Tag: Matt Hamill

The Two Sheds Review: Main Event Changes and Lessons on Conditioning at UFC 130

It was a show of main-event changes as Quinton “Rampage” Jackson faced Matt “The Hammer” Hamill in the main event of UFC 130, shown live in the early hours of this past Sunday morning on ESPN here in Britain.No review of the pre…

It was a show of main-event changes as Quinton “Rampage” Jackson faced Matt “The Hammer” Hamill in the main event of UFC 130, shown live in the early hours of this past Sunday morning on ESPN here in Britain.

No review of the preliminaries this month as ESPN had technical problems (again), so it’s on to the main show, beginning with middleweight action as Brian Stann faced Jorge Santiago.

The All-American is really starting to come into his own. After a somewhat cagey start from both men, Stann connected with a left that sent Santiago down. Stann followed him down for the ground and pound but couldn’t quite get the job done.

Stann continued his great work in the second, and a big right to the temple sent Santiago down again. A brief period of ground and pound followed before the referee stepped in to give Stann the impressive TKO win.

It was down to welterweight for the next fight as Thiago Alves faced Rick Story.

This was a very good encounter. Story put on a great display of grappling for the first two rounds, neutralizing Alves’ superior striking ability. Alves got in some good strikes, but Story was able to respond in kind.

We saw more striking from Alves in the third, as well as some exciting exchanges, with Alves rocking his man a number of times, the fight ending with both men swinging for the fences.

So with the fight going the distance it went down to the judges, with Story getting the unanimous decision.

The big boys of the heavyweight division were up next as Stefan Struve faced Travis Browne.

This battle of the big men began with both fighters connecting with a series of kicks. A clinch against the cage was followed by a brief foray to the ground before they returned to the striking game.

Seconds later and it was all over. Browne connected with a Superman punch that sent Struve crashing, the referee quickly stepping in to give Browne the great knockout win.

The heavyweight action continued as Frank Mir went up against Roy Nelson.

This battle of hometown boys proved to be a highly entertaining affair. We also got a lesson about conditioning.

Mir dominated the majority of the fight, putting on a performance that was far superior than his effort against Mirko Cro Cop.

Big Country had his moments, but as time went on Nelson’s lack of physical conditioning showed, and as he sat on his stool between the second and third rounds he had the look of a beaten and exhausted man, with Mir once again dominating with his grappling and his ground and pound.

No surprise with the judges’ decision as all three gave the fight to Mir. A great performance from the former champion, and an example of how Nelson really needs to go back to the drawing board.

The main event saw Quinton Jackson taking on Matt Hamill in the light heavyweight division.

Rampage seemed to have Hamill worked out from the start. Whenever Hamill went for a takedown Jackson was able to defend easily. It was the same whenever Hamill went for a clinch.

As for the striking, Rampage had that department covered as well, out-striking his opponent and connecting with some hard knees and shots to the body.

So with another fight going the distance it went to the judges again, with all three giving the fight to Rampage. It may not have been pretty but it was effective.

The show rounded out with filler material in the form of the lightweight encounter between Gleison Tibau and Rafaello Oliveira.

This all Brazilian affair was a nice way to end the show. Things looked pretty even in the first as both men got off some crisp strikes and showed some good work during the brief trip to the ground.

It was pretty much the same in the second until Tibau connected with a big left that sent Oliveira down. Moments later Tibau took his man’s back and clinched in a rear naked choke for the submission win.

In conclusion—they’ve done it again.

Even though this was devoid of a title fight after both Gray Maynard and Frankie Edgar pulled out injured, it was still a very good show, and although a couple of the performances were a little disappointing, that didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment.

So all-in-all, UFC 130 gets the thumbs up from me.

Let’s hope ESPN doesn’t screw up any more shows though!

Don’t forget to check out my Web site at twoshedsreview.blogspot.com.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 130 Results: Jackson and the Senior Fight Club Don’t Break Dance No More

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva, Antonio “Minotauro” Nogueira and Co. still got some moves—but leave the headspins and the helicopters to the young guns.A few street-dance maneuvers, maybe.But…

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva, Antonio “Minotauro” Nogueira and Co. still got some moves—but leave the headspins and the helicopters to the young guns.

A few street-dance maneuvers, maybe.

