Tito Ortiz vs. Matt Hamill - An Intriguing Match-Up
Tito Ortiz and Matt Hamill expect to meet at UFC 121 in Anaheim
Tito ‘The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’ Ortiz vs Matt ‘The Hammer’ Hamill is an intriguing fight. It’s not a championship or even a contender match really, but one fans have ruminated on for a while now. Both men are wrestlers first, and both have struggled with recent injuries and shaky win-loss columns.
In the last few years Tito Ortiz had only four fights - a draw with Rashad Evans against losses to Griffin, Machida and Liddell. The Hammer is technically three and one, but his DQ win over Jon 'Bobes' Jones qualifies as a loss in the minds of fans and the UFC alike. Also, his win over Jardine was a razor thin back and forth fight.
Fights like Ortiz/Hamill can bring out emotions in a fighter often not seen in a title or contender fight. When Couture fought Coleman, The Natural looked more serious and focused than in many of his previous title fights, due in part because of the history of both men in the early days of the UFC and the thought of losing to Coleman and how his whole career would then be perceived.
Tito Ortiz is looking for renewed legitimacy and will come out with a fire in his gullet that will put The Hammer on his heels early on in the fight. But even if he gets Hamill close to finished he won’t end it. Not that Hamill can’t be finished, but when’s the last time Ortiz finished anyone?
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Hamill will eventually keep the action standing, where he gave 'The Dean of Mean' Keith Jardine all he could handle. This will be the beginning of the end for Ortiz, and in the latter half of round three Ortiz will be the one defending from his back.
Ortiz won’t be the only one with a fire burning inside him either. Ortiz has had his career and is a multi-faceted millionaire businessman. Hamill is on the brink of sliding off the contender heap and onto the slag heap of diminished productions and fight purses. If that doesn’t get you going, nothing will.
In spite of the fact we have two wrestlers here, the emotion of this fight has the potential to bring its contestants fight of the night payouts. I only hope that when Ortiz loses he doesn’t write-off the loss to an injury or illness. He only has a few fights left in him. I’d like to see him credit an opponent for a change and go out with dignity.
By Renko Styranka
ProFighting-fans.com MMA Staff Writer