UFC 130: Rampage vs Hamill Main Card Preview

On May 28, 2011 the Ultimate Fighting Championship will put on one of the most stacked cards in the promotion's history in their hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada with bouts that each can head cards of their own. The main event will feature a former champion climbing his way back to a title shot taking on a TUF alumni and a fan favorite. The co-main event will pit two elite and dangerous grapplers against each other as a former champ takes on a TUF winner. A Heavyweight bout with two aspiring contenders could shape the future of the division. A Middleweight bout with two precision striking fighters who are veterans in their own ways could propel either into the elite of the division. A Welterweight bout with two fighters at different points in their career, but with the same goal in mind.

Main Card Bouts:
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (31-8-0) vs Matt "The Hammer" Hamill (10-2-0)

Frank Mir (14-5-0) vs Roy "Big Country" Nelson (15-5-0)

Stefan "Skyscraper" Struve (21-4-0) vs Travis "Hapa" Browne (10-0-1)

Brian "All American" Stann (10-3-0) vs Jorge Santiago (23-8-0)

Thiago "Pitbull" Alves (18-7-0) vs Rick "Horror" Story (12-3-0)




The main event for this bout was originally scheduled to pit current 155lb champ Frankie Edgar in a re-rematch against the only fighter to hold a win over him with Gray Maynard after they both went to a Split Draw; which made it the second time a UFC title fight had resulted in a Draw, which coincidentally was for the same title.


"Rampage" Jackson vs Hamill
Originally, this bout was to pit former 205lb champ Quinton Jackson against Thiago Silva after his dominant win at UFC 125: Resolution, but was quickly replaced after Silva's post-fight drug screening results were found absent from the list of cleared fighters after the event. Hamill volunteered to replace Silva and was rescheduled to face Jackson at this event instead of fighting rising star Phil Davis.
This Light Heavyweight bout will pit hard hitting former champion Quinton Jackson against TUF3 alumni and heavy hitting NCAA 3 wrestler Matt Hamill. Jackson is coming off a Split Decision win over fellow former champ Lyoto Machida at UFC 123: Rampage vs Machida that many analysts saw going the way of Machida. Hamill is coming in on a five fight win streak that includes a KO of the Night performance over fellow wrestler Mark Munoz, a Fight of the Night performance against TUF2 alumni Keith Jardine, and most recently against his former TUF coach and former champ Tito Ortiz. Upon hearing that Hamill would be the replacement for Silva, Jackson voiced his opinion stating that he was not interested in fighting Hamill, but immediately changed his mind after hearing White say that Hamill had requested and actually called him out. Jackson is coming in with a new sense in his career after once claiming that he was "done fighting" when he was expected to fight Rashad Evans having coached against him on TUF10. After finally taking on Evans and losing a Unanimous Decision, Jackson felt more enthusiastic about continuing his career when taking on Machida. Hamill is coming in on a career high getting a dominant victory over Ortiz basically using his own style against him. Comparing the styles between the two, Jackson has the more crisp striking with plenty of experience, while Hamill has a heavy handed approach with an improving kickboxing game. The wrestling advantage will belong to Hamill and he may look to put that to good use in this bout. Jackson will come in as the favorite with the greater experience, though his lack of takedown defense exposed by Evans could be the weak point that Hamill can exploit. The clear strategy for Jackson will be to put Hamill away as soon as he can by way of KO/TKO. If Hamill will look to use a strategy, then he will work his striking to set up a takedown to dominate Jackson, though he is the kind of fighter who will actually look for a finish but most likely by TKO.

Mir vs Nelson
This Co-Main event will feature a Heavyweight bout with a match that fans had been calling for since a certain video came up on the web that showed the first meeting between these two. Former UFC Heavyweight champ Frank Mir will take on TUF10 winner and former IFL Heavyweight champ Roy Nelson. Fans had been calling for this bout after video surfaced of a grappling match between the two BJJ black belts which Nelson won by points. Mir is coming in off a Rnd3 KO win over longtime veteran Mirko Cro Cop, though the entire bout lacked much excitement as they stayed in the clinch until Mir through up a knee that knocked out Cro Cop. Nelson is coming in off a Unanimous Decision loss to powerful contender Junior dos Santos in a bout that earned him an enormous amount of respect as he took some of the most powerful shots any heavyweight can throw proving he has plenty of heart. Nelson is also coming off a long layoff after undergoing surgery on his leg and after complications arose that he was still under contact with another promotion that tied down Nelson with boxing style restrictions and terms, which led to the assumption that the promotion just wanted to screw over the UFC for a buyout of the contract. Comparing striking styles, Mir has a wider range in his arsenal being a skilled Muay Thai striker, while Nelson has a heavy handed style as his signature punch is an overhand right that has earned him a Rnd1 KO over fellow finalist Brendan Schaub to win the TUF10 finale and a Rnd1 TKO over another young star in Stefan Struve. Both fighters are elite BJJ practitioners with a differing approach; Mir is always looking for submission when on top and bottom, while Nelson has used his weight to get fights to the ground to control his opponents and look for submissions from the top. Mir will look to use his more technical striking to pick at Nelson and possibly chop at Nelson's legs to make it easier for a takedown. Nelson will use his usual strategy to swing heavy to land a solid shot to the jaw, and may look to test Mir knowing that he has focused on his wrestling to take on the bigger Heavyweights. Both are top 10 ranked fighters and a win for either will put them back in range for title contention.

The lineup before the co-main event is subject to rescheduling before the event.

