UFC 103 Preview: Skilled Striker Paul Daley Draws Martin Kampmann in Debut

Looking down the main card of UFC 103, it's starting to look apparent that this could potentially be a night of impressive battles. Another notable bout in the UFC's welterweight division at UFC 103 will feature newcomer and British import Paul Daley (21-8-2) taking on Danish kickboxer Martin Kampmann (15-2) in what many fans feel should end in spectacular fashion. Both Daley and Kampmann are known for their abilities to finish fights quickly, but the style match-up between the two fighters definitely gives a significant egde to one of these fighters over the other.

Interestingly enough, this match-up originally featured what was deemed as a contendership bout between Martin Kampmann and Mike Swick, but Swick had to pull out due to a concussion sustained in training. Daley was moved up from his bout with Brian Foster, a bout many considered a fight to showcase Daley's talents, to take on Kampmann in what is surely not a title contention battle anymore. Nonetheless, Kampmann has the opportunity to finish Daley on the main card of a PPV event to garner more interest from casual fans.

Daley is mostly unknown to the casual fanbase, but he could become a huge favorite among fans with a winning performance on Saturday night. He's an adept striker who has trained with some of the world's best K-1 fighters in Holland from time to time, and his skills have shown themselves in the cage as he's amassed 16 wins via knockout in his 21 victories. His major crutch has been the ground game where he's found himself on the losing end quite a bit.

Unfortunately for Daley, Kampmann isn't primarily a kickboxer. While he's mostly known for his striking abilities in the cage, Kampmann has a formidable jiu-jitsu/wrestler ground game that gave Carlos Condit trouble in their UFN 18 bout back in April. He's been good enough in his ground game in the past to defeat BJJ black belts in the Octagon, and he's one of the tougher welterweights in the division to catch in a submission. He's never been submitted in his 17 fight career.

Surprisingly, Kampmann's weakness may be Daley's strong suit. Kampmann possesses some solid striking techniques, but he has been the culprit of leaving himself open for the counter on numerous occasions. The Condit fight was only a further confirmation that Kampmann tends to be weak on the side of defense in striking, and Daley is exactly the type of fighter to take full advantage of that weakness. Daley's weakness is much more exploitable though, and for as much as Daley has improved on the floor -- It's mainly for defense purposes rather than putting his opponent into danger.

I've seen Daley fight quite often, but a smart gameplan by Kampmann will defeat the British striker. If he can get Daley to the floor, Kampmann is easily a top-notch grappler on the floor who can keep Daley down while controlling him until he gets tired. Daley has improved in nearly every fight in getting back to his feet, although the Nick Thompson bout at MFC 20 was a bit of a step backwards. Look for Kampmann to clamp on a submission in this one.