Matt Hamill - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Matthew S. Hamill is a retired American wrestler and mixed martial artist

Mixed martial arts

Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...

. 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

Rochester Institute of Technology

The Rochester Institute of Technology is a private university, located within the town of Henrietta in metropolitan Rochester, New York, United States...

(RIT) in Rochester, New York

Rochester, New York

Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...

. Hamill also has a silver medal in Greco-Roman wrestling and a gold medal in freestyle wrestling

Freestyle wrestling

Freestyle wrestling is a style of amateur wrestling that is practised throughout the world. Along with Greco-Roman, it is one of the two styles of wrestling contested in the Olympic games. It is, along with track and field, one of the oldest organized sports in history...

from the 2001 Summer Deaflympics

Deaflympics

The Deaflympics are an International Olympic Committee -sanctioned event at which deaf athletes compete at an elite level...

Early life

Born in Loveland, Ohio

Loveland, Ohio

Loveland is a city in Hamilton, Clermont, and Warren counties in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. Considered part of the Greater Cincinnati area, Loveland is located near exit 52 off Interstate 275, about northeast of the Cincinnati city limits. It borders Symmes, Miami and...

, Hamill was deaf from birth. He was introduced to wrestling by his step father who was a wrestling coach at Loveland High School. Hamill attended the Rochester Institute of Technology

Rochester Institute of Technology

The Rochester Institute of Technology is a private university, located within the town of Henrietta in metropolitan Rochester, New York, United States...

for 3 years transferring there after a year at Purdue.

MMA career

Hamill was a contestant on the third season of The Ultimate Fighter
The Ultimate Fighter
The Ultimate Fighter is an American reality television series and mixed martial arts competition produced by Spike TV and the Ultimate Fighting Championship , and soon to be shown on FX. The show features unknown, professional MMA fighters living together in Las Vegas, Nevada, and follows them as...

reality television show, training under Tito Ortiz

Tito Ortiz

Jacob Christopher "Tito" Ortiz is a Mexican-American mixed martial artist and former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, having held the title from April 14, 2000 to September 26, 2003. Along with fighters like Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell, he was one of the sport's early stars...

in the 205 lb (93 kg) weight class. He won a preliminary fight against Mike Nickels

Mike Nickels

Michael John Nickels is an American Mixed Martial Arts fighter and a Black belt Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. Along with many other victories in Brazilain Jiu-Jitsu and MMA, Nickels is a 3X Pan American Gold medalist, and a UFC vet...

via decision, but was unable to continue into the semi-finals due to injuries. On June 24, 2006, Hamill fought fellow contestant Jesse Forbes

Jesse Forbes

Jesse Forbes is an American mixed martial artist who was a contestant on the third season of The Ultimate Fighter reality television show, training under Ken Shamrock in the 205 lb weight class.-Career:...

at The Ultimate Fighter 3 Finale on Spike TV

Spike TV

Spike is an American cable television channel. It launched on March 7, 1983 as The Nashville Network , a joint venture of WSM, Inc...

and won via KO.

Hamill faced The Ultimate Fighter 2
The Ultimate Fighter 2
The Ultimate Fighter 2 was the second season of the mixed martial arts reality television series The Ultimate Fighter. The season featured a heavyweight and a welterweight division, with 9 fighters initially in each division. The UFC coaches for this season were welterweight and middleweight...

's Seth Petruzelli

Seth Petruzelli

Seth Petruzelli is an American mixed martial artist, former kickboxer and entrepreneur. He is infamously known as the first man to defeat Kimbo Slice in mixed martial arts competition, knocking him out in 14 seconds. Seth went to school at the University of Central Florida to study Psychology...

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
UFC 68
UFC 68: The Uprising was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on March 3, 2007 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. UFC 68 was the first UFC event held in the state of Ohio, and coincided with the 2007 Arnold Sports Festival...

where he won by KO in the first round.

Hamill fought fellow TUF 3 alumni Michael Bisping

Michael Bisping

Michael Gavin Joseph Bisping is an English mixed martial artist born in Cyprus but living in Clitheroe, Lancashire. He currently fights as a middleweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and is the former Cage Warriors Fighting Championship light heavyweight champion, former Cage Rage light...

at UFC 75

UFC 75

UFC 75: Champion vs. Champion was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship.The event was held September 8, 2007 at The O2 in London, England. The event was on Setanta Sports 1 in the United Kingdom, TV4 Sport in Sweden, PPV1 in Ireland, and offered on tape delay on...