Struve vs Browne

This Heavyweight bout will pit two young and potential future contenders against each other as 23yr old Stefan Struve takes on 28yr old undefeated Travis Browne. Struve is coming off two stoppage wins with a Rnd2 KO over then undefeated Christian Morecraft and a Rnd1 TKO win over then undefeated Sean McCorkle at UFC 124: St. Pierre vs Koscheck 2. Browne is on an undefeated streak that has received a blemish after his last bout against Cheick Kongo that went to a Unanimous Draw at UFC 120: Bisping vs Akiyama. Struve will posses an advantage standing as he will have a 5 inch reach advantage that will allow him to dish out strikes while Browne works to find his distance. Browne is a heavy swinger that aims directly for knockouts, though his technique has improved as he realized that is what got him in trouble against Kongo. Struve has the clear advantage on the ground using his long limbs that make it easy to lock in a triangle choke or armbar. Browne is no slouch on the ground, but prefers to stand and dish out powerful strikes rather than go to the ground. Struve will look to control the standing with long range strikes and have the slight advantage in height as Browne will need to aim high to find his chin, and will feel comfortable any time the fight goes to the ground. Browne will look to get past Struve's longer reach and reenact what Roy Nelson did when he pushed through the distance to land an overhand on the jaw. A win for either would propel them in the ranks to begin taking on some top 10 competition.

Stann vs Santiago

This Middleweight bout will pit an American war hero against a more experienced fighter who makes his return to the octagon. Battle hardened US Marine and former WEC Light Heavyweight champion Brian Stann will face now former Sengoku Middleweight champion Jorge Santiago. Stann comes in on a two fight win streak since moving down to 185lbs with a recent Rnd1 TKO win over veteran Chris Leben at UFC 125: Resolution. Santiago also comes in on a two fight win streak with a Fight of the Year performance with a Rnd5 TKO over Kazuo Misaki which was his final Sengoku title defense before allowing his contract to expire to resign with the UFC seeing that Sengoku might go under. Both may be evenly matched in the striking game as they are each comfortable standing to dish out strikes. The advantage on the ground may belong to Santiago with twelve of his twenty-three wins coming by submission. A mental factor that gives Stann an advantage is the fact that the fight is on American soil, which simply means that he will have the home field support from fans cheering on an American hero. Santiago will have the pressure of proving that his second stint in the UFC will see more success having gone 1-2 in his last stint which prompted him to leave the promotion. Since his win over Leben, Stann has moved within range to challenge the elite top 10 of the 185lb division, while Santiago has moved up in the world wide top 10 ranks having gone 11-1 which includes winning the Sengoku Middleweight Grand Prix and defending his title twice. Stann will look to keep this fight standing to let loose his accurate striking and avoid the ground where he can be outclassed. Santiago is comfortable standing, though his best chances of winning involve getting to the ground where his better experience could overwhelm Stann. A win for either could earn them true top 10 status in the 185lb division and put them within title contention with two more wins.

Alves vs Story
This Welterweight bout will pit a former contender against a rising contender as dangerous striker Muay Thai striker Thiago Alves takes on strong collegiate wrestler Rick Story. Alves will be coming in off a strong performance over John Howard at UFC 124: St. Pierre vs Koscheck 2 where he dominated with his technical Muay Thai. Story comes in on a five fight win streak with a Unanimous Decision over fellow wrestler Johny Hendricks at the TUF 12 Finale. Both fighters are at different points in their career as Alves works to get back to title contention after being dominated by reigning champ Georges St.Pierre and then being dominated in a rematch against longtime contender Jon Fitch. Story on the other hand is working his way towards contention at the age of 26. Without a doubt, Alves will have the usual strategy of unleashing his arsenal of strikes as he looks for the knockout and will look to show his improving takedown defense. Story will look to make a statement intent on getting a win over a dangerous opponent like Alves. While Story does have strong hands and improving striking, a smart strategy would be to take Alves down and look to finish him off there. If such strategies were to be implemented, this bout would seem to be a classic striker vs grappler match. If Story does intend to stand with the more experienced striker, then he may look to make an even bigger statement that could attract great recognition from fans. Alves seems to have gotten control over his dieting and weight as he is working with Mike Dolce on those matters after UFC President Dana White said himself that his career with the promotion would be jeopardized with another failed attempt to make weight. A win for Alves would put him back on track for another run at the title, while a win for Story would put him in range to face another top fifteen or even a top ten competitor should he have a strong enough performance. The potential excitement that this bout can display for fans, does depend on what Story's game plan is for this specific bout. Take the safe route, or make a statement.

This main card will serve as one of several cards this year that will feature full line-ups with elite implications. The Main Event could decide who will either be next or just one more win from being next in line for the 205lb title. The co-main event between two elite grapplers can put either of them back in range for a shot at the title in what has become a new division entirely. The Heavyweight bout between two young rising and potential contenders is evidence enough of new talent filling in the void of entertainment that plagued the division with the perception that Heavyweights are fighters are only capable of going one round and just gas out after that. The lone Middleweight bout will be a stage for either fighter to prove themselves to the world as an elite competitor at 185lbs as they aim to reach the top of the division. The lone Welterweight bout has some promise to start the main card off with a bang as a devastating striker takes on determined grinding wrestler. The UFC is aiming to give the fans what they want, and appear to be listening to complaints of the promotion putting on big events so close to each other as this event will take place a month after UFC 129: St. Pierre vs Shields, instead of putting on two major events a month. The UFC is actually appeasing fans with Fight Nights and events on VersusTV putting on free fights with fans complaining that major PPV events so close together isn't so kind to die hard fans with not much cash to spare for entertainment. This jam packed event has plenty of promise, but whether or not it will deliver the promised fireworks waits to be seen.