Tag: Matt Hamill

UFC 130: Frankie Edgar Says A Back Injury Kept Him Out of The Main Event

The anticipated third bout featuring UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar and challenger Gray Maynard, has been scrapped after both fighters sustained injuries during their respective training camps.Since the announcement, Edgar spoke with UFC.com to…

The anticipated third bout featuring UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar and challenger Gray Maynard, has been scrapped after both fighters sustained injuries during their respective training camps.

Since the announcement, Edgar spoke with UFC.com to discuss the cause of his injury.

“All of the reports are talking about my ribs, it’s actually my back,” he said. “My back’s been bothering me for quite some time. A few weeks ago I had to take a week off so that my back could calm down and I was trying to fight through it. 

Edgar added that he went to see a specialist in Las Vegas to understand the injury and to get treated for it. 

“I saw a UFC doctor yesterday and he said my L2 and L5 discs are bulged, and he recommended that I don’t fight right now,” he said. 

Edgar and Maynard have met on two previous occasions. Maynard scored one victory over the New Jersey native at UFC Fight Night 13, while their second meeting resulted in a draw at UFC 125. 

Despite suffering a back injury, Edgar said he still intended to fight through the injury and perform at UFC 130.

“I didn’t want to postpone the bout at all. I feel like I lost the fight right now. I’m very depressed about this whole situation”, Edgar said. “It’s not fair to myself, to Gray, it’s not fair to the fans to take a fight like this.”

As a result, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Matt Hamill, who were originally scheduled as the co-main event, will now fill the main event slot.

When asked about his current schedule, Edgar said he doesn’t know when he plans to return, but he said he will be prepared to fight against his opponent, Gray Maynard.

“I don’t know how long I’ll be out,” he said. 

“From what I hear, Gray is pretty banged up and he wasn’t having the best camp either, so maybe everything happens for a reason. I know that when I fight Gray I want him to be at his best, he wants me to be at my best and I’m sure the fans want us both at our best too.”

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UFC 130 Preview: Highlight Videos of the Main Card Fighters

Bleacher Report’s Bryan Levick:Today the realization that UFC 130 has lost its extremely exciting and much anticipated main event has probably began to sunk in. No one would have thought that a third fight between UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edg…

Bleacher Report’s Bryan Levick:

Today the realization that UFC 130 has lost its extremely exciting and much anticipated main event has probably began to sunk in. No one would have thought that a third fight between UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar and UFC No. 1 Lightweight Contender Gray Maynard would spark so much interest.

Yet that is exactly what happened in the early hours of January 2, not too long after Edgar and Maynard put on a thrilling back and forth affair that encompassed the entire 25 minutes allotted to them for their main event matchup. Once the judges’ scorecards were read and a draw was determined, UFC President Dana White made the decision within an hour or two to have Maynard and Edgar square off one more time.

With Edgar-Maynard leading the way, the main card was shaping up pretty nicely. Rampage Jackson was set to face Thiago Silva, but Silva was suspended and Matt Hamill stepped up to face the former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. Two heavyweights with backgrounds in both Las Vegas and grappling will meet up as Roy Nelson fights former UFC heavyweight Champion Frank Mir.

And so on and so forth, the wheels keep spinning. With just under three weeks and having both Maynard & Edgar injured, the UFC was forced to scrap the fight altogether and bump the Hamill-Rampage fight to the main-event slot.

So that leaves me with the task of trying to drum up some serious interest in the remaining bouts on the main pay-per-view portion of the card. Let’s take a look at some highlight videos and try and get the blood flowing in anticipation of these fights.

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UFC 130: 5 Reasons Why Matt Hamill Will Upset Quinton "Rampage" Jackson

The brand new main event of UFC 130, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs. Matt “The Hammer” Hamill, might have some heavy shoes to fill with Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard sidelined, but even with no title being on the line for UFC 130, the card still packs e…

The brand new main event of UFC 130, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs. Matt “The Hammer” Hamill, might have some heavy shoes to fill with Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard sidelined, but even with no title being on the line for UFC 130, the card still packs enough of a punch to create some intrigue.

On paper, it would seem that Hamill is in an uphill battle against a tough legend of the sport and former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, but Rampage can still be defeated by any percentage of fighters, and Hamill is no exception.

The question now is, can Hamill hand Rampage defeat in what is arguably the biggest fight of his career?

Edgar and Maynard are sharing a shelf right now, and it’ll be close to the end of the estimated six-to-eight-week time of rehabilitation before we hear about whether the rematch of the UFC’s first main event (and “Fight of The Night” bonus winner, and title fight, and “Fight of The Year” candidate) of the calendar year 2011 will headline the upcoming UFC 133 card or the UFC 135 card that is slated to have Matt Hughes-Diego Sanchez on it, but for now, it’s Hamill and Rampage we’re all taking about.

Without further ado, it’s time to go to schoolhere are five of the reasons why Hamill WILL upset Rampage in about two weeks.

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UFC 130 Fight Card: Rampage Jackson vs. Matt Hamill, Early Head-to-Toe Breakdown

By now I’m sure we have heard the big news. At UFC 130 former Light Heavyweight Champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson will meet Matt “The Hammer” Hamill, in what will be the new main event. Both of these fighters co…

By now I’m sure we have heard the big news.

At UFC 130 former Light Heavyweight Champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson will meet Matt “The Hammer” Hamill, in what will be the new main event.

Both of these fighters could move up the light heavyweight ranks with a win.

Jackson is coming off of a controversial win over former light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida.

Hamill, on the other hand, dominated Tito Ortiz in his last bout. 

Here is a look at how these two will stack up against each other.

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Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard Off UFC 130 After Injuries Sideline Both

Filed under: UFC, NewsInjuries have sidelined both Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard, forcing the cancellation of UFC 130’s main event fight, MMA Fighting has learned.

UFC president Dana White confirmed to MMA Fighting that both fighters are out.

Accord…

Filed under: ,

Injuries have sidelined both Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard, forcing the cancellation of UFC 130‘s main event fight, MMA Fighting has learned.

UFC president Dana White confirmed to MMA Fighting that both fighters are out.

According to sources with knowledge of the situation, Edgar had the more serious injury of the two, suffering two broken ribs during training, while Maynard suffered a knee injury.

UFC 130 Fight Card: Without Gray Maynard and Frankie Edgar, Everyone Loses out

Bleacher Report’s Sal DeRose:Now that both Gray Maynard and Frankie Edgar are out of UFC 130 due to injury, the whole lightweight division has been set back.Not only that, but everyone involved loses. The UFC, fans, pay-per-view numbers—everyone.The …

Bleacher Report’s Sal DeRose:

Now that both Gray Maynard and Frankie Edgar are out of UFC 130 due to injury, the whole lightweight division has been set back.

Not only that, but everyone involved loses. The UFC, fans, pay-per-view numbers—everyone.

The rematch and third installment of the Edgar/Maynard series was supposed to take place at UFC 130. Now, neither fighter will get the chance to settle the debate as to who really is the UFC lightweight champion.

The UFC loses out  in a huge way. Both the UFC and pay-per-view numbers go down hand-in-hand with this lost from the card. Now, instead of promoting the lightweight championship, they promote a less-sexy matchup in Quinton “Rampage” Jackson versus Matt Hamill.

Are people really going to pay to see that? Only a hardcore MMA follower will. Is that really worth the money? A main event with almost no implications?

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