Matt Hamill checks in to discuss his upcoming fight with Rampage Jackson.
Rampage Jackson is not the guy you want to test your striking against. Punching is Rampage's comfort zone and is something that has made him one of the most famous fighters in mixed martial arts. It's fair to say that come Saturday night, I'll be wary and fully prepared to avoid his biggest danger.
I know Rampage has come out and said I am one-dimensional, but I see Rampage as being the one-dimensional fighter in this fight.
He's a great puncher and good with his hands, but I feel I can capitalize on his weaknesses elsewhere. Rampage had a more rounded game in his early days, but he seems more content to stand and strike now, which is good for me, as I also have the option of taking the fight in other areas.
His knockouts of Wanderlei Silva and Chuck Liddell were great, but he has also had problems with other guys like Forrest Griffin and Rashad Evans, who changed the game up on him. The key is to keep him guessing and to not get drawn into the fight he wants you to fight... and it is obvious what kind of fight that is.
The style match-up is the reason I called Rampage out to begin with. I believe this is a great style match-up for me and I think my skill-set matches up favourably against Rampage's skill-set. I think I am one of the best wrestlers Rampage has faced so far, and I think he'll struggle with the things I plan to bring to the Octagon on Saturday.
We started off this training camp preparing to fight Phil Davis, who really is a complex and different kind of fighter and who we were supposed to fight before Rampage. Davis is a riddle compared to Rampage. Davis does a lot of things awkwardly. Rampage, on the other hand doesn't have as many different skills as Davis. So, when Rampage was moved into the picture instead, I was very happy to switch targets because this is a fight I had been asking for.
I have managed to see Rampage up close when we briefly trained together for a day in Big Bear a few years ago. I didn't study him too much but it was just nice to mix it up a top-calibre fighter at an early stage in my UFC career. I always believed I would get to this level with hard work.
Rampage and I also had a funny moment just before UFC 75 in England, where I was fighting Michael Bisping and he was facing Dan Henderson in the main event. We bumped into each other at a restaurant. My team and I were at one table and Rampage and his guys were at another. At one point Rampage got up, walked over and said, "Hey, Matt, don't worry, I didn't tell Bisping anything about you." That was nice of Rampage to say, but it also kind of made me realize that Rampage was now on the other team.
Rampage has given me a great opportunity Saturday night and it's my job to go out there and take it. A win over a Rampage would do massive things for my career and it could even result in a title shot at some point. I don't regard my win over Jon Jones as a real victory, but in a way it could help me get a title shot because maybe Jones wants to clear that up by fighting me again. I know I can be the world champion and still have things to prove against Jones.
I love being underestimated and I love being the underdog. If Rampage has overlooked me or taken me lightly, that is great for me. That will make my job a lot easier come Saturday night. Personally, I don't think Rampage will have looked past me and, to be honest, I expect to face him at his very best. Rampage will know what's at stake and he will be aware of the danger I present, especially in the form of my work-rate and wrestling.
If you haven't properly prepared for war, I'm the last guy you want to face...
Matt Hamill takes on Quinton (Rampage) Jackson in the main event of UFC 130 on Saturday, May 28 in Las Vegas. He will blog weekly for sportsnet.ca ahead of his fight.
UFC 130 will be shown live on pay-per-view at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT. And you can watch two live preliminary fights on Sportsnet at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT.