"Well, actually, yeah. I really wanted it. It all happened when Duff, my trainer, he found out that Thiago Silva's not fighting, so it was a good opportunity for me to step in at a higher level. We wanted to fight anyone in the higher level -- the top 10. The higher the level it is, the more motivated I get."
Holmes described how even started talking trash to Rampage to goad him into accepting the bout:
"(Matt) doesn't blame Rampage for wanting Rashad and wanting to fight the top guys in the division. He's been doing that. But when (Matt) found out that Rashad was hurt and that he could get a shot against Rampage, that's when he actually -- for the first time ever (in his career) -- he went out and said, ‘I'll break Rampage's will,' and ‘I can beat Rampage.' That's the first time he's ever talked like that. He did it just so he could put a little pressure on Rampage, because he actually figured that Rampage probably wouldn't want to take the fight."
After some talk about how Hamill believes he's more well-rounded than Rampage and where he's doing his training, the topic switches to Jon Jones, specifically his ridiculous reach advantage:
"I know Jon Jones is more like a long spider. Spider legs and all that. ... But I fought him. I still have unfinished business with him. So if I fight him, I'll redeem myself and not make another mistake. He's the first fighter to ever take me down, and it gave me a little wakeup call. This time, I got my hips ready and my feet ready; my feet are nailed to the ground, and I'm back to a wrestling base."
The interview also covers a fair amount about how one of Hamill's mentors, 1960 Olympic wrestling gold medalist Doug Blubaugh, passed away last week and the inspiration Matt gets from that. In addition, there's a bunch of stuff about Matt's upcoming documentary, Hamill as well. It's definitely worth a few minutes of your time. You can read the rest of it here.
