The Ultimate Fighting Championship has officially confirmed six bouts for “UFC On Versus 3” on March 3rd in Louisville, Kentucky. The event will be headlined by a welterweight matchup between former top contender Diego “Nightmare” Sanchez and the resurgent Martin “The Hitman” Kampmann.
C.B. “The Doberman” Dollaway and Mark “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” Munoz will clash in one middleweight bout on the card, while Maiquel Jose “Big Rig” Falcao Goncalves faces Alessio “Legionarius” Sakara in another. Brian Bowles meets “The Angel of Death” Damacio Page at 135 pounds.
Sanchez (22-4-0) has endured a rollercoaster over the past two years. After losses at 170, he changed fight teams and dropped down to the lightweight division; winning two fights to set up a title bout with then-champion B.J. Penn at UFC 107. Sanchez was dominated throughout the fight before a doctor stoppage finally halted things midway through round five. He returned to the welterweight ranks, but suffered a second straight defeat at the hands of John “The Hitman” Hathaway. Now back training with the Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts team in New Mexico, Sanchez defeated Paulo Thiago in his most recent fight and will look to pick up his second straight win over a top-ten opponent in March.
Kampmann (17-4-0) has also been forced to battle through ups and downs since the end of 2008, and he too made a change in weight classes to try to further his career. The former middleweight has found considerable success at 170 pounds and holds notable recent wins over final WEC champion Carlos Condit and Paulo Thiago. However, Kampmann is coming off of a contentious Split Decision loss to former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Jake Shields at UFC 121. The defeat snapped a two-fight winning streak for the Dane, but he remains a prominent figure in the division. A victory over Sanchez would put Kampmann back in the title hunt, while sending Sanchez back to the drawing board.
The Dollaway-Munoz and Falcao-Sakara middleweight matchups are important, as Dollaway (11-2-0) and Munoz (9-2-0) both look to continue winning their way away from roster cuts while heavy hitters Falcao (26-3-0, 1 NC) and Sakara (15-7-0, 1 NC) have eyes on title contender status at 185. All four fighters are coming off of wins, but Munoz and Falcao still have a lot to prove. Munoz defeated Aaron Simpson in his most recent outing, after suffering a loss at the hands of future title challenger Yushin Okami. Falcao decisioned Gerald Harris in his UFC debut, but garnered criticism for long stretches of inactivity during the three-round fight.
UFC On Versus 3 takes place on March 3rd at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky.
UFC On Versus 3 Fight Card (to date; subject to change):
– Diego “Nightmare” Sanchez vs Martin “The Hitman” Kampmann
– C.B. “The Doberman” Dollaway vs Mark “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” Munoz
– Maiquel Jose “Big Rig” Falcao Goncalves vs Alessio “Legionarius” Sakara
– Brian Bowles vs “The Angel of Death” Damacio Page
– Shane Roller vs Thiago Tavares
– Takeya Mizugaki vs Francisco “Cisco” Rivera
– Rousimar “Toquinho” Palhares vs Alexandre “Cacareco” Ferreira (*)
– Steve “The Robot” Cantwell vs Cyrille “The Snake” Diabate (*)
– Matt “The Immortal” Brown vs Mark “Scanno” Scanlon (*)
*Not yet officially announced.
(Photo Credit: Sherdog.com)