Matt Hamill

Matt Hamill
Born Matthew Stanley Hamill
(1976-10-05) October 5, 1976
Loveland, Ohio, United States
Other names The Hammer
Nationality American
Height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight 205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb)
Division Light Heavyweight
Reach 76 in (193 cm)
Fighting out of Utica, New York, United States
Rank NCAA Division III Wrestling
Purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu
Years active 2005–present (MMA)
Mixed martial arts record
Total 21
Wins 13
By knockout 8
By decision 4
By disqualification 1
Losses 8
By knockout 4
By submission 1
By decision 3
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
Medal record
Men's Wrestling
Representing  United States
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Deaflympics 3 1 0
Deaflympics
Copenhagen 1997 Freestyle
Copenhagen 1997 Greco-Roman
Rome 2001 Freestyle
Rome 2001 Greco-Roman

Matthew Stanley Hamill[1] (born October 5, 1976) is a deaf American mixed martial artist and wrestler who has competed in the Light Heavyweight division of the UFC.[2] He is a three-time NCAA Division III National Champion in wrestling (167 lb class in 1997, 190 lb class in 1998 and 197 lb class in 1999) while attending the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in Rochester, New York.[3] Hamill also has a silver medal in Greco-Roman Wrestling and a gold medal in Freestyle Wrestling from the 2001 Summer Deaflympics.[4] He is the only man to defeat Jon Jones, albeit by disqualification due to Jones' illegal elbows. Hamill himself disputes the victory.[5]

Early life

Hamill was deaf from birth. He was introduced to wrestling by his stepfather[6] Michael Rich, who was the head wrestling coach at Loveland High School.[7] Hamill attended the Rochester Institute of Technology for 3 years transferring there after a year at Purdue University.[8]

Mixed martial arts career

The Ultimate Fighter

Hamill was on The Ultimate Fighter 3 reality television show, training under former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Tito Ortiz in the 205 lb (93 kg) weight class. He won a preliminary fight against Mike Nickels via decision, but was unable to continue into the semi-finals due to injuries.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

On June 24, 2006, Hamill fought fellow contestant Jesse Forbes at The Ultimate Fighter 3 Finale on Spike TV and won via knockout.

Hamill faced The Ultimate Fighter 2's Seth Petruzelli in a Fight of The Night performance he won via unanimous decision at Ortiz vs. Shamrock 3: The Final Chapter on October 10, 2006. Judges scored the bout 29–28, 30–27 and 29–28 for Hamill.

Hamill then fought Rex Holman at UFC 68: The Uprising where he won by TKO in the first round.

Hamill fought fellow TUF 3 alumni Michael Bisping at UFC 75 in London, England on September 8, 2007, where he lost via split decision. The decision was considered controversial by many, in large part because the fight was held in England, Bisping's home country. However, the two American judges ringside awarded the victory to Bisping, with the lone British judge scoring the fight for Hamill. A rematch was scheduled for UFC 78, but due to knee surgery, Hamill withdrew. A rematch since became unlikely because Bisping subsequently dropped down to the Middleweight division after losing a split decision to Rashad Evans.[9][10]

Hamill next fought Tim Boetsch on April 3, 2008 whom he defeated in the second round by TKO,[11] bringing his record to 4 wins and 1 loss. During the fight, Hamill suffered a badly split bottom lip due to a knee strike.[11]

Hamill then went on to fight at UFC 88 against former UFC Middleweight Champion Rich Franklin as the co-main event. He lost the fight by TKO after a kick to the liver at 0:39 of the third round.[12]

At UFC 92, Hamill defeated Reese Andy in the second round by TKO due to strikes.

Hamill fought former NCAA wrestling champion Mark Munoz at UFC 96, defeating him with a right leg roundhouse kick to the head, knocking Munoz unconscious and earning him the Knockout of the Night award.[13]

His next fight was scheduled to be Brandon Vera at UFC 102, but due to a knee injury while training, Hamill was replaced by Krzysztof Soszynski.[14]

Hamill at the UFC 75 weigh ins before facing Michael Bisping.

Coming off of knee surgery, Hamill became sick.[15] Hamill faced off against undefeated prospect Jon Jones on December 5, 2009 at The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights Finale and won by disqualification after Jones utilized multiple 12-6 elbows. The unified rules of mixed martial arts prohibit downward elbow strikes, and Jones was initially only penalized a point from the round.[16] However, because Hamill could not continue due to a dislocated shoulder,[17] Jones was disqualified for these strikes. Consequently, the tape was reviewed and showed that Jones' elbows further damaged Hamill's already bloody and lacerated nose.[16][18] This marked the first time that Nevada has used its recently enacted instant replay rule, in which the referee's decision was supported by the commission which utilized a slow motion replay to review the elbows.[19]

Hamill defeated Keith Jardine on June 19, 2010 at The Ultimate Fighter: Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz Finale.[20] Hamill won this fight by majority decision. Jardine was docked a point for accidentally poking Hamill in the eye in round 2.

