Hello again fans and friends, and welcome to the finale of my special mini-series ?A Closer Look at UFC 130?. I?ve done my best to cover each and every UFC 130 fight in as much detail as I possibly can, and after four days of coverage, we?re finally at the conclusion. The only fight left is the main event, which puts a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion against a man that?s been working his way towards a title shot for the last several years. It?s Quinton Jackson vs. Matt Hamill, and it?s the final entry in ?A Closer Look at UFC 130?. Let?s dive right in.
Quinton Jackson is one of those rare fighters that hardly needs an introduction. But I?ll attempt to do him justice. When Jackson steps into the Octagon at UFC 130 tomorrow, he?ll celebrate his fortieth fight as a professional Mixed Martial Artist. With an overwhelmingly positive record of 31-8, the man nicknamed ?Rampage? has won nine of his last eleven bouts. Jackson has been fighting since 1999, and was one of the biggest stars of the legendary PRIDE FC promotion.
Jackson?s run in PRIDE was arguably as good as any of PRIDE?s mega-stars. Known for his vicious punching power as well as his amazing slams, ?Rampage? proved to be a breakthrough hit as well as a highly-regarded fighter. That success instantly translated into a UFC Light Heavyweight Championship shortly after Jackson made his UFC debut. Since 2008, Jackson has been working his way back to a title shot. It?s taken him several major controversies, a season coaching ?The Ultimate Fighter?, and a highly-published dispute with the UFC that involved him ?retiring?, but Jackson is now closer than ever to getting another title shot.
The one person standing in Jackson?s way is Matt Hamill. Without hyperbole, Matt Hamill has got to be one of the most-inspiring MMA stories of all time. Hamill was born deaf, but overcame his disability thanks to his unbreakable will and a love for amateur wrestling. Hamill was a contestant on the third season of ?The Ultimate Fighter?, and made an immediate name for himself before bowing out of the reality TV show due to injuries. Hamill made his UFC debut in 2006, which was only the second fight of his MMA career. It really says something that Matt Hamill has realistically fought his entire career inside the Octagon.
Since making his UFC debut, Hamill?s record stands at a very respectable 9-2. He?s faced some interesting challenges in his day: Rich Franklin, Michael Bisping, Mark Munoz, Jon Jones, Tito Ortiz, Keith Jardine. He?s also finished a majority of his opponents: of his nine Octagon victories, five have been by (T)KO. One has been by disqualification. And despite some cynics decrying Matt Hamill as a boring fighter in the weeks leading up to this fight, Matt Hamill has been to a decision (win or lose) four times in roughly five years.
Heading into this fight, I can?t wait for Matt Hamill to fully assert himself and step into the role of a championship challenger. I?m just sad he?ll have to take down ?Rampage? to do it. This is Hamill?s time now, I firmly believe that and I firmly believe in him. Hamill is ready for a challenge of this magnitude, and he?s going to come out and surprise a lot of people at UFC 130.
And that?s it, fans and friends! After four days and many, many entries? ?A Closer Look at UFC 130? officially comes to a close. I hope you?ve enjoyed the series, and I hope you?ve learned a thing or two about this very interesting event and its diverse cast of fighters.
Source: http://www.fighters.com/05/27/a-closer-look-at-ufc-130-finale-quinton-jackson-vs-matt-hamill
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