For me, Matt Hamill has a long way to go before he gets to the top of the division. Is Ortiz still a force in the 205 division? No. But he’s still good enough to beat Hamill.
Ortiz took Hamill under his wings and trained with him to know his weaknesses.
Everyone talks about how good Hamill’s wrestling is, but Ortiz also has a good wrestling pedigree. Although Hamill has a better wrestling resume than Ortiz, Tito is a very good and powerful fighter who can match Hamill with technique and strength.
Oritz knows how to use his wrestling and adapt it to mixed martial arts. Ortiz has had fights as a submission wrestler and even fought in the famous submission wrestling tournament in Abu Dhabi.
Hamill has never used his wrestling in MMA. He has not used his wrestling in any of his fights. Hamill likes to attack and keep the fight going and he doesn’t like to shoot to take down.
Ortiz has a much better technical punch. Hamill is more powerful and throws harder punches, but he’s not very technical. He has little punching technique and likes to throw wild looping punches. Ortiz is in good form and always keeps his hands up and his chin down.
I like Ortiz to avoid strikes and take down. Once he gets the takedown, he wins first position and elbows Hamill until the referee stops the fight. Once Hamill is knocked down, he doesn’t have a good guard game. He likes to stay on guard and endure. He has no active hips and is not very active on his back.
I really don’t know why Ortiz is the loser of the sports betting money line. He is a former UFC champion, a high-level fighter and has not fought an easy fight in his career. Hamill has never fought a high-level guy and when he does, she loses.
Ortiz may have been out due to surgery, but he is a tireless coach and will be in shape for this fight. I have no doubt that Ortiz will come forward and put on a good show against Hamill, who has yet to develop a full MMA game.
Look for Ortiz to knock out Hamill with Ground and Pound in Round Two
