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StumbleuponFranklin, Hamill set aside friendship at UFC event
Thursday, September 04, 2008
ATLANTA — Nary an Ultimate Fighting Championship press conference goes by without the event's top fighters posing for photographs in the usual pre-fight staredowns.
Fighters go chin to chin, with dukes raised, as flashbulbs catch the intensity of the two competitors and their pending clash.
That's how it works most of the time, anyway.
In the case of UFC 88 co-main event participants Rich Franklin and Matt Hamill, their staredown at Thursday's pre-event press conference resembled something akin to a fraternity reunion — two longtime buddies reuniting after years apart.
The smiles and hugs almost made you forget that the two skilled mixed martial artists are looking to knock off each other's blocks come Saturday night. That's when Franklin (23-3), a Harrison High School and University of Cincinnati graduate, takes on Loveland High alumnus Matt Hamill (4-1) at Atlanta's Philips Arena.
Franklin, a former UFC middleweight title-holder who's moving up a weight class, admitted he had some reservations when the UFC pitched the fight with Hamill.
"Matt and I are friends, so this was a difficult fight to take," Franklin said.
Long before Hamill, a three-time NCAA Division III wrestling champion, decided to compete in MMA, the Olympic hopeful was helping Franklin prepare for his early UFC fights and an eventual reign as champion.
"Matt and I trained together three or four times," Franklin said. "One of my coaches knew Matt could really help me with my wrestling. ... We kind of lost touch over the years, so we're not close-close friends, but he's definitely a friend."
At the time, Hamill was tirelessly working toward his goal of winning an Olympic gold medal. Franklin, though, planted a seed when he told Hamill that MMA had real and lucrative opportunities for such decorated wrestlers. MMA uses a mix of fighting styles, but the wrestlers always seem to have the easiest transition into the sport.
So, when his Olympic dreams fell short, Hamill earned his way onto "The Ultimate Fighter," the UFC's reality-show competition, where he jump-started his own MMA career.
Hamill, who was born deaf, proved to be one of the series' most inspirational stories and quickly garnered a large fan following.
"Before I knew it, there was Matt — on TV," Franklin said.
Hamill, who recently moved to New York, was impressive on the show, but an injury eventually forced him out of the competition. Since then, though, he's 4-1 in the UFC — and his only loss came to Michael Bisping in one of the year's most controversial scoring decisions.
However, he's never faced a veteran with Franklin's credentials.
Given his significant experience advantage, Franklin is the odds-on favorite come Saturday. However, the former high-school math teacher knows it'd be a mistake for him — or anyone else — to write off an opponent who's already proven to be so resilient.
"Hamill's a phenomenal wrestler and a very talented individual, and he's done great things in the UFC," Franklin said.
Hamill, meanwhile, is anxious for the fight. He's not jazzed about fighting a friend, but he knows he has a rare opportunity to beat a former champ and make a name for himself.
"Everything happens for a reason," Hamill said. "So we put the friendship aside for this fight and put on a good show for the fans. ... That's what this sport is all about."
UFC 88: Breakthrough
What: 10-fight MMA event
When: Saturday, 8 p.m.
Where: Atlanta's Philips Arena
TV: Pay per view (main card only, 10 p.m.)
Weigh-ins: Today at 4 p.m. (watch free at UFC.com and Yahoo! Sports)
Notables: Chuck Liddell vs. Rashad Evans, Rich Franklin vs. Matt Hamill, Karo Parisyan vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida, Dan Henderson vs. Rousimar Palhares
