Retired Danish UFC fighter turned Team Alpha Male coach - and mean poker player - 'Hitman' Martin Kampmann talks about business, traveling, and how his loss to Diego Sanchez still irks him.
Q: When did you start training in martial arts?
Kampmann: “I started training karate when I was 13. I did that for a couple years then I took a small break where I didn’t do any martial arts. Then I got into boxing and Thai boxing and started having amateur fights. At the same time I was getting into something called ‘shootfighting’ which was basically submission wrestling and kickboxing mixed together.”
Q: Did you have any amateur MMA fights before you turned pro?
“Yeah, I had 10 amateur MMA fights. I say ‘amateur MMA’, one of them was Pancrase. Then I had fights with shinpads on where you’re not allowed to punch once it hits the ground. Basically it was like a kickboxing match standing up, then once you hit the ground it’s like a grappling match. It was a good way to slowly progress into doing pro MMA.”
Q: What was your first pro fight like?
“Gilbert Yvel was actually the referee for that fight. I got a takedown on my opponent, even though the tactic was to keep it standing. I got the mount and just started raining punches on him and Gilbert stopped the fight.”
Q: Nowadays kids are looking up to fighters like you. Who were your favorite fighters growing up?
“All the UFC guys. Obviously Royce Gracie. I was always impressed with him because he was the smaller guy beating all these big guys. He was the one reason why I got interested in learning martial arts. Randy Couture was another one. But when I was starting I was always cheering for the strikers because that was my background.”
Q: Why did you choose to move to America?
“I just wanted to come over here and fight. I was hoping to get a fight on a small US show. I was hoping to maybe get a fight with King of the Cage or something like that because I fought for them in the UK. I got the opportunity to fight in the UFC because someone pulled out with an injury. I was lucky.”
Q: What advice would you give to an up-and-coming fighter?
“You’ve got to train hard and work your ass off. Hard work pays off. If you want to accomplish something in this sport you’ve got to put in all the training. This is a sport that has a lot of different disciplines. I’m fortunate to be training at Xtreme Couture. It’s a great gym. We have great coaches here and so many great guys to work with.”
Q: On the business side of things, do you have any advice to fighters?
“You can get a lot of fights on your own if you seek out promoters or go on the internet. I was with Shooters MMA and I got some fights through them but some fights I got myself just by e-mailing a bunch of promoters. You don’t always need a manager. There are good managers out there but there are also managers that are scumbags who are just looking to take advantage of guys.
"If somebody can get you a fight then okay, give them their cut, but don’t sign your life away to a manager just because he’s promising you a UFC career. A lot of people will promise you things that they really can’t deliver or that you can get yourself. Managers are good to have when you get on the bigger stage.”
Q: When you’re in the middle of a battle like the one you had with Diego Sanchez, do you realize how amazing the fight is?
“When I’m in the middle of the fight I’m just fighting. I’m not really thinking about that. When I’m in it I’m just fighting my heart out. The hard training and the desire to win get me through the fight. I don’t want to lose. I don’t want to quit. As long as I’m in there I’m going to keep fighting.”
Q: What did you learn from the Sanchez fight?
“There was a lot of smaller technical stuff I could have done differently, but obviously I feel I won the fight and I think most people think I won the fight. I beat him up pretty good and he’s got the scars to prove it.
“I should have finished the fight. I could have done a lot of things differently, but sometimes it’s tough to finish fights. It sucks that I got a loss on my record because I beat him up. That annoys me. I’d like to get a rematch and beat him up one more time, only this time I won’t let it go to the judges.”
Postscript: The Hitman never got his rematch with Diego Sanchez. Following that loss he defeated Rick Story, Thiago Alves and Jake Ellenberger. However another 'Fight of the Night' bonus was no consolation when he lost to Carlos Condit by TKO in 2013 - Martin's last fight before he formally announced his retirement in 2016.
CARD SHARP
At the Nevada Poker Challenge tournament in 2014 Kampmann pocketed a tidy $52,000 in winnings.
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