"I'm glad I won, but I feel like there are a lot of things I could have done a lot better, but I wanted a more exciting fight. I'm happy the victory went my way, but there's a lot more I could have done. It just gives me more stuff to go back to the gym to work on," stated UFC welterweight Martin Kampmann as he talked about his win over Carlos Condit, his future plans and much more. Check it out!
PC: Congratulations on the win over Carlos Condit.
MK: Thanks!
PC: How do you feel about your performance my man?
MK: I'm glad I won, but I feel like there are a lot of things I could have done a lot better, but I wanted a more exciting fight. I'm happy the victory went my way, but there's a lot more I could have done. It just gives me more stuff to go back to the gym to work on.
PC: How is the weight cut to 170? You looked very comfortable at that weight.
MK: The weight cut is very easy. I'm still coming in kind of light for 70, so I'm working on putting more muscle on and getting used to fighting heavy. I'm not used to cutting weight. I'm still kind of new to it, so I'm learning all of the proper ways to do it still and I should have it down to a science this year.
PC: Condit was a top 10 welterweight, but we hadn't seen him in the UFC before your fight with him. Were you surprised at how tough he was?
MK: I knew he was tough. I was expecting a war. Like I said though man, it was a lot of stuff that I wanted to do differently. I didn't think my standup was all that well in that fight. I had been working on my wrestling a lot too and that worked well for me, so I was happy about that. I wanted to finish the fight and win decisively. I didn't want to win a split decision, even though that's a way to win and I'm happy it went my way. If we were to fight again, there is a lot of stuff that I would correct. We learn from our mistakes right?
PC: I think you're being too hard on yourself. I had the fight 1-1 after two rounds. Did you know you had to win that 3rd round, because you dominated that particular round?
MK: I know it was close. The 3rd round was kind of back and forth. The 2nd round could have gone either way, but the 3rd round was the only one that was real decisive. I won that round for sure and the rest was obviously close, that's why it ended in a split decision. I'm just glad it went my way.
PC: Were you surprised by anything that Condit did once the fight started?
MK: No. He kind of fought kind of the way I expected him to. He worked for a lot of submissions off of his back. He was actually a lot more slippery than I expected. I had a really hard time posturing up and working my ground and pound because he kept moving and getting me off balance and breaking down my posture. He did a good job doing that. I expected a tough fight. He was a solid opponent and I think he will have a bright future in the UFC. He's dangerous in every aspect of the game and it was a good win for me.
PC: At the end of the 3rd round, he caught you in a guillotine. Did you know time was running out and that you were in no danger?
MK: I didn't feel it was tight. His hips weren't out on the other side and I didn't feel any danger at all. I'm sure I would have worked out of it. I didn't feel threatened or anywhere close to being submitted. I wasn't worrying about that at all.
PC: You never seemed hurt by any of his strikes or submission attempts, but you seemed very bothered by the eye poke. How much did that affect you the rest of the fight?
MK: It hurt me a lot; it bothered me a lot. I got a scratch on my cornea from that eye poke. I was seeing two Condits out there after that eye poke. My vision was fucked up. I just wanted to get the fight to the ground after that happened. I know accidents happen and I'm sure it was unintentional, but it definitely blurred out my vision. My vision is still blurry in my right eye when I try to read, so I'm hoping it's going to get better here soon. It was hurting a lot after the fight. I kept running water on it. I don't care about cuts and stuff, as long as the fight doesn't get stopped. I mean, you can barely notice the cut I had now, but my eye is still bothering me.
PC: Is there anybody out there you would like as your next opponent or do you not have a preference?
MK: Right now, I'm just kicking back and enjoying myself. I don't have to think about fighting. I've been doing a little sightseeing here in the U.S. I've been to Yosemite Park and the Grand Canyon. I've just been chilling and enjoying myself and not worrying about fighting at all. That's nice sometimes.
PC: How soon would you like to come back?
MK: Preferably sometime in the summer. They're stacking up the cards and they're pretty far ahead, but I definitely want to fight early in the summer.
PC: Were you surprised you didn't get "Fight of the Night?"
MK: I was hoping I'd get it, but with Tyson on the card, it's tough. He gets all of the "Fight of the Night" bonuses, you know. Since I didn't get it, I'm happy it went his way because he deserved it too. He had a hard, tough fight, you know.
PC: How much has training at Xtreme Couture not only helped your fight game, but helped you rehabilitate your knees and come back strong?
MK: It definitely made a big difference and I still have a lot of stuff to learn and improve on. We have so many good guys to work with their; it makes a big difference. I take my mistakes from my fights and go there and improve on them.
PC: Great fight. I thought you did what you had to do to pull it off in the 3rd. Is there anything you want to say in closing?
MK: I want to thank all of the fans for supporting me. I want to thank Hitman Fight Gear, MMA Agents and Xtreme Couture, and you for taking the time to speak with me.
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]