Here's the second episode of "The Road to Rampage." The online documentary follows Matt Hamill as he prepares for his UFC 130 main event with Quinton Jackson. Episode 1 set the stage and made the case for why Hamill deserved the fight, while this one focuses more on his actual training and game plan. Take a look:
While I think Hamill's wrestling is his strength, I'm not surprised to see Hamill focusing on his striking game here, and I wouldn't be at all surprised to see him turn the fight into a stand-up battle. His striking has made vast improvement since we first saw him on The Ultimate Fighter, but it's good to see him focusing on the basics of defense. Rampage is the kind of striker that doesn't need much of an opening to put his opponent down - as both Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva can attest. Hamill's emphasis on keeping the hands in tight and on movement are exactly what he needs to avoid their same fate.
The question for me will be how Hamill's power dictates the fight's longevity. As he himself notes, he's not a KO power striker, instead preferring to grind his opponents out on the feet. That's not a bad strategy, but it does mean looking for the decision win, which gives Rampage 15 minutes to find that opening. However, his team may be banking on Rampage not having the best conditioning and not being as strong a threat as the fight progresses.
Either way, this video has once again done it's job, as I am more intrigued to see how this fight goes down.
Watch "The Road to Rampage" Week 1, and Jackson's "The Rampage Diaries."
While I think Hamill's wrestling is his strength, I'm not surprised to see Hamill focusing on his striking game here, and I wouldn't be at all surprised to see him turn the fight into a stand-up battle. His striking has made vast improvement since we first saw him on The Ultimate Fighter, but it's good to see him focusing on the basics of defense. Rampage is the kind of striker that doesn't need much of an opening to put his opponent down - as both Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva can attest. Hamill's emphasis on keeping the hands in tight and on movement are exactly what he needs to avoid their same fate.
The question for me will be how Hamill's power dictates the fight's longevity. As he himself notes, he's not a KO power striker, instead preferring to grind his opponents out on the feet. That's not a bad strategy, but it does mean looking for the decision win, which gives Rampage 15 minutes to find that opening. However, his team may be banking on Rampage not having the best conditioning and not being as strong a threat as the fight progresses.
Either way, this video has once again done it's job, as I am more intrigued to see how this fight goes down.
Watch "The Road to Rampage" Week 1, and Jackson's "The Rampage Diaries."