Matt Hamill retires
- Thread starter Nastycrow
- Start date
From Bloody Elbow:
Matt Hamill was brutalized in the second round of his fight with Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 133. Following the TKO loss it looks like Hamill will be retiring from the sport of mixed martial arts. Hamill lost his last two fights, in addition to the Gustafsson loss he dropped a decision to Quinton Jackson at UFC 130.
Cincinnati.com has the story on Hamill's decision to step away:
HE SAYS HE'S DONE AND THAT'S GOOD. Local UFC man made good, Matt Hamill, Loveland HS grad, is going to retire. That's a good and wise move, given he has lost his last 2 fights. The one Saturday night was especially horrific. Matt was taken down in the 2nd period and blasted repeatedly in the face and head. By the time the ref stopped the bout, Matt was defenseless. I know lots of people enjoy this sport. But when a guy you know is getting brutalized, it's absolutely the worst thing I've ever witnessed.
Matt will be OK. He has a gym in Utica, NY, is part owner of a new sports bar, I believe, and has had a movie done on his life.
I'm very glad he's done with ultimate fighting. No disrespect to those who practice it and follow it, but it's way over the top brutal and, to me, senseless.
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Obviously that last sentence will get MMA fan anger flowing, but let's focus on the matter at hand.
Hamill was an interesting story, a deaf man who wrestled at a high level before finding his way to the UFC by way of The Ultimate Fighter. He steps away with an 8-4 record in the world's most elite MMA promotion including wins over names like Keith Jardine, Tito Ortiz and Jon Jones (hey, that still counts as a win).
Some people may feel that he is stepping away too soon, but it is nice to see someone step away from a sport when they feel the time is right.
Maybe he'll find the desire for competition too overwhelming and ends up in the cage again eventually. But for now, it appears The Hammer is done.
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He really did not look good in his last two fights. I thought in the Rampage fight he could have been "star struck". But after Saturday it really seemed like he didn't want to fight. Who knows what he was thinking, but it was not the same Hammer that we have seen in the past. This is a good call to retire, he is not that young and the UFC did a good job in bring him up....... Wish other fighters knew when it was time to hang them up...
Being hearing impaired myself, it's a no brainer that Matt was always a favorite of mine. He showed great improvement during the first half of his career. When he "suffered" a DQ victory over Jon Jones, I knew that his fighting days were numbered and that he was probably done improving. Guys that get into the game that late in their lives just don't have a very long shelf life. His headkick KO of Mark Munoz will always be a highlight. He doesn't need MMA anymore and MMA doesn't really need him. Glad he's got the nuts to realize this and hang them up. Good luck, HAMMER!!
Matt has a blog post up on his website where he confirms it. Sounds like he wanted to retire after the Rampage fight. Here it is:
Retirement Announcement08/08/11 - posted by: admin
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.
The UFC has been extremely good to me and given me an opportunity to make a great living. That exposure has allowed me options outside the Octagon as well. I just don’t have it in me to fight anymore and my last two performances have shown that.
I was ready to make this decision after UFC 130 but my friends, family coaches and most importantly my daughter encouraged me to give it one last chance. My career has been plagued by injuries starting with The Ultimate Fighter and disrupted my training ever since.
There hasn’t been even one training camp where I’ve been able to train without training around an injury. I have not been kind to my body and it has nothing left after 28 years of non stop competition. It’s time to finally give it a rest.
I can’t continue to fight without having the hunger and desire to do so. I can’t let my performances reflect on my coaches who are the best in the world and the reason I’ve made it this far.
I have fallen in love with the sport of Mixed Martial Arts and I will continue to coach at our gym Mohawk Valley MMA along side my teammates and help the next generation of fighters make it to the UFC. I also look forward to continuing my business ventures outside the UFC including “Hamill” the movie based on my life story set to be released this fall.
I want to thank Dana White, Joe Silva Lorenzo Fertitta and everyone at the UFC for the opportunity to make something special out of my life.
Thank you to Duff, Holmes, Bruno Tostes, Dave Kingwater, Renzo Gracie, Tim Greene, Daniel Gracie, Pat Popolizio, Ron Gross, Doug Blubaugh and Mark Dellagrotte.
Thank you to all my training partners who have shared their blood sweat and tears with me along the way. Thank you to all my friends and family for their unconditional support and most of all thank you to my fans! It’s the fans that have made this the truly special experience it has been.
The UFC has become family to me and I hope to be involved with the number one mixed martial arts organization in the world as a coach, ambassador and fan for a long time to come.
-Matt “The Hammer” Hamill
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It sucks to see him go out like that. I'm surprised that he didn't decide to stay and just change some things up like his camp. He still has unfinished business with Bones & Bisping. I think his heart is just not in it anymore based off of what I saw on Saturday. Wish the man the best.
Gnarcore said:
I wish Matt all the best in whatever is next for him. A 9-4 record in the UFC is nothing to scoff at.
However,
I have never seen a fighter other than Chuck Liddell be so bad at keeping his hands up
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I heard Chuck knocked himself out one morning whilst shaving…… Just a rumor.
PsychoIcon said:
Good Good. Realized he'll never be more than what he is and retired. Wish more people could do this.
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What?
So anyone who has reached their peak should retire, even if they are still better than many others who haven't reached their peak?
Hammil was arguably a top 15 LHW before the loss, anyone not in the top 15 in every division should just retire?
I just think that is an absurd line to take.