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 has become unlikely after Bisping dropped down to the middleweight division after his loss to Rashad Evans

Rashad Evans

Rashad Anton Evans is an American mixed martial artist from Niagara Falls, New York, currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship where he is a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. Evans won the heavyweight division of The Ultimate Fighter 2. Evans lost the UFC Light Heavyweight...

.

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

Hamill then went on to UFC 88

UFC 88

UFC 88: Breakthrough was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on September 6, 2008 at Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. The event was headlined by a light heavyweight bout between Chuck Liddell and Rashad Evans....

and fought former UFC Middleweight Champion Rich Franklin

Rich Franklin

Rich Jay Franklin II is an American mixed martial artist and former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight champion.-Background:...

as the co-main event. He lost the fight by KO after a kick to the liver at 0:39 of the third round.

At UFC 92

UFC 92

UFC 92: The Ultimate 2008 was a mixed martial arts event by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on December 27, 2008 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.-Background:...

, Hamill defeated Reese Andy

Reese Andy

Reese Andy is an American mixed martial artist. He has previously fought for Icon Sport and the IFL. After going 5-1 in the IFL, he signed a contract with the UFC. He made his UFC debut with a loss by decision to Brandon Vera at UFC: Silva vs. Irvin in Las Vegas, Nevada on July 19, 2008...

in the second round by TKO due to strikes.
Hamill fought former NCAA wrestling champion Mark Munoz

Mark Munoz

Mark Muñoz is an American mixed martial artist of Filipino descent currently fighting in the middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.Muñoz is known for his wrestling ability and his relentless ground-and-pound...

at UFC 96

UFC 96

UFC 96: Jackson vs. Jardine was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship . It was held in Columbus, Ohio on March 7, 2009 at Nationwide Arena.-Preliminary card:...

, defeating him with a right leg roundhouse kick to the head, knocking Munoz unconscious and earning him the Knockout of the Night award.

His next fight was scheduled to be Brandon Vera

Brandon Vera

Brandon Michael Vera is an American mixed martial artist. He competes as a light heavyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is the winner of the WEC 13 Heavyweight Tournament and currently resides in San Diego, California. He holds notable victories over Frank Mir, Assuerio Silva,...

at UFC 102

UFC 102

UFC 102: Couture vs. Nogueira was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 29, 2009 at the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon...

, but due to a knee injury while training, Hamill was replaced by Krzysztof Soszynski

Krzysztof Soszynski

Krzysztof Soszyński is a Polish-Canadian mixed martial artist. He fought for the Los Angeles Anacondas of the International Fight League . After the demise of that organization, he moved to the UFC, appearing on season 8 of The Ultimate Fighter...

.

Coming off of knee surgery, Hamill faced off against undefeated light heavyweight

Light Heavyweight (MMA)

The light heavyweight division in mixed martial arts generally refers to competitors weighing between 186 and 205 lb . It sits between the lighter middleweight division, and the heavyweight division....

prospect Jon "Bones" Jones

Jon Jones (fighter)

Jonathan Dwight Jones is an American mixed martial artist from Endicott, New York. He is the current UFC Light Heavyweight Champion....

at The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights Finale

The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights Finale

The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights Finale, also referred to as The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale, was a mixed martial arts event that was held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on December 5, 2009...

and won by DQ after Jones hit Hamill with two illegal elbow strikes on the ground. At first, Jones was deducted one point for the infraction, but Hamill indicated that he had dislocated his shoulder earlier in the fight and was unable to continue. When the official result was read, with the spectators in the stadium seeming to expect a victory for Jones, it was revealed that Jones had been disqualified for the illegal elbows and that the match was being awarded to Hamill. Many fans as well as other fighters have voiced opinions to the fact that Jones was the clear winner of the fight even though being given a disqualification.

