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Kampmann Shines in Welterweight Debut; Hathaway, Schafer Triumphant

The welterweight division welcomed a new threat at UFC 93.

Martin Kampmann took care of business after a slow start to his debut at 170 pounds, as he stopped Brazilian Alexandre Barros on second-round strikes in preliminary action at UFC 93 “Franklin vs. Henderson” on Saturday at the O2 Arena in Dublin, Ireland.

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Kampmann (14-2) -- after he recovered from a low blow in the first round -- worked from the clinch early in round two and wound up in top position after the two men hit the mat during a scramble. The 26-year-old Dane peppered Barros with punches, transitioned to full mount and finished him from behind 3:07 into the second period.

Based out of Xtreme Couture Mixed Martial Arts in Las Vegas, Kampmann has posted 10 wins in 11 fights, losing only to elite middleweight contender Nate Marquardt. The 32-year-old Barros (13-6), meanwhile, had won nine in a row entering the bout but left the Octagon empty handed, having tasted his first defeat since June 2004.

Unbeaten John Hathaway, another UFC debutant, fared far better.

Despite the hopes of his fellow Irishmen, Thomas Egan was overmatched against Hathaway, as he succumbed to elbow strikes 4:36 into the opening round. The 20-year-old Dublin, Ireland, native fought valiantly to stay on his feet, but he was taken down twice by his undefeated counterpart.

Once the battle reached the ground a second time, Hathaway (10-0) moved to side mount. Egan (3-1) then surrendered his back, and subsequent elbows to the head prompted the stoppage, as referee Marc Goddard had no choice but to intervene.

File Photo/Sherdog.com

John Hathaway was impressive
in his Octagon debut.
Elsewhere, Eric Schafer needed 3:35 to dispatch Brazilian light heavyweight Antonio Mendes.

Schafer (11-3-2) pressed for a ground fight early, but when those attempts failed, he simply allowed himself to be taken down. Once Mendes was no longer upright, the finish was a mere formality. Schafer swept the American Top Team product from his back, moved seamlessly to mount and buried him with punches. With Mendes (15-4) locked down and absorbing blows, referee Dan Miragliotta moved in to save the 27-year-old from further punishment.

A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and one-time Xtreme Fighting Organization light heavyweight champion, Schafer has pieced together a nifty four-fight winning streak since his technical knockout loss to former training partner Stephan Bonnar at UFC 77 in October 2007.

In a one-sided middleweight tilt, Polish prospect Tomasz Drwal spoiled the promotional debut of Ivan Serati, as he wrecked the reigning Ultimate Warrior Challenge light heavyweight champion in a shade more than two minutes.

Drwal (15-2) -- who has won 14 of his last 15 fights -- stuffed Serati’s takedown attempts before scoring with one of his own. He followed with some stout ground-and-pound that left Serati (10-3) unable to defend himself and forced a halt to the action 2:02 after it began. The defeat snapped Serati’s four-fight winning streak.

Finally, German lightweight Dennis Siver finished Nate Mohr with an exquisite spinning back kick to the body in a showdown between two fringe fighters struggling to hold their spots in the UFC. The end came 3:27 into round three, as Siver polished off his wounded foe with ground strikes and forced the referee to intervene.

The 30-year-old Siver (13-6) has won back-to-back fights since he suffered consecutive losses to Gray Maynard and Melvin Guillard last year. A protégé of current World Extreme Cagefighting bantamweight contender Jeff Curran, Mohr (8-6) has dropped three of his last four bouts and may soon have to find employment elsewhere.
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