Originally planned as the main event the bout between established light heavyweights Matt Hamill and Keith Jardine turned out to be a very solid bout.
Ultimate Fighter Finale Results - Matt Hamill Wins Majority Decision Over Keith Jardine
Both men had moments during the three rounds where it looked as though their gameplan would throw the other man off enough to earn the decision. However, the true story of the fight may come down to the moment in the second round when referee Herb Dean deducted a point following an accidental eye poke by Jardine. It is extremely rare (and extremely wrong) to deduct a point for the first accidental foul of a fight. The penalty turned the second round into a 10-8 and likely changed the strategy of Jardine going forward.
Jardine had won the first round with his awkward angular striking that didn’t allow Hamill to get into his rhythm. The second was the 10-8 for Hamill and the last round was a Jardine round on the SB Nation scorecard. However, on two of the judges cards the second and third round were both Hamill rounds. But it’s hard to say how much the point deduction had to do with Jardine’s gameplan in the final round.
Still, the final scorecards are all that matter and in those terms Matt Hamill won a majority decision.
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