Hamill next fought his former The Ultimate Fighter 3 coach, Tito Ortiz on October 23, 2010 at UFC 121 which he won via unanimous decision.[21]

Hamill was next scheduled to face undefeated Phil Davis at UFC 129.[22] It was then announced that Thiago Silva had failed his UFC 125 post fight drug test, and Hamill was named as his replacement in his bout against former UFC light heavyweight champion and current top contender Quinton Jackson.[23] Hamill lost the fight via a one sided unanimous decision.

At UFC 133 Hamill faced off against up and coming Swedish striker Alexander Gustafsson, replacing an injured Vladimir Matyushenko.[24] After an uneventful first round, Gustafsson dropped Hamill in the second with a straight punch followed by an uppercut, subsequently finishing Hamill with punches and elbows from the mount.

On August 8, 2011, Matt Hamill decided to step away from the UFC and MMA, as he lost his last two fights. "Today is a sad day for me. After six years and 13 fights in the UFC I’m ready to hang up my gloves and retire from this amazing sport," he said on his official website.[25]

Nearly a year later, however, Hamill decided to come out of retirement. Hamill was expected to face UFC newcomer Roger Hollett on September 22, 2012 at UFC 152.[26] However, Hollett was forced out of the bout due to a contract dispute with Bellator and replaced by Vladimir Matyushenko.[27] However, Matyushenko was forced out of the bout after suffering a torn Achilles tendon while training, and was replaced by Hollett, who had settled the issue in time.[28] He won his return fight via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27).[29]

Hamill faced Thiago Silva on October 9, 2013 at UFC Fight Night 29.[30] Hamill lost the bout by unanimous decision and was subsequently released from the UFC.[31]

World Series of Fighting

In May 2014 Hamill signed a deal with World Series of Fighting.[32] He was expected to debut for the promotion later in 2014, however due to nagging injuries, Hamill would retire for the second time in his career.[33]

Hamill later decided to return to mixed martial arts and was scheduled to fight against Vinny Magalhães at WSOF 20 on April 10, 2015.[34] However Magalhães was pulled from the bout after a contract dispute with Titan Fighting Championships.[35] Hamill was expected to fight in a rematch against Thiago Silva at WSOF 19 on March 28, 2015,[36] but was forced to withdraw from the competition after suffering a sinus infection.[37] Hamill eventually faced Magalhães at WSOF 24 held on October 17, 2015. He lost the fight via submission in the first round.

Independent promotions

After his stint in WSOF, Hamill began fighting for various independent promotions.

Hamill faced Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou on May 21, 2016 at Venator FC3: Palhares vs. Meek in Italy. He lost the fight via knockout in the first round.

Hamill next faced Julian Marquez on October 14, 2016 at Combate Americas: Empire Rising. He lost the fight via TKO in the first round.

After suffering a four-fight losing streak, Hamill earned his first win in over four years when he faced fellow UFC veteran Luiz Cané at Fight 2 Night 2 on April 28, 2017 in Brazil. He won the fight via knockout in the first round.

Personal life

Hamill is divorced and has a daughter from the marriage.[38] Hamill and his longtime girlfriend Brittany Houck were engaged to be married in May 2008.[39][40]


Hamill is the subject of a 2010 movie entitled The Hammer about his early life and wrestling career. Originally set to star Eben Kostbar, it was criticized by the Deaf community for featuring a non-Deaf actor; however, Hamill himself supported the casting of Eben due to his wrestling experience and the fact that Eben is fluent in American Sign Language.[41][42] Kostbar withdrew from starring,[43] feeling it would be more appropriate for a member of the Deaf community to take the role.[44]

Deaf actor Russell Harvard was chosen as the final choice to voice Hamill.[45] The movie was produced by Joseph McKelheer and Eben Kostbar and directed by Oren Kaplan.[46]