Hamill defeated Keith Jardine

Keith Jardine

Keith Hector Jardine is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the light heavyweight division and is best known for his time in the Ultimate Fighting Championship...

on June 19, 2010 at The Ultimate Fighter: Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz Finale

The Ultimate Fighter: Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz Finale

The Ultimate Fighter: Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz Finale, also referred to as The Ultimate Fighter 11 Finale was a mixed martial arts event that was held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States on June 19, 2010. Featured were the...

. Hamill won this fight by majority decision. Jardine was deducted a point for accidentally poking Hamill in the eye in Round 2.

Hamill next fought his former "TUF

The Ultimate Fighter

The Ultimate Fighter is an American reality television series and mixed martial arts competition produced by Spike TV and the Ultimate Fighting Championship , and soon to be shown on FX. The show features unknown, professional MMA fighters living together in Las Vegas, Nevada, and follows them as...

" coach, Tito Ortiz at UFC 121

UFC 121

UFC 121: Lesnar vs. Velasquez was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on October 23, 2010 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, United States...

which he won by unanimous decision. At the post fight press conference UFC President Dana White

Dana White

Dana White is the current President of the Ultimate Fighting Championship , a mixed martial arts organization based in the United States.- Biography :...

promised that Matt's next opponent would be a top-10 fighter. This promise seemed to be broken, as Hamill was scheduled to face undefeated Phil Davis (fighter)

Phil Davis (fighter)

Phil Kwabina Davis is an American mixed martial artist who currently fights in Ultimate Fighting Championship's light heavyweight division...

at UFC 129

UFC 129

UFC 129: St-Pierre vs. Shields was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Saturday, April 30, 2011 at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario.-Background:...

. When it was announced that Thiago Silva had failed his UFC 125

UFC 125

UFC 125: Resolution was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on January 1, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States.-Background:...

drug test, Silva was removed from his bout to face former UFC light heavyweight champion and current top contender Quinton Jackson

Quinton Jackson

Quinton Ramone Jackson ;, also known as Rampage Jackson, is an American mixed martial artist and actor. He is a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. Jackson rose to prominence in Japan's Pride Fighting Championships where he was noted for his powerful body slams including a knockout victory over...

. Hamill subsequently faced Jackson at UFC 130

UFC 130

UFC 130: Rampage vs. Hamill was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on May 28, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States.-Background:...

and lost the fight via very one sided unanimous decision.
At UFC 133

UFC 133

UFC 133: Evans vs. Ortiz was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 6, 2011 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States.-Background:...

Hamill faced off against up and coming Swedish striker Alexander Gustafsson

Alexander Gustafsson

Alexander Gustafsson is a Swedish mixed martial artist who has competed for Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki, Shooto, FinnFight and UFC in his career. He is currently signed with the UFC fighting in their light heavyweight division. As of August 2011, Gustafsson is ranked the #9 light-heavyweight in the...

, replacing an injured Vladimir Matyushenko

Vladimir Matyushenko

Vladimir Vladimirovich Matyushenko is a Belarusian mixed martial artist and the first and only International Fight League light heavyweight champion...

.. 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.

Subsequent to UFC 133

UFC 133

, on August 8, 2011, Matt Hammil 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.

Personal life

Hamill is divorced from his deaf wife and has a hearing daughter from the marriage.

Hamill is the subject of an upcoming movie entitled The Hammer
The Hammer (2010 film)
The Hammer, previously titled Hamill, is a 2010 biographical film about Matt Hamill, a deaf wrestler and mixed martial artist. Oren Kaplan directs the film based on a screenplay co-written by Eben Kostbar and Joseph McKelheer, who are also the film's producers. Russell Harvard, a deaf actor, plays...

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

American Sign Language

American Sign Language, or ASL, for a time also called Ameslan, is the dominant sign language of Deaf Americans, including deaf communities in the United States, in the English-speaking parts of Canada, and in some regions of Mexico...

. Kostbar withdrew from starring and deaf actor Russell Harvard

Russell Harvard

Russell Harvard is a deaf actor. He has portrayed the adult H.W. Plainview in There Will Be Blood and will portray professional fighter Matt Hamill in Hamill, a film about his life.-Filmography:* CSI: NY...

will now be playing Hamill. The movie is being produced by Joseph McKelheer and Eben Kostbar and being directed by Oren Kaplan.

