UFC 130 Fight Card: Is Matt Hamill In Over His Head Against Rampage Jackson?

Matt Hamill could be on the brink of becoming a light heavyweight contender.

After losing a close split decision to Michael Bisping and a TKO loss to former middleweight champion Rich Franklin, Hamill has won five straight.

This includes wins over middleweight up and comer Mark Munoz, tough fighter Keith Jardine, former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz, and current champion Jon Jones.

Hamill’s fight with Jones was his to lose until Jones made the mistake of throwing down illegal elbows.No one likes to win or lose by disqualification, but unfortunately it happens.

I’m sure Matt Hamill would love another shot at Jones, but in order to do that he’ll have to take some big name fights.

In comes the opportunity of a lifetime to take on Quinton “Rampage” Jackson at UFC 130.

Rampage is one of the best UFC fighters today.The former champion has KO victories over Chuck Liddell, Wanderlei Silva and a memorable KO slam over Ricardo Arona.

Besides the Jones fight, this will be Hamill’s biggest test.Not only does Hamill risk being knocked out, he’s also taking this fight on short notice.

It will also be the first PPV fight that Hamill headlines, thanks to the original main event getting canceled.

When this fight was first announced, some fans thought Hamill would not stand a chance.Style wise, the fight may favor Rampage. His good boxing and great defense (besides leg kicks), is tough for anybody.

I believe this is a fight Hamill had to take though.

If he wants to make a serious push for a title, he’ll have to take on the top guys in the division.

Although Rampage is still considered one of the top light heavyweights in the world, his career has been on somewhat of a decline.

Despite going 9-2 in his last 11 fights, he has not had a KO victory since 2008. His last fight against Lyoto Machida could have easily gone the other way.

Jackson’s motivation for fighting has also been brought into question time and time again over that span of fights.

Hamill has everything to gain and nothing to lose in this fight.

This is MMA. Any fighter can beat any other one, if it’s their time.

Rampage is tough, but Hamill may prove he wants it more.