DIEGO ‘NIGHTMARE’ SANCHEZ vs. MARTIN ‘HITMAN’ KAMPMANN
THE ULTIMATE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP® BRINGS A HARD-HITTING CARD TO LOUISVILLE FOR UFC® LIVE
Las Vegas, NV (USA) – On Thursday, March 3, the Ultimate Fighting Championship® brings its prized thoroughbreds to the city made famous by the Kentucky Derby. For the first time ever, UFC® delivers its hard-hitting action to the Bluegrass State for UFC® LIVE, from the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville and broadcast on VERSUS at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
Diego “Nightmare” Sanchez, fresh off his Fight of the Night win against Paulo Thiago at UFC 121, will take on fellow welterweight contender Martin “Hitman” Kampmann in the night’s main event. Plus in the night’s co-main attraction, middleweight star Mark Munoz meets the versatile CB Dollaway.
“Diego Sanchez and Martin Kampmann are two fighters who always go for broke, so this should be a great fight,” UFC President Dana White said. “Both of these guys feel they belong at the top of the welterweight division and they’ll have a chance to prove it on March 3. The same goes for Munoz and Dolloway. They push the pace and look to finish fights and both want to fight the best middleweights out there. We’re really excited to bring a card like this to Louisville.”
“We are excited to welcome UFC to Louisville and to the KFC Yum! Center for the first time,” Edward Browne, Director of Public Relations and Media for the Kentucky State Fair Board, said. “This will be an excellent opportunity to showcase Louisville’s newest multi-purpose arena and its amenities to the UFC live and television audiences.”
Tickets for this event will go on sale Friday, January 14 at 9 a.m. ET. Tickets are priced at $200, $150, $125, $80 and $40. Tickets can be purchased in person at the KFC Yum! Center, Kentucky Exposition Center, Kentucky International Convention Center Box Offices or at any Ticketmaster outlet. Tickets can also be purchased online at www.ticketmaster.com or over the phone by calling 1-800-745-3000.
UFC® Fight Club™ members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event on Wednesday, January 12 at 10 a.m. ET via the website ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers on Thursday, January 13 starting at 10 a.m. ET. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through ufc.com.
After reenergizing his career with a win over Paulo Thiago that earned him Fight of the Night honors last October, Diego Sanchez (fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M. / 24-4) is ready to make a run up the welterweight ladder. Also holding victories over Clay Guida, Kenny Florian, Joe Stevenson and Nick Diaz in the UFC, “Nightmare” is now focused and determined as he prepares to battle one of his most dangerous opponents to date.
“I want to fight the toughest guys out there to prove to the UFC and the fans that I’m ready for another title shot,” Sanchez said. “I want the opportunity to show everyone what I can do when I am training the right way and focused. Kampmann is very tough and he is also looked at as a top contender.”
Martin Kampmann (fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev. / 17-4) has fought to an impressive 8-3 mark in the UFC and built a reputation as a devastating striker and slick grappler. With wins over Carlos Condit, Paulo Thiago, Jorge Rivera and Jacob Volkmann, “Hitman” hopes to propel himself into the welterweight title picture by adding Sanchez’s name to his resume.
“It’s an honor being in the main event,” Kampmann said. “I’ve never been to Kentucky before and I’m looking forward to beating up Diego Sanchez in Louisville and showing everybody what the UFC is all about.”
On March 3, Mark Munoz (fighting out of Vallejo, Calif. / 9-2) looks to pick up his fifth win in his last six UFC fights. An NCAA Division I national champion at Oklahoma State University, “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” has quickly become an all-around mixed martial artist, with a knockout win over Kendall Grove and a submission victory over Ryan Jensen. Coming off a hard-fought win over Aaron Simpson, the 32-year-old will be taking on his second straight Arizona State University All-American wrestler in CB Dollaway (fighting out of Tempe, Ariz. / 12-3).
Nicknamed “The Doberman”, Dolloway has won three straight fights, including a first round Submission of the Night victory over Joe Doerksen in September. Now the 27-year-old looks to avenge the loss of his teammate Simpson in Kentucky.
Additional fights for the card will be announced at a later date.
