Martin Kampmann vs. Rory Markham at UFC 108

Martin Kampmann (15-3, 6-2 UFC) was one win away from a potential welterweight title shot when he faced a late opponent change at UFC 103 in September, and ended up KOd on his feet by Paul Daley's brutal hooks.  Now looking to take the next step in regaining his status at the top of the UFC's 170 lb division, the Dane will face hard-hitting Miletich product Rory Markham 16-5, 1-1 UFC) at UFC 108 in January, according to MMA Junkie:

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) has learned from sources close to the event that both fighters have verbally agreed to the contest, though bout agreements have yet to be signed.

Before the loss to Daley in September, Kampmann had established himself as a serious contender both at 170 and 185 lbs.  Although a demoralizing loss to Nate Marquardt forced Kampmann down to 170 full-time, a dominant win over Alexandre Barros and a fight-of-the-year performance against Carlos Condit seemed to indicate that The Hitman was a force to be reckoned with at welterweight.  Although he is often touted as a kickboxer, Kampmann has seen much more success using his excellent BJJ, and has often had to resort to takedowns after getting outstruck on the feet.  Nonetheless, Kampmann will likely look to make a statement against Markham, who although dangerous in many aspects, probably doesn't have a major advantage over Kampmann anywhere.

The Pat Miletich-trained Markham made a name for himself on the midwest MMA circuit, with a deadly combination of heavy hands and solid submission skills off his back.  Markham was explosive in both of his UFC performances to date, although only the first was a win when he head-kicked Brodie Farber into unconsciousness, before suffering the same fate himself (albeit from a punch) against Dan Hardy at UFC 95.  The Hardy fight also made news for Markham when he suffered a collapsed lung as a result of a terrible weight-cut before the fight.  Nonetheless, Markham is resigned to staying at 170 for the time-being, and he will need to be in top condition to take on Kampmann in January.

The rapidly-filling UFC 108 card, scheduled for January 2nd in Las Vegas, now includes:

Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort - middleweight championship

Rashad Evans vs. Thiago Silva

Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Junior Dos Santos

Tyson Griffin vs. Jim Miller

Carlos Condit vs. Paul Daley

Joe Lauzon vs. Sam Stout

Martin Kampmann vs. Rory Markham

Dan Lauzon vs. Cole Miller

Mark Munoz vs. Ryan Jensen

Jake Ellenberger vs. Mike Pyle