UFC
Jake Ellenberger vs. Martin Kampmann five-round bout headlines Ultimate Fighter Finale on FX on June 1
Mar 21, 2012 - 3:05:08 PM Jake Ellenberger vs. Martin Kampmann five-round bout headlines Ultimate Fighter Finale on FX on June 1

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

A big welterweight contender bout has been booked for The Ultimate Fighter Finale, as Jake Ellenberger and Martin Kampmann will square off on the June 1 card.

The organization announced the bout on Wednesday, which will be the night's headliner and will be contested over five rounds.

Both fighters have headlined events already in 2012, with Ellenberger defeating Diego Sanchez by decision at UFC on Fuel 1 and Kampmann pulling off a major comeback with a last minute submission win over Thiago Alves at UFC on FX 2 in Australia.

It was actually Ellenberger's fight with Sanchez that opened the door for this fight being a five round bout. The FX and Fuel events were only set as three round fights, but Sanchez's third round comeback against Ellenberger could have turned tides with a fourth and fifth round, prompting UFC President Dana White to declare all future main events as five round bouts.

Ellenberger has now won six straight fights in the UFC, and he's 10-1 in his last eleven bouts dating back to 2008. His sole loss in that stretch was by split decision to now-Interim Champion Carlos Condit.

Kampmann has now won two straight fights after back to back decision losses in 2010 and 2011 to Jake Shields and Diego Sanchez. He bounced back first with a win over Rick Story last November before defeating Alves earlier this month.

Penick's Analysis: Considering Carlos Condit will be waiting for Georges St-Pierre (unless of course Nick Diaz gets out of a major suspension), this is a sensible fight to put together. Kampmann pulled off a good submission in desperation mode, but this will - and maybe should - be seen as a tune-up or "keep busy" fight for Ellenberger. He's proven himself to be one of the best fighters in the division, and this will give him his first opportunity to show what he can do in a five-round bout. The biggest question on him is his cardio, so this will give him a chance to answer those concerns.