Matt Hamill (9-2) started out with his UFC experience on The Ultimate Fighter: season three as a light-heavyweight, under the tutelage of coach Tito Ortiz. This coming Saturday Hamill will now face his mentor as part of the UFC 121: Lesnar vs. Velasquez event.
“This is a big test for me and what I am capable of. I had to get the mindset of our friendship out of the door when I learned who I was fighting. It’s business. I don’t want to make the same mistakes I did with Rich Franklin. In the cage, (Ortiz) will be my opponent – nothing else. We lost touch the last couple years, only touching base once in a while. And since learning of this fight, there has been no contact. I’m a friendly, open-minded person. When it comes to business that night, I will put everything aside until after the fight. I can’t predict what the outcome will be between us after the fight. Hopefully, there will be no bad blood – I do have a level of respect for Tito as my former coach and mentor…Fighting Tito is a big stepping stone for me. My goal is to be one of the top 10 fighters in the world. A win over Tito would be a huge boost in my career.”
HT: MMAFighting.com