Striking the “X” factor in Hamill vs Franklin at UFC 88
From CombatPower.com
Matt Hamill is a mammoth of a man when he steps into the Octagon to fight, but with only 5 fights under his belt he’s just a baby in MMA. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. While it’s certainly an advantage for Rich Franklin at UFC 88 to have over 5 times more bouts (27) in the can compared to Hamill, it is Hamill’s room for improvement which can brings forth a sizeable element of surprise. There’s always room for improvement in MMA, and if you feel you’ve past that point it may be time to find a new profession. Nonetheless, fighters with under a half dozen fights of experience certainly have loads of areas to work on, and can enter into their next fight as complete revamped mixed martial artists. It was only a few fights ago that Hamill was blocking punches with his face. But then he stared putting up his hands vigilantly, tucking in his chin more, beautifully slipping fists and countering with his own. And then a huge quantum leap of creativity sprung forth in his fight with Michael Bisping. Expected to get annihilated on the feet, it was actually Hamill who was winning much of the stand up battle in the 3 round fight with Bisping. So much so that many fans were outraged at the judges awarding Bisping the decision. Hamill was a completely different fighter and impressed most of the MMA world with his newfound boxing arsenal he put on display that evening in England. It was something nobody including Bisping anticipated, and that element of surprise is a luxury fresh faces on the MMA scene can use to their advantage.
What new tricks will Hamill bring into this battle versus Rich Franklin? It’ll be interesting to see. Sure Franklin definitely is not one to sit back and not learn more about the MMA game, but with 27 fights he has shown much of his arsenal and there’s a whole library of tape to study. But for Hamill, the best footage may still be to come.
UFC 88 breakdown: Rich Franklin vs Matt Hamill
Strength
The strength of Matt Hamill was well documented on The Ultimate Fighter 3 reality show, where competitors spoke at length at just how powerful Matt Hamill was. This is something Rich Franklin will have to deal with, as Hamill will have the strength advantage in this battle. Franklin by no means is a weak individual and held his own against super strong fighters in the past such as Yushin Okami, but nonetheless he will be giving up some strength versus the powerful wrestler in Hamill.
Wrestling
The strong wrestling pedigree which Hamill brings to the table is going to be a big factor in this bout. His ability to secure takedowns from double leg takedowns has been thoroughly impressive in his bouts. Franklin at some point will likely be put on his back and the big question will be can he get back up afterwards? Franklin has been a strong scrambler off his back, but he hasn’t been planted on his back by such a strong wrestler as Hamill. It’ll be a strong battle of will on the ground–Hamill trying to keep Franklin down while the former UFC champ trying hard to get back up.
BJJ
If Hamill does keep Franklin down on the mat, it’s no guarantee he’s safe in that position. While he has some viciously powerful ground and pound, Rich Franklin is a slick BJJ artist and can pull of a submission from his back. Franklin has the better BJJ skills and can dive into that arsenal if need be.
Striking
While he has submissions in his toolbox, Franklin is looking to finish off Hamill on the feet. He likes to be exciting, he likes to strike and he likes to win fights by finishing his opponent. All that equates to a sprawl and brawl strategy. If it comes down to a striking battle, Franklin has the edge on paper but Hamill has been getting better every fight in the striking game. While he was keeping his hands down and chin up for many of his early fights, he’s been working on better defense and showed great offense in his striking battle with Michael Bisping. Hamill is a relative rookie to MMA compared to Franklin so you might just see a whole new striker in Hamill. Nonetheless at the moment you’d have to give the Muay Thai edge to Franklin.
Cardio
While I doubt either fighter will gas, because Franklin is considered one of the hardest workers and most conditioned athletes in MMA, and the fact he has trained for 5 rounds and has gone 25 minutes in a championship battle, he has to be given the slight edge in this area. If the fight does end up a big grappling struggle it will tire both fighters out, but I highly doubt either will run out of steam.
The Winner
Rich Franklin. His superior striking and experience will allow him to take this battle at UFC 88
Rich Franklin vs Matt Hamill at UFC 88
Rich Franklin will take on Hamill at UFC 88 in Georgia in September. It’s an interesting situation as Franklin will move back up to 205 for the bout and takes on a former teammate in Hamill.
Florian vs Lauzon being discussed for April
Photo: joelauzon.com
MMAjunkie.com says that a potential bout between Kenny Florian and Joe Lauzon is in the works for UFC Fight Night 13 in April. Matt Hamill versus Stephan Bonnar is also being discussed.
Hamill Comments on Fight and Support from Fans
Photo Credit: MattHamill.com
I would like to thank everyone for their unbelievable support. I fought my heart out in London and feel I should have won the fight. The outpouring of support from people all over the world has touched my heart. It validates my performance to myself and that means as much as a win to me. I think MMA is a great sport and I don’t believe in any kind of a fix. The two judges that scored the win for Bisping obviously need to re-evaluate the way they score a fight. You can’t win a fight when you run for three rounds. They need to study the criteria for scoring an MMA fight: effective striking, grappling, takedowns, aggression and control. Bisping did none of that in my opinion. The UFC has the best MMA in the world and I am proud to be a part of it. I will be fighting in the UFC for a long time. Thanks again to all my fans, especially to all the English fans who came up to me after the fight to tell me I was the winner. I will be back in the octagon very soon and promise to fight my heart out like I always have.
—MattHamill.com
Bisping’s Take on Fight with Hamill
As most people will of seen the fight with me and Hamil was a close one. I have seen the controversy surroun ding the decision so obviously have to reply. I personally feel he won round 1 and I took rounds 2 and 3. That said it was close and can I understand how some people would think differently. On the night I was given the decision and he wasnt, on another occasion it could of been different.
Looking at message boards it appears that some ( major understatement) people are pissed off about my comments afer the fight. Looking back I should of given hammil more credit as he fought a great fight and has improved his all round game a hell of a lot. What you have to remember is though the adrenalin was running through my veins, I had fought a hard fight and was obviously happy to get the decision. I would like to take this oportuninty to say well done to Matt for fighting great and bringing the fight to me big time, I should have commented on this on the night.
I have contacted the UFC and stated I would like to rematch Hammill at everyones earliest convenience as Im sure most of you know, no fighter wants a win when the decision is debateable. I am happy for the fight to take place where ever, and look forward to settling the score once and for all. I personally feel we put on a great fight for the fans and perhaps people should focus on this more.
I apologise to all my fans who feel let down by anyhting at the weekend, hey Im a young man with alot of emotion and sometimes say things in the heat of the moment.
—bisping.tv