Championships and Accomplishments

Mixed martial arts record

Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 13–8 Chris Birchler Decision (split) Maverick MMA 6 April 14, 2018 3 5:00 Allentown, Pennsylvania, United States
Win 12–8 Luiz Cané KO (punches) F2N: Fight2Night2 April 28, 2017 1 0:38 Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil
Loss 11–8 Julian Marquez TKO (punches) Combate Americas: Empire Rising October 14, 2016 1 1:22 Verona, New York, United States
Loss 11–7 Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou KO (punches) Venator FC3: Palhares vs. Meek May 21, 2016 1 0:37 Milan, Italy
Loss 11–6 Vinny Magalhães Submission (kneebar) WSOF 24 October 17, 2015 1 1:08 Mashantucket, Connecticut, United States WSOF debut.
Loss 11–5 Thiago Silva Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. Shields October 9, 2013 3 5:00 Barueri, São Paulo, Brazil
Win 11–4 Roger Hollett Decision (unanimous) UFC 152 September 22, 2012 3 5:00 Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Loss 10–4 Alexander Gustafsson TKO (punches and elbows) UFC 133 August 6, 2011 2 3:34 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Loss 10–3 Quinton Jackson Decision (unanimous) UFC 130 May 28, 2011 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 10–2 Tito Ortiz Decision (unanimous) UFC 121 October 23, 2010 3 5:00 Anaheim, California, United States
Win 9–2 Keith Jardine Decision (majority) The Ultimate Fighter 11 Finale June 19, 2010 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Fight of the Night.
Win 8–2 Jon Jones DQ (12-6 elbows) The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale December 5, 2009 1 4:14 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 7–2 Mark Muñoz KO (head kick) UFC 96 March 7, 2009 1 3:53 Columbus, Ohio, United States Knockout of the Night.
Win 6–2 Reese Andy TKO (punches) UFC 92 December 27, 2008 2 2:19 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 5–2 Rich Franklin TKO (body kick) UFC 88 September 6, 2008 3 0:39 Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Win 5–1 Tim Boetsch TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Florian vs. Lauzon April 2, 2008 2 1:25 Broomfield, Colorado, United States
Loss 4–1 Michael Bisping Decision (split) UFC 75 September 8, 2007 3 5:00 London, England
Win 4–0 Rex Holman TKO (punches) UFC 68 March 3, 2007 1 4:00 Columbus, Ohio, United States
Win 3–0 Seth Petruzelli Decision (unanimous) Ortiz vs. Shamrock 3: The Final Chapter October 10, 2006 3 5:00 Hollywood, Florida, United States Fight of the Night.
Win 2–0 Jesse Forbes TKO (punches) The Ultimate Fighter: Team Ortiz vs. Team Shamrock Finale June 24, 2006 1 4:47 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 1–0 Robert Hitte TKO (punches) XFO 7 August 27, 2005 1 1:52 Island Lake, Illinois, United States