But any dolphin or back dive inside the octagon could be the equivalent of a kamikaze.

Reality check: The above-mentioned fighters are more chronologically advanced (a politically correct term) than most, and they’ve been through more wars and have suffered more wear and tear. (Boxing legend Erik Morales, at 34 years old, may still be “young enough” among his fighting contemporaries, but everybody sees that inside the ring he has aged dramatically more than most as a result of his 57 pugilistic battles.)

They no longer have youth on their side, and wounded warriors at their actual and fighting age take more time to heal.

It’s a given that they’re slower now and gas out earlier in varying degrees.

Expect the younger fighters to fight at a faster pace while sustaining the up tempo considerably longer.

And hunger, especially when facing the legends of the sport, is another serious consideration.

The thrill in watching the young dogs fight the old ones in the junkyard is in this: anticipating how the latter can temper their youthful energy with intelligence to pull out a victory over the slower, but craftier veterans.

And this is something that Matt Hamill (10-3)—chronologically two years older at 34 but a generation younger as far as MMA career and accumulated damage are concerned—failed to accomplish last Saturday night at UFC 130, proving that the athlete in Ramp-aged (32-8) still occupies a higher place in this exacting sport than some emerging prospects.

This, despite all the terrible beatings Jackson has taken, especially way back in PRIDE, in the hands and knees of the fighter originally nicknamed “Cachorro Louco.”

The seeming lack of fire from the vets inside and outside the octagon may not be just a matter of motivation; it could be a natural byproduct of aging in calendar and fight years.

We know that soon Jackson and Co. will be all bark and no bite, and…

How many fighters belong to the same gene pool as Randy Couture?

Your guess is as good as mine.

And unless you’ve been living under a Wi-Fi-proof rock with no underground cable connection, you must know by now that our Captain America has retired and is just using his mighty shield as an umbrella on a beach somewhere.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 130: Does Quinton "Rampage" Jackson Deserve a Title Shot?

UFC 130: Rampage vs. Hamill was a fairly lackluster card in terms of the importance of the fights.An event that was originally slated to contain a rematch of Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard in addition to an explosive matchup between Rampage Jackson and…

UFC 130: Rampage vs. Hamill was a fairly lackluster card in terms of the importance of the fights.

An event that was originally slated to contain a rematch of Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard in addition to an explosive matchup between Rampage Jackson and Thiago Silva instead became riddled with injuries and was relegated to UFC 127-like status.

Still, the card was filled with fights that, while not necessarily making clear No. 1 contenders, allowed for title run talks to begin. Amongst these fighters were Rick Story, Frank Mir, and Rampage Jackson.

Begin Slideshow

Rampage Jackson Could Be The Impetus Behind Zuffa Implementing Mandatory Anti-Sexual Harassment Training

(Video courtesy of YouTube/MMAHeat)

I’ve worked for several major corporations who mandated that their employees sit through mind-numbing lectures and videos detailing what comments and suggestive behavior constitute sexual harassment. There’s a thin line between what are regarded as harmless remarks like, “I like your dress,” or, “Nice haircut,” and what’s considered lewd.

I remember one video in particular that stands out. According to the, “sexual harassment expert” in the film, sexually suggestive comments and innuendos don’t become harassment until a set boundary between the two parties has been crossed. For example, when a woman tells a man that she doesn’t appreciate him making remarks about how her jeans fit or what he’d like to do to her, it becomes harassment when he makes them again.

If you look back at Quinton Jackson’s history of dry-humping and sniffing the behinds of female reporters, it’s not surprising that he told MMA Heat’s Karyn Bryant following his UFC 130 win over Matt Hamill Saturday night that he wanted to “motorboat” her and that she better get away from him before he “humps” her like he has other women interviewers like our own Heather Nichols.


(Video courtesy of YouTube/MMAHeat)

I’ve worked for several major corporations who mandated that their employees sit through mind-numbing lectures and videos detailing what comments and suggestive behavior constitute sexual harassment. There’s a thin line between what are regarded as harmless remarks like, “I like your dress,” or, “Nice haircut,” and what’s considered lewd.

I remember one video in particular that stands out. According to the, “sexual harassment expert” in the film, sexually suggestive comments and innuendos don’t become harassment until a set boundary between the two parties has been crossed. For example, when a woman tells a man that she doesn’t appreciate him making remarks about how her jeans fit or what he’d like to do to her, it becomes harassment when he makes them again.

