Martin Kampmann - The Hitman Prepares to Strike

Martin “The Hitman” Kampmann has experienced some success since dropping from middleweight to welterweight in 2009 after a brutal defeat at the hands of Nate Marquardt, but he just cant seem to get over the hump in his career that is elite welterweights.
Kampmann has faced top competition at welterweight from the beginning. His second fight after stepping into the division, he faced three-time defending WEC Welterweight Champion Carlos Condit. The Hitman later was set to take on Mike Swick for the no. 1 contender spot, but Swick was forced out of the bout due to injury. Paul Daley stepped in for Swick and beat Kampmann by TKO. The bout was decided to not be for the no. 1 contender spot if Kampmann was not facing Swick.
Kampmann bounced back with two straight wins. The more notable of the two was a victory over Paulo Thiago, a fight where Vegas odds makers had him as an underdog. With the win streak, The Hitman clawed his way back to fighting for the no. 1 contender spot.
The fight to decide who would face Georges St-Pierre next for the welterweight title was announced to be between Kampmann and former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Jake Shields on Oct 23, 2010 at UFC 121. The bout was Shields’s UFC debut, and his first at welterweight since 2008. The fight ended with a split decision in favor of Shields. Kampmann chose to try and prove that he could submit a solid wrestler like Shields, and abandoned his traditional striking style. Shields handled The Hitman well on the ground, passing his guard a total of 10 times, while landing four of his 15 takedown attempts.
Next in line for Kampmann is Diego Sanchez. Both of these two fighters are explosive strikers, and are both looking for a big win. Kampmann, with the win could launch himself into the race for no. 1 contender for the third time. Currently, Shields is set to face St-Pierre for the title at UFC 129 at the end of April, and next in line would be the winner of BJ Penn and Jon Fitch. Even if Kampmann does find himself fighting for the no. 1 contender again, his title shot will be a long time coming.