Tito Ortiz Returns to Face Matt Hamill at UFC 121
During his first stint as a coach on the third season of The Ultimate Fighter, Ortiz’s number one pick was standout wrestler Matt Hamill. Ortiz will now look to beat the man he coached and Hamill looks to get the biggest win of his career.
Since being removed from his coaching spot the latest season of TUF, Ortiz has been fighting his own battles outside the cage. Ortiz was removed as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter after discovering issues in his back that needed another surgery. Things only got worse for the former Light Heavyweight Champion when it was reported that his longtime girlfriend Jenna Jameson was pressing charges for domestic violence. Although Jameson ended up not pressing charges, it was not what Ortiz wanted to be dealing with at the time.
Ortiz (15-7-1) will now look to turn things around as he steps back into the cage. Ortiz returned to the UFC last November and took on Forrest Griffin in a rematch fans had been longing for, losing by split decision. Although a title run does not look promising for him, Ortiz has always been one of the UFC’s biggest stars and no matter who he faces, fans love watching him.
Check out the video of Tito Ortiz signing the UFC 121 contract and talking Mat Hamill right here.
Hamill (9-2) has gotten back on track after a disappointing performance against Jon Jones. In the fight that many felt would be a war, Jones showed how dominant he can be and punished Hamill more than anyone ever has. Unfortunately, the win went to Hamill after Jones threw illegal 12-to-6 elbows and Hamill was unable to continue. Since that fight, Hamill has come back better than ever. Most recently, he was part of a three round war with Keith Jardine that showed both fighter’s heart and determination.
UFC 121 takes place on October 23 at The Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Brock Lesnar headlines the event as he puts the UFC Heavyweight Championship on the line against Cain Velasquez. The night also features the debut of Jake Shields as he takes on Martin Kampmann plus many other top fighters.
For more UFC 121 coverage click here.
For some reason, I don’t find this fight being that exciting. Tito and Hamill mirror each other in terms of their fighting style. I hope Hamill pulls off a victory though. If he does, it should be interesting to see what sort of excuses Tito will make for his loss this time..
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I think its a bad match up for Tito, but I’m interested in the storyline so the fight has interest for me.