VIDEO: Matt Hamill Readies His Striking For Rampage Jackson
Matt Hamill's sponsors or handlers or some combination of the two are putting together a video series showing the fighter's life and preparation heading into his main event fight with Quinton Jackson at UFC 130 in less than two weeks. The video is slightly bootleg, but the content is helpful in that it demonstrates Hamill is aware of his obligation to strike in order to win and what Rampage's specific tendencies are in the pocket.
The question for me will be how Hamill’s power dictates the fight’s longevity. As he himself notes, he’s not a KO power striker, instead preferring to grind his opponents out on the feet. That’s not a bad strategy, but it does mean looking for the decision win, which gives Rampage 15 minutes to find that opening. However, his team may be banking on Rampage not having the best conditioning and not being as strong a threat as the fight progresses.
I think the conditioning is more the key. Hamill does have power, but he is past his athletic prime. His striking is technically sound, but slow and plodding. He overwhelms opposition over the course of a round or a fight, unlike Rampage who bludgeons opposition with thundering power and snapping hooks. He does possess excellent conditioning, however, and the combination of damage while forcing Rampage to defend takedowns is essential. That will slow Rampage down, take some of the zip and pop off of his punches and give Hamill an opportunity to find control on the ground. I do not at all believe Hamill plans to strike for 15 minutes. His striking is a conduit to either clinching for purposes of draining Rampage or an eventual takedown for positional control.
Folks say they aren’t interested in this bout and it’s admittedly not as sexy as others. But the stakes are still huge for both fighters and the outcome is anything but predetermined.
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