Tokwiro-owned online poker site Ultimate Bet began sponsoring Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighter Martin “The Hitman” Kampmann last week. Ultimate Bet’s logo was displayed prominently on Kampmann’s trunks and shirt at the series’ event in Nashville, Tennessee.
Wednesday, April 1st marked the first ever UFC stop in Nashville. It was held at the Sommet Center, home of the National Hockey League’s (NHL) Predators. The welterweight bout saw Kampmann take on Carlos Condit. This isn’t Ultimate Bet’s first venture into the industry, as the online poker site also served as the official Canadian sponsor of World Wrestling Entertainment’s (WWE) WrestleMania XXV, which takes place tonight from Houston, Texas. Alex Cummings, the winner of a special Ultimate Bet promotion, saw the red carpet rolled out for him at the event, which features a headliner of Triple H versus Randy Orton for the WWE Title.
On the site’s newest splash into the sports and entertainment market, an Ultimate Bet spokesperson noted in a press release distributed last week, “We’re mega excited to have our logo associated with Kampmann, a master of his craft and one of UFC’s world-class fighters. Our collaboration with ‘The Hitman’ continues our inroads into some of the highest rating pay-per-view sports shows on air, and we’re pulling no punches when it comes to any opportunity to get involved with UFC.” Kampmann won a split decision in Nashville in a fight that aired in Spike TV. He holds a stunning 15-2 record in UFC matches and went 4-0 as a middleweight before dropping down to the welterweight class.
On March 25th, Poker News Daily brought you a story revealing that UFC may be on the verge of changing its online poker sponsor from Full Tilt Poker. At the time of writing, Full Tilt banners could no longer be found on the UFC’s home page, which instead featured Budweiser, AutoZone, and BSN ads. Kampann, appropriately, hails from Las Vegas and is 26 years-old. He is 6’0” tall, weighs 170 pounds, and is a former accomplished Thai boxer.
UFC has a worldwide presence and can be seen in over 100 countries and 17 different languages. It is in its 16th year and boasts a roster of pros headlined by Brock Lesnar, a former WWE wrestler. Rashad Evans holds the light heavyweight title, while the popular Anderson Silva claims the middleweight championship. Its Hall of Fame includes many of the fighters who put UFC on the map and helped popularize its now infamous octagon-shaped ring: Dan Sevem, Mark Coleman, Ken Shamrock, Randy Couture, and Royce Gracie. Silva will take on Thales Leites to headline UFC 97: Redemption in Montreal on April 18th. Other bouts include Chuck Liddell against Mauricio Rua and Krzysztof Soszynski against Brian Stann.
Heading into the encounter in Nashville, Kampmann told UFC officials in an interview, “I’m coming there to whip Condit’s ass, and I’m sure he’s coming to bring some heat too, so I think it’s gonna be a clash and a good fight. That’s my goal – to make it a fight to remember.” He’s a transplant from Denmark and one of the most feared fighters that UFC has to offer.
Kampmann is sponsored by a site that is part of the CEREUS Network, which just saw Absolute Poker member DOOSA777 take down the Bad Beat Jackpot for the second time in two months. This time, she grabbed $161,000 from the $487,000 Jackpot, improving her total take to $263,000 since February. In the hand, DOOSA777 lost with quad jacks against SHERLOCKGT3’s straight flush. Her second Bad Beat Jackpot win occurred exactly two months after her first win, which happened on February 4th. DOOSA777 is 46 years-old and hails from Lake Waccamaw, North Carolina.