Hamill and his longtime girlfriend Brittany Houck were engaged to be married in May 2008.

Championships and accomplishments

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Knockout of the night honors (x1)-Mark Muñoz
Fight of the night honors (x2)

Mixed martial arts record

|-
| Loss
|align=center| 10–4
|

Alexander Gustafsson

| TKO (punches and elbows)
| UFC 133

UFC 133

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

Quinton Jackson

| Decision (unanimous)
| UFC 130

UFC 130

UFC 130: Rampage vs. Hamill was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on May 28, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States.-Background:...

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

| UFC Light Heavyweight title eliminator
|-
| Win
|align=center| 10–2
|

Tito Ortiz

| Decision (unanimous)
| UFC 121

UFC 121

UFC 121: Lesnar vs. Velasquez was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on October 23, 2010 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, United States...

Anaheim, California

Anaheim is a city in Orange County, California. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was about 365,463, making it the most populated city in Orange County, the 10th most-populated city in California, and ranked 54th in the United States...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 9–2
|

Keith Jardine

Keith Hector Jardine is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the light heavyweight division and is best known for his time in the Ultimate Fighting Championship...

| Decision (majority)
| The Ultimate Fighter: Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz Finale

The Ultimate Fighter: Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz Finale

Las Vegas, Nevada

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 8–2
|

Jon Jones

Jon Jones (fighter)

Jonathan Dwight Jones is an American mixed martial artist from Endicott, New York. He is the current UFC Light Heavyweight Champion....

| DQ (downward elbows)
| The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights Finale

The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights Finale

Las Vegas, Nevada

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 7–2
|

Mark Muñoz

Mark Munoz

| KO (head kick)
| UFC 96

UFC 96

UFC 96: Jackson vs. Jardine was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship . It was held in Columbus, Ohio on March 7, 2009 at Nationwide Arena.-Preliminary card:...

Columbus, Ohio

Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 6–2
|

Reese Andy

| TKO (strikes)
| UFC 92

UFC 92

UFC 92: The Ultimate 2008 was a mixed martial arts event by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on December 27, 2008 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.-Background:...

Las Vegas, Nevada

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

|
|-
| Loss
|align=center| 5–2
|

Rich Franklin

Rich Jay Franklin II is an American mixed martial artist and former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight champion.-Background:...

| TKO (body kick)
| UFC 88

UFC 88

Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 5–1
|

Tim Boetsch

Tim Boetsch is an American mixed martial artist currently fighting in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship . He was released by the UFC in late June 2009, with a record of 2 wins and 2 losses...

Broomfield, Colorado

The City and County of Broomfield is a prominent suburb and tier of the Denver metropolitan area in the State of Colorado of the United States. Broomfield has a consolidated city and county government which operates under Article XX, Sections 10-13 of the Constitution of the State of Colorado. The...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

|
|-
| Loss
|align=center| 4–1
|

Michael Bisping

| Decision (split)
| UFC 75

UFC 75

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 4–0
|

Rex Holman
| TKO (strikes)
| UFC 68

UFC 68

UFC 68: The Uprising was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on March 3, 2007 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. UFC 68 was the first UFC event held in the state of Ohio, and coincided with the 2007 Arnold Sports Festival...

Columbus, Ohio

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 3–0
|

Seth Petruzelli

Hollywood, Florida

-Demographics:As of 2000, there were 59,673 households out of which 24.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.5% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.2% were non-families. 34.4% of all households were made up of...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 2–0
|

Jesse Forbes

| TKO (strikes)
| The Ultimate Fighter 3 Finale

The Ultimate Fighter 3 Finale

The Ultimate Fighter 3 Finale was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on June 24, 2006. Featured were the finals from The Ultimate Fighter 3 in both the Middleweight and Light Heavyweight divisions as well as a main event between Kenny Florian and Sam Stout.During...

Las Vegas, Nevada

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 1–0
|

Island Lake, Illinois

Island Lake is a village in Lake and McHenry Counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. The population was 8,153 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Island Lake is a village located at , lying in the far northwest Chicago suburbs....

, Illinois

Illinois

Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

External links

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