UFC 130 Fight Card: Rampage Jackson vs. Matt Hamill, Head to Toe Breakdown
This Saturday Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, former UFC light heavyweight champion as well as the man who made slamming to escape the triangle choke famous, will take on the unfortunately unheralded Matt "The Hammer" Hamill at UFC 130.
Despite the fact that Rampage is a favorite, sitting currently at -275, the fight is actually much more balanced than the odds dictate.
So, which fighter will have the upper hand going into Saturday's main event? Read and find out.
Striking: Rampage Jackson
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Even though Rampage is perhaps most famous for his epic slam-KO of Ricardo Arona in Japan's Pride Organization, he has not used his wrestling base in his fights for quite some time. Instead, he has usually opted to stand and trade with his opponents, usually with only his hands and not so much his feet.
Rampage's boxing prowess has earned him 14 KOs in 31 victories, most notably over former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell and former Pride legend Wanderlei Silva. Roughly 45 percent of Rampage's wins are by KO.
Rampage also has a solid chin that has only been rocked by the best of strikers, with only Wanderlei Silva (twice) and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua getting the best of Rampage via strikes.
One noteworthy aspect of Rampage's striking to note is that he demonstrated a weakness to leg kicks in his fight with Forrest Griffin. Perhaps we will see Hamill use this to his advantage?
Hamill's striking is of a different nature than Rampage's.
Whereas Rampage likes to get in close and throw big punches, Hamill usually tends to throw more combinations that often serve to set up a take down.
However, Hamill's striking has less power than that of Rampage, regardless of his highlight reel knockout of Mark Muñoz and his four other victories by means of TKO (three of which were over opponents no longer in the UFC).
Because of Rampage's superior power, the edge in the striking department goes to him. It is highly unlikely that Hamill will be the third man to knock him out although it is a possibility that Hamill could manage to outpoint Rampage in a potential striking duel if Rampage focuses too much on trying to hit "home runs."
Advantage: Rampage Jackson.
Wrestling: Matt Hamill
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Wrestling will play a key role in this fight. It has been demonstrated by Rashad Evans at UFC 114 that Rampage can be held against the cage for 15 minutes en route to a decision.
It is possible that we may see a repeat of that fight on Saturday. Matt Hamill is an accomplished wrestler, having won gold and silver medals at the Deaf Olympics in freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling respectively and having been an NCAA Division III wrestling champion.
While Rampage's base for MMA is wrestling, he has since abandoned it in favor of striking and does not use it to great effect anymore.
Look to see Hamill avoid the power of Rampage and use his wrestling to keep Rampage stymied in the clinch and, preferably for Hamill, on his back for the duration of the fight.
Advantage: Hamill.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu/Submission Skills: Even.
3 of 6Of Rampage Jackson's seven submission wins, only four have actually come via an actual submission hold. The other three came by way of a submission due to an injury or strikes. His last true submission victory was 10 years ago!
Hamill does not fare much better. In fact, Hamill has never submitted a single opponent in the cage despite sporting a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
In truth, both men are submission savvy enough to not get submitted by the other. It is very unlikely that this fight will end in a submission by either party because of this.
So, to commemorate this fact, here is a video of submissions that you won't be seeing in this fight.
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Physical Abilities (Strength, Conditioning, Etc.): Matt Hamill
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Rampage Jackson has admitted on numerous occasions that he absolutely hates training. In fact, the questions "is Rampage prepared?" and "Is Rampage taking this fight seriously?" are almost always asked before Rampage fights.
Even though a recent video depicts Rampage swimming to improve his fitness and vowing to have good cardio for the fight, it's a definite possibility that his trainers can't teach an old dog new tricks.
If there is a fight that Rampage should come prepared to, it is this one against Matt Hamill. Hamill has tons of heart and is always in shape and ready to go all 15 minutes and then some.
We will likely see Hamill out-hustle Rampage, especially in the second half of the fight.
Advantage: Matt Hamill.
Training Camp: Rampage Jackson but with a Caveat
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This one is pretty simple.
Rampage trains at the Wolfslair MMA Academy in England along with other notable UFC fighters Cheick Kongo and Michael Bisping. The training stable is arguably the most prominent one in the United Kingdom.
Matt Hamill trains at a nondescript gym in Utica, New York.
Advantage: Rampage, although is is worthy to note that it will be difficult for Rampage to train with wrestlers in the striking-heavy UK and this may play a role in the fight.
Overall Winner: Matt Hamill Via Decision
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Rampage Jackson is tough and has heavy hands but Hamill is equally tough and has superior wrestling and cardio. Look for Rampage to walk forward and throw bombs while Hamill avoids them and looks for the clinch and the takedown.
Rampage may land a few shots but it will be very difficult for Rampage to stop Hamill from getting a hold of him during the fight.
However, should Hamill come out and seek to trade with Rampage, which would not be a smart tactic on Hamill's part, the results will be a decision or mid-late knockout by Rampage. Hamill will probably avoid this strategy though since he knows that Rampage can be smothered with wrestling thanks to Rashad Evans.
Due to these factors, and the judges' historic over-scoring of takedowns, a unanimous decision victory in favor of Matt "The Hammer" Hamill is the most likely outcome for UFC 130's main event.
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