UFC 130 Fight Card: Rampage Jackson vs. Matt Hamill, Early Head-to-Toe Breakdown
By Bleachereport
May 10, 2011
By now I’m sure we have heard the big news.
At UFC 130 former Light Heavyweight Champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson will meet Matt “The Hammer” Hamill, in what will be the new main event.
Both of these fighters could move up the light heavyweight ranks with a win.
Jackson is coming off of a controversial win over former light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida.
Hamill, on the other hand, dominated Tito Ortiz in his last bout.
Here is a look at how these two will stack up against each other........
Striking
Vince Bucci/Getty Images
Out of 31 wins, Rampage has 14 (T)KO’s.
Rampage is one of the few fighters that only focus on one thing.
Standing up is his calling card, and it will never change.
Even though Rampage has not finished anyone since 2008, he continues to look for the KO.
Although Matt Hamill has 6 of his 10 wins by (T)KO, he is a wrestler by heart.
Rampage's striking is his bread and butter, and I don't expect that to change
Advantage: Jackson
Submissions
I don’t expect this fight to have much in the submission department.
While Rampage had a few submissions early in his career, he sticks to his game plan of trying to knock a guy out.
Hamill, also is not the kind of guy who will look for a submission.
I won’t be surprised if the fight goes to the ground at some point, but don’t expect to see somebody slap on a crazy choke or arm bar.
Advantage: Push
Wrestling
Matt Hamill is an outstanding wrestler.
Hamill is a 3 time Division III National Wrestling Champion, and should look to take Rampage to the ground if he runs into trouble standing up.
Rampage is no slouch on the ground himself and has great takedown defense.
If Hamill can get a few good shots in on Rampage it could open his wrestling game up.
Rampage will be too concerned about keeping the fight standing, so I don’t expect him to go for takedowns.
Advantage: Matt Hamill
Aggression
Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images
Whether he hits or misses, Rampage will always be pressing the action.
Staying aggressive helped him win a decision over Lyoto Machida.
If Rampage is in good shape and motivated, I expect him to come out push the pace of the fight.
Advantage: Jackson
Experience
Noel Vasquez/Getty Images
Rampage has been fighting in MMA for almost 12 years.
This will be the Memphis-born fighter’s 40th fight.
Hamill may be the least experienced of the two, but he has not let something like that bother him before.
Hamill recently beat former light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz.
Tito Ortiz, at this stage of the game, is no Rampage Jackson though.
I expect Rampage to put on a much better show that the other UFC vet.
Advantage: Jackson
Heart
Matt Hamill shows a ton of heart just for being able to fight in the cage.
Hamill has overcome many difficulties in his life since he was born deaf.
Fighting and not being able to hear seems like a difficult task.
But Hamill has been able to become a successful fighter, fighting on the biggest stage of them all.
Rampage is a tough fighter, but nobody fights with as much heart as Matt Hamill.
Advantage: Hamill
Prediction
Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images
Now that this fight is the main event, the stakes may be a little higher.
Hamill is riding a five-fight win streak and could seriously be one or two big name fights away from a title shot.
Rampage, on the other hand, has the name alone to move him up the ladder.
Although I don’t expect for either one of these guys to earn a title shot right after their fight, this could be the fight that leads them to it.
While I like Hamill’s heart, and I don’t want to count him out of the fight, I think a motivated Rampage will be a lot for him to handle.
Rampage could get the win by second- or third-round TKO or decision.
.