UFC
UFC 130 RESULTS: Rampage Jackson outclasses Matt Hamill to earn likely title shot against Jon Jones
May 29, 2011 - 10:00:50 AM UFC 130 RESULTS: Rampage Jackson outclasses Matt Hamill to earn likely title shot against Jon Jones

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Matt Hamill entered UFC 130 on Saturday with absolutely nothing to lose. Taking a fight against former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson as a replacement, Hamill was out to "punch his lottery ticket" and vault himself up into the elite level of the division.

Unfortunately for him, however, he found he's not there just yet.

Jackson outclassed Hamill throughout the three round fight, earning a one-sided unanimous decision victory with scores of 30-27 across the board.

The fight wasn't filled with a ton of action, as Jackson played a counter game and exploded for combinations when Hamill engaged, but there may have been a reason for that as Jackson explained after the fight that he had suffered a fractured hand heading into the event.

It didn't keep him from keeping the fight standing, as his takedown defense was one of the main stories of the fight. Hamill attempted numerous takedown attempts throughout the fight, but failed to convert on any of them.

Jackson did do quite a bit of damage in spots, especially in strikes to the body with punches and knees, but ultimately Hamill was tough enough to survive, and Jackson really never went for the finish when he had Hamill hurt.

At the end of the day, Jackson likely earned himself a shot at UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones, depending on if his hand is hurt enough to keep him out of action past October or not. For Hamill, he's right where he was before this fight, and he'll keep attempting to improve to make another climb up the ladder.

Penick's Analysis: Provided he's healthy, Rampage gets the next shot, but he may have hurt his drawing power with another lackluster fight. It was his fourth straight fight to go to decision since he knocked out Wanderlei Silva at the end of 2008, and though he's won three of those fights - the Rashad Evans fight being the only loss - none of them have been all that thrilling. They've all had their moments, but a trend of somewhat disappointing fights won't make for a big seller for the title fight. But he's still the best option when they're not waiting for Evans to face Jones. Still, if he did come into this with a broken hand and still outclassed Hamill like he did that's impressive, and in reality he did what he needed to do to win, and nothing more.

[Rampage Jackson art by Cory Gould (c) MMATorch.com]