When the name ‘Matt Hamill’ first came up as a prospective UFC 75 opponent, undefeated light heavyweight and The Ultimate Fighter season 3 winner Michael Bisping was, well, underwhelmed.
“When they first offered me the fight I wasn’t that keen to be honest,” the 14-0 Count admitted. “I didn’t really see what it did for me in terms of moving me up in the UFC light heavyweight division when it was first presented to me. At first, I wasn’t that excited, it is fair to say. I felt he was a backwards step because I won The Ultimate Fighter so I thought ‘What is the point of fighting someone else from the show?’”
Indeed, Bisping v Hamill was a fight which should have taken place – at least in the Ohio grappler’s opinion – during the semi-finals stage of TUF 3 in spring 2006.
Picked No.2 and No.1 respectively by coach Tito Ortiz, the Count and the Hammer, now 5-0, displayed enormous potential during their time on the reality TV show. However, a final four showdown was scuppered when Hamill’s injured arm was further damaged in winning his preliminary bout win over Mike Nickels.
Ironically, Hamill originally hurt his arm training with Bisping.
“We were drilling armbar escapes,” recalls the Brit. “You let your training partner put you in an armbar and then you drill escapes from that hold. I escaped from Hamill’s armbar pretty easily, to be honest, so he was desperate to escape from mine. He couldn’t -but he was too stupid and pig-headed to tap and starting trying to yank his arm out and that’s when he hurt himself. It was no fault of mine he got hurt. Saul (Soliz, Ortiz’s assistant coach on the show) was looking right at us and he said it was 100% not my fault.”
So, with Hamill refused medical clearance to continue, Bisping cut through replacement Ross Pointon and went on the live Spike TV final last June. Once there he demolished Josh Haynes to collect the TUF 3 light heavyweight trophy while Hamill had to make do with an off-TV undercard win over TUF alumni Jesse Forbes.
A frustrated Hamill said in interviews afterwards that it should have been him, not Bisping, inking the six figure TUF winner’s contract and said he was going to chase a showdown with Bisping.
Although both men have added two more wins since, it is the charismatic Bisping – on the verge of sports superstardom over in the UK – who has stormed ahead to establish himself as one of the most exciting up-and-coming talents in the UFC. And before his win over Octagon veteran Elvis Sinosic at April’s UFC 70, Bisping used this very website to rubbish Hamill as a prospective opponent.
Clearly delighting in retorting to his former TUF 3 teammate’s many taunts, Bisping refused to name Hamill (“I forget the guy’s name”) but rubbished the wrestling’s specialist’s submission striking game (“he couldn’t strike a match”, “he looks like a drunk outside a late night kebab shop”).
But Hamill continued to wage a PR war against the Count, calling him out at every turn and challenging the Briton to ‘prove who the real TUF winner’ is.
“The UFC really wanted the fight to happen, basically,” Bisping said. “And, to be honest, as much as I tried to ignore the guy it did wind me up a bit that he was trying to claim I won the Ultimate Fighter only because he got injured or whatever. All of a sudden I was like ‘Hell yeah I’ll fight him! I’ll knock his head off!’ And now I cannot wait to shut him up and kick him out of the UFC with the sickest shin on chin action you’ll ever see inside the Octagon! He’s going to learn that wrestling alone isn’t enough to win in the UFC.”
This is a fight Hamill has wanted for over a year. Can Bisping - who admits this wasn’t a fight he exactly dreamed of - match that level of hunger for victory?
“He’s going to be well ‘up’ for this fight,” Bisping admitted. “This is his big chance to shortcut his way onto a big show. In some ways I do feel like he’s trying to use me to shortcut his way on a major card and I guess you can say he has done that. OK, well done, Matt, now we’ll see how clever you look flat on your arse after I high kick your head off.
“And if he’s hoping that I’m gonna cut corners in training he’ll be very upset when he reads this – because I’m going to Big Bear to train for a month with Rampage Jackson. That’s how keen I am to put on the performance of my life and smash this arrogant egomaniac to bits. I’ve done a complete 180 – I’ve never been so excited and motivated for a fight in my career because I am fighting a guy I can’t stand personally. No way am I losing to this egomaniac – and I am really excited to go to California to train with a fighter of the level of Rampage.”
Bisping said he and the reigning UFC light heavyweight champion have struck up a friendship this year. “We’ve only really hung out three or four times but we really get on. He’s a funny guy, he’s great to be around and after we were in London last month for the UFC 75 press conference he was kind enough to invite me to Big Bear to train and spar with him.”
And Rampage, who matches his UFC 205lbs gold against that of PRIDE counterpart Dan Henderson on the same London supershow, seems delighted to have the Count join him in the famous Californian fight camp.
Jackson said: “Bisping's the coolest dude in all the UK. He’s white and English but we’re kinda alike in a lot of ways. He’s a bad ass like me, he‘s not scared of no-one.
"He’s a really good fighter - and he’s getting better all the time - because he’s fearless.
“I think I can help him out with his defence, because I got a lot of moves for defence I don’t think anyone else has even thought of. I’d be happy to share some secrets with Bisping and I am looking forward to banging with him and picking up some ground work from him."
Bisping, MMA 13-0, added: “Hamill is in for the beating of his life. I do respect the guy’s wrestling ability and physical strength but, to be honest, I don’t believe he belongs in or is entitled to fight at the pinnacle of mixed martial arts. He’s not a mixed martial artist, he’s a wrestler who is so pig-headed he doesn’t understand that’s just not enough to cut it in MMA. He thinks wrestling is the be-all and end-all of fighting but he’s gonna learn that shin on chin is just not for him!”
Want to Leave a Comment?