UFC Event

UFC 133 Fight Card Primer: Matt Hamill vs. Alexander Gustafsson

By Tim Burke@TB_Money Aug 6, 2011, 2:30pm EDT

Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Veteran Matt Hamill (10-3, 9-3 UFC) will look to get back on the right track after a loss in the UFC 130 main event when he meets Swedish prospect Alexander Gustafsson (11-1, 3-1 UFC). This light heavyweight UFC 133 fight will be the second fight of the televised portion of the card, which will be shown on Spike TV. The Spike broadcast begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

How do these two stack up?

Hamill: 34 years old | 6'1" | 76" reach
Gustafsson: 24 years old | 6'5" | 76.5" reach

What have these two done recently?

Hamill: L - Quinton Jackson (UD) | W - Tito Ortiz (UD) | W - Keith Jardine (MD)
Gustafsson: W - James Te Huna (SUB) | W - Cyrille Diabate (SUB) | L - Phil Davis (SUB)

How did these two get here?

Matt "The Hammer" Hamill started out in the UFC as a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter 3. 12 of his 13 career fights have taken place under the Zuffa banner. He's the only man to have the distinction of holding a win over current UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, even if it was by disqualification. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson put an end to Hamill's five-fight winning streak at UFC 130, and Hamill took this fight as a late replacement to try and get back into the win column.

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Alexander "The Mauler Gustafsson is one of the brightest prospects the UFC has at light heavyweight. He earned his UFC invitation after eight straight wins on the European circuit and has been very impressive in his UFC tenure thus far. His only loss was to Phil Davis at UFC 112. After that fight, Gustafsson decided that he wanted to train with the man that defeated him, and since then he has rattled off two straight submission victories. He was originally scheduled to face Vladimir Matyushenko on this card, but The Janitor bowed out with an injury and Hamill stepped up.

Why should you care?

There's a lot to like here. Hamill is a fan favorite that's looking to rebound from his loss to Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, and uber-prospect Gustafsson will definitely give him a run for his money. The style clash should lead to a very watchable fight.