(Last night: I was in friend s house, and was really excited to watch this match for Deaf grappling, I knew that Matt will winning but the reference said, Michael is winning, I stronger suspect that it was polical for grappling... bcs of Michael is English! oh man!!! I was really upset about this!!! )
England’s own Michael Bisping kept his unbeaten record intact in the main undercard bout of the UFC 75 card at the O2 Arena, eking out a close three round split decision over Matt Hamill in a light heavyweight contest that finally pitted the two unbeaten stars of The Ultimate Fighter’s third season.
“Who’s the real winner of The Ultimate Fighter?” said Bisping (15-0), who was on course to face Hamill (5-1) on the reality series before ‘The Hammer’ was forced from the show due to injury. Bisping went on to win the final of the show by stopping Josh Haynes.
Scores were 29-28 twice and 27-30 for Bisping.
Surprisingly, Hamill came out looking to bang, immediately putting Bisping on the defensive. ‘The Hammer’ even gave up a chance to work Bisping over on the ground after a missed knee turned into a takedown. And the strategy was apparently working as Bisping was soon cut under the left eye and sporting a mouse under the right eye. In the final minute, Bisping started to open up with lefts and rights to the head, but a left punch seemed to stun the local hero just before the bell.
Hamill switched things up in the second, quickly getting a takedown in an attempt to pound Bisping out. ‘The Count’ worked his way back to his feet though, knowing that his best chance for victory was in the standup game. Hamill would score another brief takedown with under two minutes left, but Bisping rose immediately, scoring with quick counterpunches as the New York resident stalked.
Bisping’s stick and move strategy finally looked to be gaining some speed in the final round, as he kept Hamill off balance while scoring with quick jabs, but ‘The Hammer’s forward match was relentless and he finally scored the takedown with under three minutes left. Bisping struggled to rise, but with just over two minutes to go, he got up and just missed with a knee to the head. Hamill used that opportunity to put Bisping on his back again, and while the American wasn’t scoring with anything of significance while the two were grounded, Bisping’s offense was just as nullified on the mat.
All three judges gave the first round to Hamill, with Bisping rebounding to win the next two on the cards of Jeff Mullen and Chris Watts. Judge Cecil Peoples was the lone dissenter, awarding all three rounds to Hamill.
