5 Reasons Matt Hamill vs. Rampage Jackson Is Actually A Pretty Awesome Fight

What a difference a few days can make. A short time ago the MMA world was buzzing that Thiago Silva may have been pulled from his upcoming bout with Quinton Jackson, and a popular rumor pointed towards a second encounter between “Rampage” and arch-rival Rashad Evans. It’s now been more or less confirmed that Matt Hamill will be taking on Jackson, and the reaction to this bout has been lukewarm at best. My question is: why? I’m actually pretty interested in this bout. In fact, here are five reasons to already be looking forward to Quinton Jackson vs. Matt Hamill.

5. Now that he’s shaken off the rust, Jackson’s next fight should be a good one no matter who he faces.

The reason this one starts us out is because I think this applies to any of Jackson’s future opponents, not just Matt Hamill. Jackson looked very rusty in his bout with Rashad Evans, and to be honest, he still seemed to have a few problems against Lyoto Machida. But now that he’s two fights into his comeback, we should soon see the return of the “Rampage” Jackson that won the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship.

4. Matt Hamill can take a punch.

Matt Hamill has only been TKO’d once in his career… by a liver kick. He came pretty close to being TKO’d in December 2009 when he fought Jon Jones, but a large part of that near-stoppage was due to the fact that Jones got a bit too excited and started blasting Hamill with illegal elbow strikes. Jackson has crushing KO power in his hands, but Matt Hamill is a survivor and I don’t see him crumbling during the first salvo. I think a lot of people currently predicting doom for Matt Hamill will be very surprised when he takes some of Jackson’s best punches and keeps going.

3. Matt Hamill has been on the verge of championship relevancy for the last several years, so this fight would likely see him at his best and hungriest.

Currently, Hamill is on a five-fight win-streak and hasn’t lost since September 2008. Hamill has always been hunting for a title shot from the moment he first stepped into the Octagon, but for one reason or another it just hasn’t happened. But there can be no doubt: if he beats Jackson, Hamill immediately ascends to top-division status. This fight against Jackson would showcase the most motivated Hamill we’ve ever seen, and if you’ve followed Matt Hamill at all throughout his career, you’d know that a motivated Matt Hamill is a threat to anyone.

2. It’s a new, interesting opponent for Quinton Jackson, and there’s not too many in the UFC that “Rampage” hasn’t faced before.

While Jackson/Evans 2 is certainly a big-money match-up, does it make sense to have the second encounter so soon after their first? Evans did win by Unanimous Decision. As a Jackson fan, I want to see “Rampage” in new and exciting fights against people he’s never fought before, wasn’t that one of the big reasons the UFC signed Jackson in the first place? Jackson has fought a whole lot of people, but there’s many in the UFC that he’s never tangled with, and this is the kind of fight that keeps Jackson’s career interesting, not stagnant.

And the number one reason I think we should all be looking forward to this match is because…

1. Both men just aren’t boring fighters.

Everything else aside, this reason stands out as my biggest counter to the lukewarm reception this match-up has been getting. Nine times out of ten, Matt Hamill is not a boring fighter. Nine times out of ten, Quinton Jackson is not a boring fighter. Why then is everyone assuming that this fight won’t be anything special? Hamill will make it competitive or he’ll die trying, Jackson will hunt for the knockout and he’ll have to get past Hamill’s formidable chin to do so. It may not look like much of a match at first glance, but dig a little deeper and you’ll see that this has the potential to be a great fight.

And that’s what I think, fans and friends. What about you? What’s your opinion on Hamill vs. Jackson?