Monday, 05 October 2009 12:36
by Dallas Winston
It was not too long ago that we were forced to settle for the mediocre news that Mike Swick would be fighting Martin Kampmann to determine the #1 contender in a division owned in full by champion Georges St. Pierre. The softspoken Canadian blew through everyone in sight, going 11-1 after his first career loss to Matt Hughes at UFC 50, suffering only one uncharacteristic hiccup against TUF-winner Matt Serra along the way. For the most part, he cleaned house when it counted.
The chase for the title at 170 seemed somewhat bleak as both Swick and Kampmann are newcomers after being derailed at middleweight, and neither fighter effectively established themselves as entirely convincing threats to GSP's throne; their announced extraction as the best candidates to do battle for a crack at GSP left fans with a fairly deflated sense of anticipation. It's important to note that the UFC's WW division suffers from no lack of talent. In fact, it is ridiculously deep and teeming with scrappy, hungry fighters (Condit, Johnson, Kim, Ellenberger, Hazelett, Saunders, Howard, etc.) who represent the next generation of welterweights as yesterday's familiar faces (Hughes, Sanchez, Trigg, Sherk, etc.) have faded out of focus.
Due to the erratic curveballs that Mother MMA often throws our way, we now have an unexpected combination of two confident, composed, and explosive Brits coming into view to stake their claim amongst the top contenders. Fate first entered the equation when Mike Swick was forced to pull out of the #1 contender fight with Kampmann due to an injury he sustained in training, and newly signed Paul "Semtex" Daley, who was making his UFC debut against Brian Foster on the undercard, did not hesitate to step up to the challenge by swapping opponents to fill in for Swick on short notice.
Many would consider Daley's situation a win/win, but let's not completely discard the risk he assumed by jumping adversaries from a virtually unknown Brian Foster in a dark match to a dangerously well-rounded Danish shootfighter atop the contender totem pole, in a fight that would serve as a lead-in to the evenings co-main event on a blockbuster pay-per-view. Put frankly, it took balls.
"Semtex" displayed the spirit of his nickname by establishing his punching power and taking control of the momentum of the fight almost immediately. Kampmann is known for his superb kickboxing skills, and barely a minute into the fight his corner was encouraging him to bring the fight to the ground after witnessing the power and tenacity of Daley's striking. Kampmann tried to exchange blows, he attempted to enter the clinch and try his luck there, and he also attempted a takedown or two, but each strategy resulted in Kampmann digesting a series of blows from vicious combinations which were punctuated by gruesome left hooks that continually found their mark. Daley's risk paid off in full as he maintained his pokerface and stalked Kampmann relentlessly to emerge from the bout unscathed and touting a first round TKO victory over a top UFC welterweight, coming out of nowhere to emblazon his name on the list of elite 170 pound fighters at the top of the heap. Not bad for your first night in the big show.
Another rapidly rising UK slugger will be looking to dismantle the second half of the originally proposed pair of top contenders at UFC 105, as Dan Hardy will take on Mike Swick in Manchester, England. Swick recovered quickly from the injury that forced him off the UFC 103 card, and since Kampmann was knocked out of contention by Daley, the UFC selected Hardy as the next qualified candidate. Unfortunately for Swick, UFC 105 is taking place in Hardy's backyard, and the raucous UK crowd has a tendency to fuel their hometown fighters to spirited performances. Swick and Hardy are similar in that they're both tall, rangy strikers with knockout power, they have decent ground skills but prefer to remain standing, and both are on multiple-fight win streaks. This duel to determine the most deserving of a crack at GSP should prove quite entertaining and competitive.
Since Hardy and Daley are friends and training partners at Team Rough House, the only glaring negative should Hardy win is the isolation of he and Daley atop the welterweight mountain. The two would have fulfilled the dream of emerging as frontrunners for title contention, but would be faced with the possible nightmare of having to fight each other, although Semtex relayed to The Garv in this interview that a fight between he and Hardy would never materialize. Guard dogs Jon Fitch and Thiago Alves still maintain a relevant presence despite falling short against GSP, and both are poised to pounce on any fighters surfacing from the welterweight pool and would be sensible opponents for Hardy or Daley. Also, Josh Koscheck is still a lurking threat who should not be overlooked despite his hair style and a few bumps in the road (GSP, Paulo Thiago, Thiago Alves), but he also runs the risk of encountering friendly fire as he trains with Fitch and Swick at AKA.
For now, the electric duo from Great Britain are enjoying the commotion they are causing while on their meteoric blast to the top of the food chain. Whether they're calling out fighters like Swick and Hughes in the media or connecting with thunderous combinations in the octagon, Hardy and Daley have made it clear that they are a force to be reckoned with, and have proudly stamped the letters "UK" on the walls of the welterweight division.
I would be remiss in neglecting two other British welterweights looking to follow in Hardy and Daley's footsteps: last season's TUF winner, James Wilks, will be looking to make a splash at welterweight on the UFC 105 main card against Matt Brown, and fellow castmate Nick Osipczak will face Matt Riddle on the prelims.
