At UFC 75-Champion vs. Champion held in England, Matt Hamill lost to Michael Bisping in a controversial split decision. Most people have argued that Hamill won at least 2 of the 3 rounds, if not all 3. Unfortunately, 2 of the 3 judges decided to give this bout to the hometown fighter–Michael Bisping.
As the crowd cheered on for Bisping, you could also feel a sense of confusion. Hamill’s corner was stunned as they heard the judge’s decision. Not too long ago, we learned that he tore his ACL and had to undergo surgery. According to him, he would most likely be out of the gym from 6-8 months.
According to his official website (matthamill.com), he’s stating that his doctors have considered a surgical technique that would allow him to go through rehab for only 2-3 weeks. The diagnosis given to him was a partially torn meniscus, which seems to be less severe.
Dana White had originally decided that a rematch between the two ‘Ultimate Fighter 3’ warriors would be in November. Due to Hamill’s injury, he was forced to reject the rematch on that date and requested the match to be moved up to December.
Here’s a snip of what Hamill had to say on his website (matthamill.com):
Hello to everyone. There have been many things written about me, my
knee injury, and the effect it will have on a rematch. I want to set
the record straight so everyone knows where I’m at. While training for
UFC 75 I developed a knee issue. My knee would lock up whenever I bent
it past parallel. I was able to work through it and wanted to wait
until after UFC 75 was over to get it taken care of. We developed a
game plan to protect the situation as much as possible. The day after I
returned from UFC 75 I had a consultation with one of the best
orthopedic surgeon’s in the country. I was fearing the worst and
preparing for a long lay off. Dr. Mike Zahn of Hamilton Orthopedics
gave me some great news. It was a relatively minor arthroscopic
procedure. I was diagnosed with a partially torn meniscus. This is why
my knee was locking. Dr. Zahn had seen this injury numerous times and
was certain he could correct it. I am happy to say that on 9/20/07, I
underwent successful arthroscopic surgery to remove the torn piece of
the meniscus. I am feeling better already and began my 2 to 3 weeks of
rehab before going back to full time training. The UFC did offer the
rematch in November which I would love to take, however it’s just too
close and I don’t want to rush it. I did tell the UFC that I would be
ready by late December and would love to do it in Vegas on 12/29. If
the UFC and Mike Bisping are serious about this rematch, a month
shouldn’t make much of a difference.
Does Matt Hamill deserve the rematch? Will Michael Bisping agree to fight on the UFC 79 fight card in Las Vegas?
We just have to wait for Dana White’s decision. Dana will probably
schedule a new date after hearing that Hamill is recovering sooner than
expected.
