Unbeaten in eight starts as a professional, Madsen is an intriguing new addition to the lightweight ranks.
While older than most prospects at age 34, the undefeated Dane is a three-time Olympian, having claimed the silver medal in Greco-Roman wrestling at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro. Though he began his transition to mixed martial arts before that, Madsen only really went “all in” with MMA after Rio, and since the start of 2018, he’s rattled off six consecutive victories.
Training under the aforementioned Martin Kampmann, who made a smooth shift to coaching following his own fighting career, Madsen spent a good portion of his prep time for his UFC debut in Las Vegas, working at both Xtreme Couture and the UFC Performance Institute. Although some Olympians have struggled in their shift to the cage, Madsen has shown a great deal of upside while taking care of business each time out.
This weekend in Copenhagen, he squares off with 25-year-old Italian Danilo Belluardo, who dropped his promotional debut to Joel Alvarez earlier this year in Stockholm. Prior to that, Belluardo had won six straight, and with 16 bouts under this belt, he’s one of the most seasoned competitors Madsen has faced to date.
Although he’s a little older compared to most high-level wrestlers who move from the mats to mixed martial arts, Madsen also competed at an even greater level than the host of Division I standouts who shift their focus following their collegiate careers, and he has encountered little resistance on his way to the UFC.
If he’s able to maintain his unbeaten run through his debut, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Madsen get an expedited push in the loaded lightweight ranks in order to see what “The Olympian” can really do inside the Octagon.
