UFC 130: Rampage vs. Hamill, Who Truly Has the Advantage?

UFC 130 will showcase a "title eliminator" bout between Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Matt "The Hammer" Hamill. 

The bout now has more on the line than before, and both competitors, while already taking this fight seriously, now have more to look forward to. The original situation for the light heavyweight Championship was for Jon "Bones" Jones to face "Suga" Rashad Evans. Jones withdrew from the fight, tons of drama went down and now Rashad Evans is facing Phil Davis, while Jones is set to face either Jackson or Machida at a later date. 

Matt Hamill wanted this fight with Jackson. He called Jackson out, and now it has been quoted that Hamill actually talked Jackson into taking this fight. Hamill is on a nice little hot streak and is the only man to defeat the champion Jon "Bones" Jones (even though it was via DQ). Hamill is a very talented wrestler, but is now becoming an overall very well-rounded fighter. He isn't afraid to stand and trade with an opponent, but he does prefer the fight on the ground.

Rampage Jackson is at a crossroads. Many say he doesn't care anymore, while others say that he is more focused at this moment than he has been in his whole career. His most recent fight he defeated Lyoto Machida in what some called a controversial split decision, but statistically on a 10-point must system it was a fair call.

Jackson is being labeled as a one-dimensional fighter, and as of late he has partially lived up to that. If people really know Jackson, they know that he is a one-dimensional striker that has great takedown defense and underrated/forgotten about wrestling.

There are many ways that this fight could go down. If Hamill wants to win, he must time Jackson's strikes perfectly to set up takedowns. He must play it smart. If he can get Jackson down early, then he has a great shot a pulling this victory off. Sadly, Jackson isn't the greatest while on his back.

Jackson needs to do what he does best: counter punch. He has very good boxing, but needs to make sure that he times his punches so that he isn't taken down. Jackson is very unpredictable. He has the capability to end a fight at any given moment. Will Jackson go for takedowns? This fight right here will really tell where Jackson is at in this game. He says he is on the path to get his title back. If that is the case then we may see Jackson slam Hamill a few times in this fight. 

What happens to each fighter after this fight?

If Rampage defeats Hamill, then he earns his shot at Jon "Bones" Jones later this year. This fight will not really help his top-10 ranking in any way, but an impressive performance will tell everyone to watch out. A win also may set up the rematch with Rashad Evans later down the road. 

If Rampage loses this fight, then it is back to the drawing board. It is hard to say who they would give him to fight. Maybe the winner of Ortiz vs. Bader. Losing here in all truths eliminates any idea of Jackson ever seeing a title shot again.

If Hamill wins this fight, then he really sets himself up for big things. He could fight the loser of Evans vs. Davis, or maybe even the winner of Griffin vs. Rua. This fight can be a career boost for Hamill if he were to pull it off. 

If Hamill loses, it will not hurt his stock at all. Losing to a guy like Jackson is nothing to ever be ashamed of. Hamill has a bright future, and a big fight like this may be too soon for him. A loss here could set up a rematch with Rich Franklin, or maybe he would fight the winner of Matyushenko vs. Gustaffson. 

Predictions for the Fight

Expect a partially slow start to this fight. Both men know what to expect, but who will strike first? Can Hamill get early takedowns and control this fight? Will Rampage be able to utilize his excellent takedown defense? Those are the two biggest questions for this whole fight.

Hamill has an incredible chance to win this fight, actually much better than projected. Punches in bunches and takedowns are what Hamill needs to win this fight. Jackson is hard to hurt, and when you least expect it, he will wear you down and finish you.

As close as this fight truly is, this fight may be too much for Hamill to handle. This new public exposure may get to him, we know it did for Rampage. Expect it to be back and forth for the first half of the fight, but mid-second to early-third round expect Jackson to catch Hamill and finish this fight via TKO.

So much on the line here for both men, be sure to catch this fight Saturday night live on pay-per-view. 

UFC 130: Jackson vs Hamill Fight Card

Quinton Jackson vs. Matt Hamill
Frank Mir vs. Roy Nelson
Travis Browne vs. Stefan Struve
Brian Stann vs. Jorge Santiago
Rick Story vs. Thiago Alves
Miguel Torres vs. Demetrious Johnson
Kendall Grove vs. Tim Boetsch
Renan Barao vs. Cole Escovedo
Chris Cariaso vs. Michael McDonald
Gleison Tibau vs. Rafaello Oliveira