If you look back at Quinton Jackson’s history of dry-humping and sniffing the behinds of female reporters, it’s not surprising that he told MMA Heat’s Karyn Bryant following his UFC 130 win over Matt Hamill Saturday night that he wanted to “motorboat” her and that she better get away from him before he “humps” her like he has other women interviewers like our own Heather Nichols.


EMBED-Rampage dry humps Cagepotato Reporter – Watch more free videos

Nichols, who says she was in complete shock during the much ballyhooed incident, told Sports Illustrated that she thought about kneeing Jackson in the balls to get him off of her, but instead soldiered on through the interview.

“At first I was just shocked when he grabbed me, and all I could think was, ‘Oh my gosh, what is he doing?!’ Then I tried to play along a little bit because I knew he was trying to be funny, but after about the first 5-10 seconds, it was just plain awkward. I kept thinking, ‘What should I do? Knee him? Keep going?’ So I decided to keep asking questions, assuming he would stop if I did that,” Nichols explained. “So I asked another question, and he kept going. I asked ANOTHER question, and he kept going. At this point I was just freaking out, but still trying to be a professional and ask all the questions I was assigned to ask, and this has been interpreted by some viewers as me liking it and egging him on. This was definitely not the case. I was hired to do a job, which was to interview Rampage, so I decided to put up with his shenanigans and finish the interview.”

Under the somewhat loose definition of harassment policy of the company I used to be employed by, had she told him to stop, she would have a sexual harassment case if he continued to hump her. Because she didn’t and because she didn’t skip a beat and even laughed when it happened, it would be tough to prove harassment, but the fact is, there’s no question as to whether or not Rampage acted inappropriately.

Now, I’m all for a good laugh, but its incidents like these are partially what is keeping MMA from gaining real widespread mainstream acceptance.  Bob Reilly is probably sitting in his office as I type this working feverishly to  add the clip to his latest anti-MMA Powerpoint presentation he will be presenting to the New York State Assembly in the coming months. You can bet that the UFC adding mandatory anti-sexual harassment or sensitivity training to the agenda of next year’s UFC Fighter Summit, if it doesn’t before then.

Brett Favre’s incident with Jenn Sterger was the reason the NFL began its anti-sexual harassment training and policy and its safe to say Rampage will likely be the reason the UFC does the same, and so they should.

UFC 130: Quinton Jackson and the Factors Affecting the Chances of a Finish

It takes two to tango in the ballroom, same number required to finish inside the octagon. Before Quinton “Rampage” Jackson gets showered with more “tough love” regarding another decision win, this time over Matt Hamill last Satu…

It takes two to tango in the ballroom, same number required to finish inside the octagon.

Before Quinton “Rampage” Jackson gets showered with more “tough love” regarding another decision win, this time over Matt Hamill last Saturday night–as if a decision victory comes in cheap nowadays and any fighter who fails to finish is unworthy of respect–here are the factors going for and against the much coveted F.

The factors going for the the stoppage are attributed to the party intending to finish (in a perfect MMA world, it should be both contending fighters), of course. For this article, he shall be called “predator.”

Conversely, the factors going against the finish are ascribed to the survivor, whom I shall call “prey.”

Needless to mention, we know that all fighters assume the dual and opposite roles of prey and predator each time they step inside the octagon.

Begin Slideshow

UFC 130 Results: 5 Fights Matt Hamill Should Take Next

After coming up short in an excellent opportunity against Quinton Jackson, Matt Hamill now has to go back to the drawing board to try to break into the exclusive club that is the UFC’s light heavyweight contenders.The loss ended a five-fight winning…

After coming up short in an excellent opportunity against Quinton Jackson, Matt Hamill now has to go back to the drawing board to try to break into the exclusive club that is the UFC’s light heavyweight contenders.

The loss ended a five-fight winning streak for Hamill, but that included his disqualification win over Jon Jones.

Despite his wrestling background, Hamill came nowhere near being able to take Jackson down with his double leg.

Hamill may be subjected to the title of gatekeeper from now on, but here are some opponents that he could have the chance to get back on track against in his next fight.

Begin Slideshow