Carlos Condit, Martin Kampmann and the constant pressure to finish

It’s a wonder fights ever go the distance in this sport. Considering how many fighters we hear from who vow not to leave the outcome of their bout in the hands of those meddlesome, dastardly judges, you’d think decisions in MMA would be as rare as tasteful sponsor T-shirts.

Take Wednesday night’s UFC Fight Night 27 event, for example. In the last week or so, I’ve spoken to all four of the main and co-main event fighters for the Indianapolis card, and do you know how many expressed a strong desire to win by decision?

Sure you do. Which might only prove that they know exactly what we want to hear, whether we or they believe it or not.

“I’m planning on getting the finish, and a spectacular one,” Martin Kampmann (20-6 MMA, 11-5 UFC) told me.

Kampmann’s opponent in the headlining rematch, Carlos Condit (28-7 MMA, 5-3 UFC), concurred because, as he learned when he lost a split decision in the first fight, “It’s like [UFC site coordinator] Burt Watson says, ‘The judges will make you cry.’”

Donald Cerrone (20-5 MMA, 7-2 UFC) kept things relatively cliche-free by declaring himself merely “on the warpath” and ready to run straight through Rafael dos Anjos (19-6 MMA, 8-4 UFC). Meanwhile, dos Anjos was more specific.

“This fight, I’m looking to finish it before the third round,” he said. “I don’t want to leave it in the judges’ hands. I’m not going to let the judges [decide] this.”

Everyone says that before the fight, though. They probably believe it, too. Why wouldn’t they? You wouldn’t get in there if you didn’t think you were going to win, and if you’re going to win, why not win by a knockout or submission?

Part of it is surely pragmatic. If a fighter finishes his opponent, the judges never have a chance to screw things up for him. He also gives himself a better shot at a bonus, and not the “Fight of the Night” award that usually requires him to take as much of a beating as he delivers.

But there’s also the pressure that we – fans and media – put on fighters. We want to see fights finished, or at least we say we do. Let a fighter win a few straight via decision, and his reliance on the judges becomes a weapon fans will use against him.

Sure, he wins. But he doesn’t finish.

That could be because we assume that finishing fights is far more of a choice than it really is. Just ask Condit, who’s had his share of violent finishes as well as close decisions.

“A lot of it is opportunity,” Condit said. “You put two guys together who are at the top of their game, the top of the sport, sometimes it’s hard to finish. But on the other side of the coin, you’ve got to be mentally ready to take those chances, take those risks to get the finish.”

The trouble is, the more risks you take in search of the finish, the more opportunities you give the other guy to finish. Then again, if you don’t take risks, Condit pointed out, you end up with something like what happened between Rory MacDonald and Jake Ellenberger in July.

“I mean, it was a boring fight,” Condit said. “That’s not really even a matter of opinion. I don’t necessarily think it was either guy’s fault. They both could have engaged more, but they’re both such dangerous fighters. Neither of them really wanted to open up and take the risk of being finished by the other one.”

From an outside perspective, the problem with putting such a premium on finishes is that it ignores the realities of evenly matched, highly competitive fights. You take two guys in the top ten of any division and throw them in the cage together, is it really any surprise if they’re a) too close in skill, and b) too wary of the other fighter’s abilities to finish inside of the distance? Does that necessarily mean they’re boring, or that they deserved to be criticized for playing it safe?

Probably not, but at the same time they have to be prepared for what happens when the judges get their say. Because like Phil Davis said after his controversial decision win over Lyoto Machida at UFC 163, “Anytime it goes to the judges, you forfeit your right to be upset.”

That’s what happened the first time Condit faced Kampmann. He came in riding a wave of momentum as the WEC welterweight champ, then lost a squeaker to Kampmann in his UFC debut.

“I know he’s wanted [the rematch] for a long time because of that,” Kampmann said. “I think it’s hard on him that he has that loss to me. He’s a competitor, and he told me himself that he wanted a chance to avenge that loss. I’m happy to oblige, except I’m going to be the one getting his hand raised.”

The question, particularly for two guys struggling to make their cases for title shots after recent losses, is how? That question matters because, as Kampmann put it, “Sometimes in the UFC it all depends on how you win.”

Skate by on a close or lackluster decision, and you’re easier to overlook. Put the other guy away with a violent flourish, and it tends to stick in people’s minds.

In part because of how close the first fight was, Kampmann said, and because he realizes it could have easily gone the other way, “I think we’re both going to look for the finish this time.”

“Obviously we’ve both gotten a lot better, and this time around we’ve got two more rounds to go at it,” Kampmann added. “I’m confident I’ll get the finish.”

Of course, everyone says that before the fight.

For more on UFC Fight Night 27, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

(Pictured: Carlos Condit)