Matt Hamill
 |
Name | Matt Hamill |
| Nickname | The Hammer | |
| Association | Team Punishment | |
| Weight Class | Light Heavyweight (205 lbs.) | |
| Height | 6' 1" (185 cm) | |
| Reach | 76in (193 cm) | |
| Style | Wrestling, Boxing | |
| Birth Date | October 5, 1976 | |
| Fighting Out Of | Utica, New York | |
| Country | USA | |
| Matt Hamill Pictures | Official Website |
Matthew S. "The Hammer" Hamill is a deaf, American wrestler and mixed martial artist. He was a three-time NCAA Division III National Champion in wrestling (167 lb. class in 1997, 190 lb. class in 1998, and 197 lb. class in 1999) while attending the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in Rochester, New York. Matt also has a silver medal in Greco-Roman wrestling and a gold medal in freestyle wrestling from the 2001 Summer Deaflympics.
He was a Light Heavyweight contestant on The Ultimate Fighter 3, where he was trained by Tito Ortiz.
Contents |
Professional Record
| Record | 11 - 4 - 0 (Win – Loss – Draw) |
| Wins | 6 (T)KOs 0 Submissions 4 Decisions 1 Other |
| Losses | 2 (T)KOs 0 Submissions 2 Decisions |
| Result | Opponent | Method | Event Title | Date | Round | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | Roger Hollett | Decision (Unanimous) | UFC 152: Jones vs. Belfort | 9/22/2012 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Loss | Alexander Gustafsson | TKO (Punches and Elbows) | UFC 133: Evans vs. Ortiz 2 | 8/6/2011 | 2 | 3:41 | |
| Loss | Quinton Jackson | Decision (Unanimous) | UFC 130: Rampage vs. Hamill | 5/28/2011 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Tito Ortiz | Decision (Unanimous) | UFC 121: Lesnar vs. Velasquez | 10/23/2010 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Keith Jardine | Decision (Majority) | The Ultimate Fighter 11 Finale | 6/19/2010 | 3 | 5:00 | Won Fight of the Night Honors; Jardine had one point deducted for an accidental eye poke |
| Win | Jon Jones | DQ (Illegal Elbow Strikes) | The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale | 12/05/2009 | 1 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Mark Munoz | KO (Head Kick) | UFC 96: Jackson vs. Jardine | 3/07/2009 | 1 | 3:53 | Won Knockout of the Night Honors |
| Win | Reese Andy | TKO (Punches) | UFC 92: The Ultimate 2008 | 12/27/2008 | 2 | 2:19 | |
| Loss | Rich Franklin | TKO (Kick to the Body) | UFC 88: Breakthrough | 9/06/2008 | 3 | 0:39 | |
| Win | Tim Boetsch | TKO (Punches) | UFC Fight Night 13: Florian vs. Lauzon | 4/02/2008 | 2 | 1:25 | |
| Loss | Michael Bisping | Decision (Split) | UFC 75: Champion vs. Champion | 9/08/2007 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Rex Holman | TKO (Punches) | UFC 68: The Uprising | 3/03/2007 | 1 | 4:00 | |
| Win | Seth Petruzelli | Decision (Unanimous) | UFC Fight Night 6.5: Ortiz vs Shamrock 3 – The Final Chapter | 10/10/2006 | 3 | 5:00 | Won Fight of the Night Honors |
| Win | Jesse Forbes | TKO (Punches) | The Ultimate Fighter 3 Finale | 6/24/2006 | 1 | 4:47 | UFC debut |
| Win | Robert Hitte | TKO (Punches) | XFO 7: Xtreme Fighting Organization 7 | 8/27/2005 | 1 | 1:52 | |
Mixed Martial Arts Career
Hamill was a contestant on the The Ultimate Fighter 3: Team Ortiz vs. Team Shamrock reality television show, training under Tito Ortiz in the 205 lb (93 kg) weight class. He won a preliminary fight against Mike Nickels via decision, but was unable to continue into the semi-finals due to injuries. On June 24, 2006, Hamill fought fellow contestant Jesse Forbes at The Ultimate Fighter 3 Finale on Spike TV and won via TKO.
