While watching this fight on Spike TV here in the United States, I had to admit that I was really undecided about who I thought was going to win this fight. I couldn’t really pick a winner no matter how many times I tried to analyze each fighter. In truth, any of the fighters had the ability to win this fight. I personally felt, and it would soon prove to be right; that the winner would be decided not only by who was the best fighter, but also by who did not do what he should have done during the fight.
Many times fighters and fans seem to forget, or perhaps not realize, that many times it is not so much what a fighter does well in the ring, but what his opponent does wrong that determines the outcome of a fight. Here’s an old saying I learned years ago from one of my instructors: “Eliminate your mistakes while capitalizing on your opponents’.” Definitely words to fight for!
THE COMPETITORS:
Michael Bisping:
Bisping is a smart fighter and appears to be a fairly well-rounded fighter, although his ground game seems to be the weakest part of his repertoire. He is the winner of the reality television series Ultimate Fighter and is currently undefeated.
Matt Hamill:
Hamill is a highly decorated Greco-Roman fighter with several prestigious victories under his belt, including a gold medal at the 1998 Pan Am Games. Hamill was also in the Ultimate Fighter series alongside Bisping and they were actually scheduled to compete in the finals, but was unable to do so due to injury. Hamill at the time of this fight was also undefeated.
What follows is a detailed professional analysis of the fight from start to finish, concluding with some final thoughts on both fighters. Please note that these are my views from my own perspective of the events that occurred. They are not intended to get rid of any thoughts, words, etc. negative or derogatory. on any of the combatants involved. I have great respect for anyone, and I mean anyone who steps on the mat. So with more teens, let’s get started.
THE FIGHT:
Round one:
Hamill practically controlled the entire first round with his aggressive attack and heavy punches, albeit a bit unpolished. Bisping, although he was quite defensive throughout the round, was obviously the much more polished fighter with much crunchier punches and kicks.
Hamill at one point knocked Bisping down twice and gave him a chance to get back on his feet, rather than taking advantage of his wrestling experience to keep Bisping on the ground and apply some serious dirt and punches. About three minutes into the round, Hamill landed a beautiful right hand to Bisping’s head that resulted in a pretty good cut, though not serious enough to stop the fight.
Throughout the first four minutes of the round, it seemed to me that Bisping wasn’t really putting anything into his punches as they seemed to be a regrettable type of punches. All of this changed with about a minute to go in the round when all of a sudden Bisping’s punches began to land with much more authority than they had ever been. Still, they didn’t seem to have any effect on Hamill. Where, in contrast, Hamill’s punches were definitely thrown with serious intent throughout the round.
Although Bisping’s punches weren’t thrown as hard or as often as Hamill’s, he was undoubtedly the better of the two on counterattacks. Not only did most of his kickbacks land, they also landed with greater precision.
With fifteen seconds remaining in the first round, Hamill lands another great right hand. Although this blow didn’t knock Bisping down, it may have had a small effect on him losing his balance and falling to the mat just before the end of the round.
Second round:
Bisping opened the round by launching a rather weak-looking kick that Hamill immediately took advantage of by grabbing Bisping’s leg and knocking him to the ground. Once again, Hamill did not take advantage of his wrestling experience and kept Bisping on the ground where he would have been at a much greater disadvantage. This gave Bisping a chance to once again regain his standing position.
Once he regained his standing position, Bisping attempted a roundhouse kick to Hamill’s head which was subsequently blocked. Hamill continued to stalk Bisping throughout the course of the round with his heavy but rough punching style. Bisping, on the other hand, continued to effectively hit his way through the assault with pinpoint and precise punches, which in my opinion put him in control of the fight.
Hamill was finally able to bring Bisping to the ground momentarily before Bisping regained his standing position once more. Hamill continued with his slow, heavy gait from Bisping around the ring for the remainder of the round, but Bisping was obviously the most effective fighter as he continued to apply his crisp and precise counterattack strategy.
Third round:
Hamill starts the round with his menacing stalking approach that really had no effect on Bisping, who continued to counter Hamill at every opportunity. Hamill attempted two separate takedowns that Bisping managed to avoid each time. On his third takedown attempt, Hamill was finally able to take down Bisping. However, he was not very good at controlling Bisping while he was on the ground and Bisping was able to regain his standing position after a few moments and resumed his punching attack.
Bisping attempted a knee strike to the midsection that resulted in Hamill knocking him to the ground. Once again, Hamill was not very good at controlling Bisping while he was on the ground, although he managed to give him a couple of blows to the head. Hamill’s inability to control Bisping on the ground allowed Bisping to regain his standing position, where he launched another attack on Hamill with a series of punches and kicks. During this exchange, Hamill managed to land a pretty good forehand to Bisping’s head.
Bisping countered Hamill’s left hand with a pretty good left leg round kick to Hamill’s head as he ducked toward Bisping’s front leg in an attempt to knock him to the ground. The third and final round ended with Bisping avoiding a last-second takedown attempt by Hamill.
JUDGE’S DECISION:
The judge’s decision in this fight was a split decision and the victory went to Bisping. Now I know this seemed to be a pretty unpopular decision among many MMA fans, but when you really sit down and criticize the fight, you can clearly see that Hamill won the first round and Bisping won the third round with the second round. being the decisive round.
Now, it could be argued either way for any of the fighters. This in itself should be an indicator of how the majority of the fight could have been scored as a draw, but again, that’s just my opinion. Although defending that Bisping is the winner is much stronger than the case that Hamill wins. Personally, I felt that the fight was won by Bisping due to the fact that he should have much more skill in the fight than Hamill. Even though Hamill was pretty much the aggressor throughout the fight, Bisping was the much more efficient fighter with his counterattacks and moves.
MY RECOMMENDATIONS:
Here are my thoughts on how each fighter could improve their respective skills regarding this particular fight.
Bisping:
1. Learn to kick more effectively and efficiently.
2. Use hand-foot combinations more effectively. Use your punches to set up your kicks and your kicks to set up your punches.
3. Where are your knees and uppercuts? These are perhaps two of the best punches to use against a fighter who lunges to grab your legs. Learn them and use them!
4. Stay and move; You did this to a certain extent during the fight, but not enough. Nothing frustrates an opponent more than not being able to find your opponent every time they look for you.
Hamill:
His strategy for this particular fight was not entirely correct. He should have worked his way inside with his punches and then fought Bisping down to the ground and held him where he could have and should have delivered a ground and a pound. By not doing this, you really helped Bisping win this fight.
1. Work a lot more on your shots and make them a lot sharper. Watching this fight reminded me of the Ali / Foreman fight of the 70’s. Watch this fight on tape or DVD and learn from it!
2. Why didn’t you use your most powerful weapon in your arsenal (your wrestling experience) to your greatest advantage in this fight? You fought Bisping’s fight, not yours!
3. Learn to be a multidimensional fighter. Add some kicks and knee punches to your repertoire of techniques and you will totally surprise your next opponent.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
I definitely feel like a rematch is on the cards for these fighters unless, of course, Bisping decides to drop down to 185 pounds. division, which may or may not be a good fit for him. Personally, I think he would do well in any division. However, I would recommend that you start a good weight training program to put on a little more muscle and increase your overall power.
Hamill, on the other hand, will do well at 205 and would even do much better if he starts to become a multidimensional fighter and capitalizes on his strengths while working to improve his weaknesses.
