On Saturday, December 10th, Jared Hamman will enter the Octagon to take on fellow middleweight Constantinos Philippou in a 185-pound showdown at UFC 140.
UFC 140 will take place in front of a jam-packed Air Canada Centre beginning at 6 p.m. PT and 9 p.m. ET.
Hamman entered the UFC winning 11 of his first 12 fights and currently holds a record of 13-3. Over the course of his career, Hamman has also accounted for 10 knockout victories along with two Fight of the Night awards.
However, as Hamman begins to advance in his career, he is often brought back to what got him hooked to the sport years ago.
“I had an older brother who beat me up all the time. Not in a mean way, but that’s just what older brothers do.” Hamman told Bleacher Report MMA. “I grew up in the country playing football and was just a hard worker. I still remember one day I was watching the UFC on TV and I said to myself, ‘I think I could do that.'”
“Not too long after, a good friend of mine invited me to check out a mixed martial arts class and I began to fall in love with the sport.”
Hamman’s love for the sport continued to grow despite reaching a valley in his career where he had lost two of his three fights as a light heavyweight. It was decision time for Hamman as he could continue to fight in the 205-pound weight class or make the transition to the middleweight division.
When push came to shove, Hamman decided it was best for his career to drop to 185 pounds and give his career a fresh start. Fortunately for Hamman, he doesn’t regret his decision even the slightest bit.
“I Absolutely love it. My body feels so good compared to what it use to. I honestly feel fantastic. You know, it’s more of a lifestyle change than anything. I love it.”
Saturday will mark the second fight of Hamman’s career in the middleweight division as he is coming off arguably the biggest win of his mixed martial arts career in his knockout victory over C.B. Dollaway at UFC Live: Hardy vs. Lytle.
Hamman was asked if he felt he had any advantages heading into his highly anticipated bout with Philippou on December 10th. In respect to his opponent, “The Messenger” addressed the possible excitement their fight could bring to fans.
“I just love to fight and I hate when my fights go to the decision. As a fighter and a fan, I want to see fights finished. I had two decisions where I had won Fight of the Night, but I just couldn’t finish them off. Philippou is a really tough guy and he’s fought some really good opponents over the course of his career.”
As Hamman begins to move forward into his career, he shared his future expectations as a fighter and what fans could expect to see.
“I’ve never really been concerned with being the best in anything. I just absolutely love to fight. I want to step in front of a freight train and see if I can live [laughing]. I want to go in there and I want to end fights and I want to go as hard as I can.”
One things for certain about Hamman, he’ll never take his career in the UFC for granted.
“Nothing is ever guaranteed. Your next breath isn’t guaranteed yet your next fight. I have to make the most of it while I have the opportunity.”
To learn more about up-and-coming middleweight Jared Hamman, you can follow him on Twitter.
For additional information, follow Garrett Derr on Twitter.
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