Matt Hamill

manntis818 · #1 (**permalink**) 06-11-2006, 08:40 PM

Matt comes to The Ultimate Fighter 3 with an incredible athletic resume. The 2004 inductee in the Division III Wrestling Hall of Fame was the first U.S. wrestler to win gold medals in freestyle and Greco Roman competition in the 1997 World Games for the Deaf. The three-time NCAA National Champion attended the National Technical Institute for the Deaf in Rochester. Matt has been featured in Sports Illustrated’s “Faces in the Crowd” and was featured on the cover of NCAA News as a junior at RIT. In 1997, he was named USA Deaf Sports Federation Athlete of the Year. Born and raised in Cincinnati, Matt is a graduate of Loveland High School in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Bengals fan trains with The Ultimate Fighter Season 2 coach and UFC Middleweight champion, Rich Franklin.

this kid has done alot in his life and he is deaf. a great wrestler,,, needs to learn more submissions because i saw a vidoe of his second mma fight and he just likes to ground andpound people but they leave open there arm for an armbar and many other opputinteys he should capitlize on....he will be back to fight again and i hope to see him do well in the ufc or any were esle..........

Afro · #2 (**permalink**) 06-11-2006, 08:41 PM

kinda hard for Tito NOT to like this kid

similar fighting style, hard upbringings..

Dsm634 · #3 (**permalink**) 06-12-2006, 06:49 PM

I wish Matt well too, but I still don't understand why he wasn't all about the ground game against Mike since that is his niche........ All american wrestler doesn't take down the dude in a fight.....wtf?

FidgitUK · #4 (**permalink**) 06-13-2006, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dsm634

I wish Matt well too, but I still don't understand why he wasn't all about the ground game against Mike since that is his niche........ All american wrestler doesn't take down the dude in a fight.....wtf?

Well he does sorta explain it all. After refusing to tap to Bisping's arm bar while training he had a bum arm. Basically his confidence got rocked hard, and with the weak arm he wasnt confident on being able to take Mike down or control him (personally I still think he would of but who knows).

Found it actually really hard to watch that fight, like many I was really looking forward to seeing him and some sick take downs,then the eventual show down with Bisping (which they had been building to the whole season with the way it was editied which is pretty crappy when you think about it.). Just was a very un-entertaining fight IMO. That all could be slightly biased though as I felt he had so much build up.

All that being said I wish the guy all the best and hopefully we will see him again but I have a feeling he may of sat down and completly reconsidered if MMA was his calling, especially with Olympic training coming up. One thing I will do though if he makes it, is make sure to see him in 2012 as I can proudly say my home town is hosting the game s :P

Matt Boone · #5 (**permalink**) 06-13-2006, 03:55 PM

I thought he said he'd be competing in the 2008 Olympics?

Mastiff_owner · #6 (**permalink**) 06-14-2006, 01:13 AM

he is training to tryout for the olymics. Great wrestler but i don't think he has faced that class of talent. Special olympics gold medal does not translate to olympic gold.

That being said i hope he does make it, win gold, learn submissions and come back to mma. He is athletically gifted with the dtermination to make it work.

FidgitUK · #7 (**permalink**) 06-14-2006, 03:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matt Boone

I thought he said he'd be competing in the 2008 Olympics?

Good point. There goes that theory.. All excited about them coming here I forgot there is one in between. :P

Masscore · #8 (**permalink**) 06-14-2006, 01:06 PM

It's too bad Hamil couldn't finish, I was really looking foward to a fight between him and Bis.

But when it comes to the 2008 Olympics, I don't see him making it. He is probably gonna have to wrestle Daniel Cormier who medaled in 2004. Cormier is the real deal, he will tear Hamil apart on the mat. Cormier is the only guy that ever gave Cael Sanderson a match in college, nearly beating Sanderson in the NCAA Finals. So I really dont expect Hamil to give him much of a match.