremy “Bad Boy” Bailey (7-6-0) may be the next Cage Rage fighter in the line for the New York Bad Ass, Phil Baroni (11-10-0). Rumours of the match-up first started circulating when Bailey mentioned Baroni during a recent episode of Cage Fighter, Cage Rage’s TV show.
While several British fighters claim the match will take place on the main card of Cage Rage 28, scheduled for September 20th, both Bailey and Baroni have prior commitments to other promotions – meaning that the bout will most likely not happen until later this year.
Baroni has gained massive popularity in the UK, following his impressive Cage Rage debut last month against Scott Jansen (3-3-0).
Bailey is coming off a win over Arunas Klicius at FX3 – Fight Night 8, a show which he co-promotes.
GALESIC ON DREAM MIDDLEWEIGHT GP
The Fight Network spoke Croatian sensation Zelg Galesic (9-3-0), regarding his preparations for the upcoming 185 lbs DREAM grand prix, scheduled for September 23rd in Saitama, Japan.
The event, which will also feature Dutch powerhouse Melvin Manhoef, well rounded Armenian Gegard Mousasi and Brazilian submissions wizard Ronalda “Jacare”’ Desouza, will mark the crowning of a new DREAM middleweight champion. The winner will also undoubtedly rise to the top tier of international 185 lbs rankings.
“The DREAM middleweight division is the toughest in the world,” says Galesic. “With the exception of a few names of course. There’s a lot of great opponents, which means you can move well up the rankings.”
With three very different potential opponents, including an ADCC champion and a K-1 level striker, Galesic admits he is preparing for the worst.
“I’m preparing everything,” says Galesic. “Manhoef hits like a bull, Jacare is one of the best grapplers in the world, and Mousasi is definitely the most well rounded of the finalist. But I have answers for all of them.”
UPCOMING EUROPEAN EVENTS:
Cage Rage Contenders 11
August 16, 2008
The Troxy
London, England
FX3: Fight Night 7
September 13, 2008
Rivermead Complex
Reading, England
Cage Rage 28: VIP
September 20, 2008
The Troxy
London, England
M-1 Challenge Russia
September 25, 2008
TBA
St. Petersburg, Russia
M-1 Challenge UK
September 27, 2008
Harvey Hadden Centre
Nottingham, England
M-1 Challenge France
October 11, 2008
TBA
TBA, France
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