UFC ON VERSUS 3 RESULTS: Diego Sanchez edges Martin Kampmann by decision in Louisville

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Diego Sanchez and Martin Kampmann battled over three rounds on Thursday in Louisville, Ky. in the main event of the UFC's third event on the Versus network, and though Sanchez's face certainly showed him being worse for wear, he took the unanimous decision win from the judges.

The hotly contested main event saw both fighters damage the other throughout all 15 minutes of the fight, but Sanchez took the decision despite being outlanded nearly 2-1 during the fight.

The first round was all Kampmann, as he stuffed a number of takedown attempts from Sanchez and completely out-struck him in the round.

The second wasn't nearly as clear cut. Kampmann again stuffed every takedown attempt by Sanchez, but the newly named "Dream" continued to press the action throughout the round, and in some wild flurries Sanchez scored with some hard strikes that buckled Kampmann.

The third round saw an extension of the last few minutes of round number two, as Sanchez pressed the action with wild flurries, but Kampmann avoided a number of strikes and scored with some of his own. The close round was put in question further by a successfully completed takedown by Sanchez into side control. But the fight was only on the ground for a matter of moments before Kampmann got back to his feet.

Ultimately, all three judges felt Sanchez did enough to win the second and third rounds, despite a badly battered face that was bruised and bleeding profusely by the end of the fight. Though the reaction to the fight's outcome was largely negative, Sanchez earned his second straight win, and Kampmann his third straight loss.

Penick's Analysis: I had Kampmann winning the fight 29-28, but there are arguments for scoring the fight anywhere from 29-28 Sanchez to 30-27 Kampmann. This is one of those fights that test what the scoring criteria is and perhaps what it should be, but far too many are completely writing off the damage Sanchez did do when he connected on some of his punches. Kampmann may have accumulated more strikes landed overall, but Sanchez did have a major effect when he landed his strikes in the second and third rounds. It's a matter of what you took more into account in those rounds, and a score for Sanchez isn't at all unthinkable. Either way, it was an excellent fight.

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_8651.shtml

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