Fighting the who’s who at the amateur level, winning multiple titles along the way, ‘The Pink Panther’ Kurtis Campbell is widely regarded as one of the best up-and-coming prospects coming out of the UK. He makes the first defence of his Full Contact Contender featherweight title this weekend LIVE on UFC Fight Pass from 7.30 pm UK BST. Dan spoke with the unbeaten Liverpudlian at the start of fight week, discussing his potential pathway to the UFC and training with PFL star Brendan Loughnane(30-5) at the Bangtao Muay Thai gym in Thailand…

When asked how fight camp has gone ahead of his first championship defence, he explained, “I think if fight camps go too well, then it’s not a good thing. You always have your bumps in your fight camps, so it’s a part of it. I’ve had a few bumps, but other than that, the camp’s been smooth, and there’s no stone left unturned, and I’m just ready to perform now!”

Strong Matchmaking.

He matched against Austrian Daniel Matusa, who comes into the contest with a professional record of 7-3 and makes his promotional debut after plying his trade on the Austrian regional scene. Matusa is coming to upset the apple cart. Campbell likes being matched with fighters outside the domestic scene as he gains valuable experience on his route to what he describes as ‘the premier league of mixed martial arts’ that is the UFC.

Also Read: UFC Fight Pass: Prospect Watch – Georgian Featherweight Giorgi Poladishvili

When asked about the matchmaking from promotion Full Contact Contender Kurtis said “I think with the opposition I’m getting it’s good because I’d never fought a Brazilian or I’ve not fought an Austrian before so fighting names from these countries are good to get behind me before I do go to the UFC because I think I’ll be fighting elsewhere in other countries rather than back at home.”

Training with Brendan Loughnane.

‘The Pink Panther’ has recently been training in Thailand, where he regularly visits Bangtao Muay Thai gym with his stable mates. On one particular occasion, he got some valuable minutes in with Mancunian featherweight Brendan Loughnane, who is on the other end of the spectrum in his career with five times the number of fights to Kurtis.

Knowledge is power, and wisdom has a lot to do with intellectual humility, which Loughnane has in bucket loads. He fought on multiple promotions until settling with the PFL, where he heads into his 15th under the banner as he competes this Saturday in the PFL championships. He bids to become a two-time PFL world champion in his 36th professional contest, taking on unbeaten Russian Timur Khizriev(17-0).

When speaking on picking up advice from the UK MMA legend Campbell, he said, “He’s got plenty of wisdom to give out, so when he speaks, I listen. That’s the type of person he is, so I got the chance to train with him and do some drills, just learning new combinations and styles. It’s a lot to take in, but there’s a lot of good knowledge.”

Full Interview with Kurtis and World In Sport’s Combat Sports Writer Dan Kelly via the Full Force Combat YouTube channel: Prospect Kurtis Campbell(5-0) ahead of fight on FCC40 – talks Brendan Loughnane & FCC matchmaking.

FCC 40: Ones To Watch

Elsewhere on the card Jordan ‘The Jock’ Rutherford(8-2) tops the amateur bill as he bids to win the FCC European Welterweight title and make it five titles under four promotions before he makes the transition to the paid ranks.

Connor ‘The Flycatcher’ Walsh(2-0) is a long time friend and stable mate of Kurtis Campbell, the flyweight looks to excite the fans with another dominant finish this time against Junior Willian(4-4). Walsh is another promising young prospect that FCC is getting behind, putting a lot of faith into the best up-and-coming talent by matching them with strong international opponents with records equal to or better than the home fighters.

5-0 middleweight Emile Vujakovic fights for the vacant FCC middleweight crown when he steps in with Guilherme Soares(14-7). With 21 fights under his belt, the Brazilian will look to use his experience against Manchester’s Vujakovic, who is running through opponents for fun with four round one highlight reel finishes and a win via rear naked choke.