Elite welterweights face off
No. 1 contender status at stake?
LAS VEGAS — Welterweight contenders Jake Ellenberger and Martin Kampmann aren’t sure if their matchup will earn the winner a shot at an Ultimate Fighting Championship title, but both agree it probably should.
“I definitely think this should be a No. 1 contender fight,” Kampmann told USA TODAY Sports. “I fought some of the best guys in the welterweight division, and Jake’s beaten some good guys and been on a good tear, as well.”
Ellenberger (27-5 MMA, 6-1 UFC) and Kampmann (19-5, 10-4) headline The Ultimate Fighter Live finale today at Palms Casino Resort.
Their bout caps a five-fight main card on FX (9 p.m. ET), following prelims on FUEL TV and Facebook.
The confusion doesn’t lie with either fighter’s ability or status as a legitimate contender. Ellenberger has a six-fight UFC winning streak, and Kampmann, a 14-time UFC veteran, boasts back-to-back victories against Thiago Alves and Rick Story.
Instead, it’s injured UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre who is causing the division’s elite fighters to settle into a holding pattern. In February, Carlos Condit earned an interim 170-pound title with a win vs. Nick Diaz, and he’s expected to face St-Pierre as soon as November. But St-Pierre’s reconstructed right knee isn’t 100%, and his return date hasn’t been established.
UFC President Dana White has suggested that Condit might defend his interim title before unifying the belts, though the 28-year-old has stated he’d prefer to wait for St-Pierre if the Canadian’s return will take place before the end of the year.
It’s all a bit muddy for the UFC’s welterweight contenders, but Ellenberger, the betting favorite to win today’s fight, in- sists it’s not a distraction.
“There are a lot of uncertainties right now, but I’m just real focused on Martin Kampmann,” Ellenberger said. “There’s a lot of speculation and stuff, but at the end of the day, you’ve got to do your job, and that’s win — win this fight in convincing fashion and prove I’m a contender.”
The welterweight division has been one of the UFC’s most talent-rich classes. While St-Pierre has dominated the competition since 2007, contenders such as Ellenberger and Kampmann think they have what it takes to unseat the champion.
“The winner should be getting close to that title shot,” Kampmann said. “I’m pumped.”
The evening’s co-feature sees the conclusion of The Ultimate Fighter Live, the first edition of the UFC’s long-running competition reality series to air on FX. In the final bout of the 32-man tournament, Washington’s Mike Chiesa (7-0) will face New York’s Al Iaquinta (5-1-1). The lightweights were training partners during this season’s series under coach Urijah Faber.