A one-year retirement was just about enough for light heavyweight Matt "The Hammer" Hamill, who has opted to resume his fighting career and will compete next at UFC 152 in Toronto on Sept. 22.
Hamill will meet UFC newcomer Roger Hollett. UFC president Dana White confirmed the move and said the fighters have verbally agreed to fight each other.
Hamill, 35, rose to prominence in 2006 during "The Ultimate Fighter 3." He is deaf and his struggle to overcome his disability and compete at the highest level of mixed martial arts earned him a large following. He was featured in a 2010 movie, "The Hammer."
When he retired, he had a 10-4 record, including a 9-4 mark in the UFC. He is the only man to have a victory over UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, though it was a highly controversial win. Jones controlled the entire fight, but was disqualified by referee Steve Mazzagatti for throwing an illegal elbow.
The most spectacular win of his career came at UFC 96 in Columbus, Ohio, when he knocked out Mark Munoz with a kick to the head. That earned him the UFC's "Knockout of the Night" bonus, one of three fight night bonuses he earned in his career.
Hamill also earned Fight of the Night bonuses following wins over Seth Petruzelli and Keith "The Dean of Mean" Jardine.
He announced his retirement on his website after he was thoroughly beaten on Aug. 8, 2011, by Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 133 in Philadelphia. Hamill nearly retired after he lost to Quinton "Rampage" Jackson at UFC 130 earlier last year, but was convinced to give it one more shot.
But after he was stopped by Gustafsson, he had enough of the physical toll the sport was taking on his body and walked away.
I was ready to make this decision after UFC 130, but my friends, family, coaches and most importantly my daughter encouraged me to give it one last chance. My career has been plagued by injuries starting with 'The Ultimate Fighter' and disrupted my training ever since.
There hasn't been even one training camp where I've been able to train without training around an injury. I have not been kind to my body, and it has nothing left after 28 years of nonstop competition. It's time to finally give it a rest.
Hamill could not be reached for comment Friday and his manager, Duff Holmes, failed to return messages seeking comment.
It is not clear what changed his mind nor how much longer he plans to compete.
chicago news golden girls robert e lee golden globe winners aaliyah jane fonda morgan freeman
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.