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Wayback Machine" (PDF). Web.archive.org. 25 July 2011. Archived from the original on 25 July 2011. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  2. ↑ "About Me « Matt "The Hammer" Hamill". Matthamill.com. Retrieved 2012-08-05.
  3. ↑ "NCAA.com". Ncaasports.com. Retrieved 2012-08-05.
  4. ↑ Matt "The Hammer" Hamill Archived October 28, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
  5. ↑ "Matt Hamill on TUF 10 Finale: Jon Jones didn't lose, and I didn't win". MMAjunkie.com. 2012-12-10. Retrieved 2016-02-28.
  6. ↑ "Rit Ntid Story →Th". Ntid.rit.edu. Retrieved 2012-08-05.
  7. ↑ "Matt Hamill Biography".
  8. ↑ Fuller, Kevin (30 March 2009). "Q and A with RIT/NTID grad 'The Hammer'" (PDF). Daily Messenger. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  9. ↑ "Questionable verdict". Yahoo! Sports. September 9, 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-11. "White said the rematch is 'a no-brainer and I'm going to be on it right away.'"
  10. ↑ "The Hamill-Bisping fallout and trust". The Baltimore Sun. September 9, 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-11.
  11. 1 2 Lane, Jon (2008-12-22). "Matt Hamill: Raw (Part 2 of 4)". Mmajunkie.com. Archived from the original on 2013-01-04. Retrieved 2012-08-05.
  12. ↑ UFC 88 round-by-round live updates and official results Archived September 7, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.
  13. ↑ Morgan, John (2009-01-10). "Matt Hamill vs. Mark Munoz added to UFC 96". mmajunkie.com. Archived from the original on 2012-10-13. Retrieved 2012-08-05.
  14. ↑ "Soszynski Replaces Hamill at UFC 102". MMAWeekly.com. July 20, 2009. Retrieved 2011-07-24.
  15. ↑ "8 Things You Don't Know About Matt Hamill". UFC.com. 2010-10-22. Retrieved 2012-03-25.
  16. 1 2 "Jones loses controversial disqualification to Hamill". Sports.Yahoo.com. 2009-12-05. Retrieved 2012-03-25.
  17. ↑ "Matt Hamill suffered dislocated shoulder at The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale (Updated)". MMAJunkie.com. 2009-12-06. Archived from the original on 2009-12-09. Retrieved 2012-03-25.
  18. ↑ Smith, Michael (2009-12-05). "Jon Jones Disqualified for Illegal Elbow, Matt Hamill Wins". MMAFighting.com. Retrieved 2011-04-04.
  19. ↑ Okamoto, Brett (2009-12-06). "Instant replay used for the first time in Nevada fight during Jon Jones disqualification". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved 2012-02-14.
  20. ↑ "Keith Jardine vs. Matt Hamill on tap for "The Ultimate Fighter 11 Finale"". fiveouncesofpain.com. Retrieved 2010-03-25.
  21. ↑ "Tito Ortiz to Face Matt Hamill at UFC 121". MMA Fighting.
  22. ↑ "Phil Davis vs. Matt Hamill targeted for UFC 129 in Toronto". mmajunkie.com. January 7, 2011. Archived from the original on August 11, 2011.
  23. ↑ "Matt Hamill replaces Thiago Silva, faces Rampage Jackson at UFC 130". mmajunkie.com. February 11, 2011. Archived from the original on May 25, 2012.
  24. ↑ "Hammill in for injured Matyushenko". MMA Junkie. Archived from the original on 2011-07-17.
  25. ↑ "Former 'Ultimate Fighter' Competitor Matt Hamill Retires from the UFC and MMA". MMAWeekly.com. August 8, 2011. Retrieved 2011-08-08.
  26. ↑ Dann Stupp (August 3, 2012). "Matt Hamill out of retirement, meets newcomer Roger Hollett at UFC 152". MMAjunkie.com. Archived from the original on August 5, 2012.
  27. ↑ "Matyushenko replaces Hollett, meets Hamill at UFC 152 in Toronto". mmajunkie.com. August 20, 2012. Archived from the original on January 3, 2013.
  28. ↑ "Vladimir Matyushenko out with torn Achilles tendon, Roger Hollett back in against Matt Hamill". mmamania.com. September 11, 2012.
  29. ↑ "UFC 152 Results: Matt Hamill Begins Comeback With Win Over Roger Hollett". mmafighting.com. September 22, 2012.
  30. ↑ Tim Burke (2013-07-25). "Thiago Silva vs. Matt Hamill set for October 9th in Brazil". bloodyelbow.com. Retrieved 2013-07-25.
  31. ↑ David McKinney (2013-10-29). "Matt Hamill released from the UFC". ohmmanews.com. Retrieved 2013-10-29.
  32. ↑ "UFC Vet Matt Hamill Signs On With World Series Of Fighting". fightline.com. 2014-05-22. Retrieved 2014-05-22.
  33. ↑ Dave Doyle (2014-07-02). "'Nagging injury' forces veteran Matt Hamill back into retirement". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2014-07-02.
  34. ↑ C.J. Tuttle (2015-02-12). "Matt Hamill-Vinny Magalhaes, Melvin Guillard-Ozzy Dugulubgov Announced For WSOF 20". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2015-03-14.
  35. ↑ Marc Raimondi (2015-03-03). "Thiago Silva vs. Matt Hamill now WSOF 19 co-main with Vinny Magalhaes sidelined". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2015-03-14.
  36. ↑ MMAjunkie Staff (2015-03-05). "Branch-Markes on tap for WSOF 20 main event, Hamill-Silva set for WSOF 19". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-03-14.
  37. ↑ John Morgan (2015-03-28). "Matt Hamill withdraws from WSOF 19, Thiago Silva now faces Teddy Holder". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-03-30.
  38. ↑ "UFC 88 Countdown". UFC 88 Countdown. 2008-09-03. Spike.
  39. ↑ "Hamill confident ahead of UFC 88 clash with Franklin". Sports.espn.go.com. 2008-09-02. Retrieved 2009-08-03.
  40. ↑ "Matt Hamill Will Fight At UFC 88". FIGHTLINE.com. 2008-06-30. Archived from the original on 2010-01-17. Retrieved 2009-08-03.
  41. ↑ "Summary of the "The Hammer" details on". Mmajunkie.com. 2008-05-14. Archived from the original on 2012-07-13. Retrieved 2012-08-05.
  42. ↑ "Interview with UFC.com regarding the "Hamill"". Ufc.com. Archived from the original on 2009-09-26. Retrieved 2012-08-05.
  43. ↑ "Matt Hamill The Movie". Web.archive.org. 22 January 2009. Archived from the original on 22 January 2009. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  44. ↑ "Ability Magazine: Hamill the Movie" (2011)". Abilitymagazine.com. Retrieved 2012-04-04.
  45. ↑
  46. ↑ "The Hammer". IMDb.com. 27 October 2011. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
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