Matt Hamill

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Matt Hamill
Statistics
Nickname The Hammer
Height 6 ft 1in (185 cm)
Weight 205 lb. (93 kg)
Nationality American
Born October 5, 1976 (1976-10-05) (age 31)
Fighting out of Utica, New York
Town of birth Loveland, Ohio
Team/Association Team Punishment
Fighting style Collegiate Wrestling
Mixed martial arts record
Wins 4
  By knockout 3
  By submission 0
Losses 1
Draws 0
No contests 0

Matthew S. "The Hammer" Hamill (born on October 5, 1976 in Cincinnati, Ohio,United States) is a deaf American wrestler and mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter. 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.[1] Matt also has a silver medal in Greco-Roman wrestling and a gold medal in freestyle wrestling from the 2001 Summer Deaflympics.[2]

Contents

[edit] Career

Hamill was a contestant on the third season of The Ultimate Fighter 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 Jesse Forbes contestant 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 by a highly controversial split decision, which was slated to be followed by a rematch. The rematch was scheduled for UFC 78, but due to knee surgery Hamill withdrew. Any hope of a rematch may not happen now that Bisping has dropped down a weight class to middleweight.[3][4]

He also expressed interest in training for the upcoming 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.[5]

Hamill next fought Tim Boetsch on April 2nd, 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.

[edit] MMA record

4 wins (3 KO), 1 loss.
Date Outcome Opponent Event Details Time Notes
4/2/2008 Win Tim Boetsch UFC Fight Night 13 TKO (Strikes) Round 2, 1:25
9/8/2007 loss Michael Bisping UFC 75: Champion vs. Champion Decision (Split) Round 3, 5:00
3/3/2007 Win Rex Holman UFC 68: The Uprising TKO (Strikes) Round 1, 4:00
10/10/2006 Win Seth Petruzelli Ortiz vs. Shamrock 3: The Final Chapter Decision Round 3
06/24/2006 Win Jesse Forbes The Ultimate Fighter 3 Finale TKO (Strikes) Round 1, 4:47
  • His record does not include his preliminary victory while on The Ultimate Fighter as it is considered an exhibition bout.

[edit] Personal life

Born in Loveland, Ohio, Hamill was introduced to wrestling by his step father who was (and still is) 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 is divorced and has a daughter.[6] [7]

Hamill was born deaf, and spends time working with deaf children.

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. [8] [9]

[edit] References

  1. ^ NCAA.com
  2. ^ Matt "The Hammer" Hamill
  3. ^ Iole, Kevin (September 9, 2007). Questionable verdict. Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved on 2007-09-11. "White said the rematch is 'a no-brainer and I'm going to be on it right away.'"
  4. ^ Mohapatra, Pramit (September 9, 2007). The Hamill-Bisping fallout and trust. The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved on 2007-09-11.
  5. ^ Community Press - This article is no longer available
  6. ^ Article where Matt mentions his ex-wife and his daughter
  7. ^ Article where Matt mentions his daughter
  8. ^ Summary of the "Hamill" details on MMAJunkie.com
  9. ^ Interview with UFC.com reguarding the "Hamill"

[edit] External links

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The Ultimate Fighter - Season 3
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