Hamill then defeated The Ultimate Fighter 2's Seth Petruzelli via unanimous decision at Ortiz vs. Shamrock 3: The Final Chapter on October 10, 2006. Judges scored the bout 29-28, 30-27, and 29-28 for Hamill.
Hamill then fought Rex Holman at UFC 68: The Uprising where he won by TKO in the first round.
Hamill fought Michael Bisping at UFC 75 in London, England on September 8th, 2007, where he lost via split decision. The decision was considered controversial by virtually everyone who has seen the fight. Hamill pushed the pace and took Bisping down numerous times in the first and third rounds and literally had to chase Bisping around the octagon. Many believe Hamill won the fight by winning 2 out of the 3 rounds yet one judge scored 29-28 for Bisping, another 30-27 for Hamill and the spilt decision of 29-28 for Bisping as the winner. This fight is used as a prime example as to encourage fighters not to let the fight go to the judges. A rematch was scheduled for UFC 78, but due to knee surgery Hamill withdrew. A rematch has become unlikely when Bisping dropped down to the middleweight division after his fight with Rashad Evans.
Hamill next fought Tim Boetsch on April 3rd, whom he defeated in the second round by TKO, bringing his record to 4 wins and 1 loss. During the fight, Matt suffered a badly split bottom lip due to a knee strike.
Hamill then went on to UFC 88 and fought former UFC Middleweight Champion Rich Franklin as the co-main event. He lost the fight by TKO after a kick to the liver at 0:39 of the third round.
In his bout at UFC 92, Hamill defeated Reese Andy in the second round by TKO due to strikes.
Hamill then fought UFC newcomer Mark Munoz at UFC 96: Jackson vs. Jardine. Munoz was one of the Light Heavyweights to be moved from the WEC's roster to the UFC's, when the promotion dropped it's heavier weight classes. Hamill showed some impressive stand-up with a devastating head kick to end the fight in the first round.
He was scheduled to fight Brandon Vera, who was coming off a win over Michael Patt, at UFC 102: Couture vs. Nogueira, but had to pull out due to injury. He would return to action at The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale on December 5, 2009 against Jon Jones. Jones began to batter Hamill with a vicious ground and pound assault, only to land illegal twelve-to-six elbow strikes. Hamill sprawled out on the mat, arms outstretched, and referee Steve Mazzagatti halted the action to deduct a point from Jones.
Hamill, though, remained motionless on his back, and within seconds, it was obvious he couldn't continue. As the fans cheered what appeared a TKO victory for Jones, and as at-home viewers heard UFC broadcasters Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg talk about the fighter moving to 10-0, a surprise was just seconds away: ring announcer Bruce Buffer announced that Hamill had actually picked up the victory via disqualification due to the illegal strike.
Hamill returned to action on June 19, 2010 at The Ultimate Fighter 11 Finale, where he faced off against Keith Jardine. Jardine jumped out to an early lead with his unorthodox but effective striking, but he soon found obstacles around every corner. A deep but accidental eyepoke resulted in a point deduction in the second round, a gash between his eyes continually tricked blood and affected his vision in the second half of the fight, and Hamill's few but effective takedowns promptly halted any of Jardine's extended attacks. The combination of factors led to a majority-decision loss (29-27, 29-27, 28-28) and Jardine's fourth consecutive defeat in the UFC.
Personal Life
Born in Loveland, Ohio, Hamill was introduced to wrestling by his step father who was the wrestling coach at Loveland High School. In the years prior to the taping of the Ultimate Fighter Season 3, Hamill volunteered his time teaching wrestling to middle and high school children.
Hamill was born deaf, and spends time working with deaf children.
Hamill is divorced from a deaf woman, and has a hearing daughter from that marriage.
Matt Hamill will be the subject of an upcoming movie entitled "Hamill" about his early life and wrestling career. The movie, which stars Eben Kostbar, has been criticized by the deaf community because it features a non-deaf actor. Hamill however, supported the casting of Eben due to his wrestling experience and the fact that Eben is fluent in American Sign Language.
"Hamill" is set for a 2009 release and is being filmed this fall in Los Angeles and Rochester, N.Y. The low-budget movie is produced by K'Dee Miller and will be directed by Joseph McKelheer.
Ranks and Titles
- 3X NCAA national wrestling champion and two time world champion for freestyle wrestling
