Top three questions heading into Ultimate Fight Night 27: Condit vs. Kampmann 2

[ads1]
[ads2]

The next UFC event is slated to air on FOX Sports 1 on Wednesday night from Indianapolis, Indianapolis. The UFC Fight Night 27 event will be headlined by the welterweight rematch between former interim champion Carlos Condit and the always tough Martin Kampmann.

The two fought back in 2009 with Kampmann getting the nod in a razor close split decision win. The co-main event will feature a lightweight bout between Donald Cerrone and quickly rising Rafael dos Anjos. This will be the second LIVE UFC event on the brand new FOX Sports 1 channel, so let’s take a look at the top three questions heading into the event.

Will ratings for this event be comparable to the UFC Fight Night 26 event that helped launch the FOX Sports 1 channel on August 17?

 The first UFC event on FOX Sports 1 was a grand slam for the promotion and the network with nearly 2 million viewers tuning in while winning all the coveted demo’s on the night. That card featured some names with a bit of star power and probably a deeper card on paper compared to this second event. Also, we have to factor in that the first event featured heavy promotion leading up to the launch of FOX Sports 1 and took place on a Saturday night. However, Wednesday night isn’t a terrible night for TV with this show airing the main card at 8 p.m. The main and co-main event features excellent fights with highly ranked fighters from two different weight classes. It’ll be interesting to see if there’s any momentum carryover from the initial event. I think this show will do over one million viewers, but likely fall short of the almost 1.8 million mark set by the first show.

Which welterweight will breathe new life into his career with a win on Wednesday between Condit and Kampmann?

This is a huge fight for a variety of reasons. Both fighters are ranked in the top 10 in the welterweight division. Condit is coming off back-to-back losses, granted the two losses are against the top two welterweights in the world in GSP and Johny Hendricks. Kampmann is coming off a loss against Johny Hendricks, but it was a brutal one punch KO in November. Neither fighter are in danger of being cut from the promotion with a loss, but a loss to either fighter would move them into much more of a gatekeeper role in the division. Kampmann has been involved in a ton of wars over the years, and those miles maybe taking their toll on the always exciting fighter. He arguably lost their first fight against Condit in 2009, and Condit seems to have improved a bit more than him since that time. We’ll see who has the most left in the tank on Wednesday night.

Can Rafael dos Anjos continue his quick ascent up the lightweight ladder with a win over the always tough Donald Cerrone?

Donald Cerrone has won three of his last four and has always been an exciting fighter that beats the guys he is supposed to beat. However, Rafael dos Anjos is on an absolute tear in the division, rattling off four consecutive wins since May 2012. Dos Anjos has always been a fighter with immense potential, but he really seems to be putting it together over the last year and a half. He’s in his physical prime and hasn’t absorbed the punishment that the “Cowboy” has in the UFC. These two fighters are somewhat similar in that they are well rounded, but dos Anjos may have the edge in the wrestling and size department. I think most people are picking Cerrone to take this one, but don’t be surprised to see dos Anjos take a win and keep moving up the rankings on Wednesday night.

Be sure to make ProMMAnow.com your home for UFC Fight Night 27 coverage on Wednesday. The preliminary fights will begin online at 5:30 p.m. ET, and will transition to FOX Sports 2 at 6:oo p.m. ET. The main card will air on FOX Sports 1 at 8 p.m. ET.