Striking the "X" factor in Hamill vs Franklin at UFC 88

Matt Hamill is a mammoth of a man when he steps into the Octagon to fight, but with only 5 fights under his belt he's just a baby in MMA. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. While it's certainly an advantage for Rich Franklin at UFC 88 to have over 5 times more bouts (27) in the can compared to Hamill, it is Hamill's room for improvement which can brings forth a sizeable element of surprise. There's always room for improvement in MMA, and if you feel you've past that point it may be time to find a new profession. Nonetheless, fighters with under a half dozen fights of experience certainly have loads of areas to work on, and can enter into their next fight as complete revamped mixed martial artists. It was only a few fights ago that Hamill was blocking punches with his face. But then he stared putting up his hands vigilantly, tucking in his chin more, beautifully slipping fists and countering with his own. And then a huge quantum leap of creativity sprung forth in his fight with Michael Bisping. Expected to get annihilated on the feet, it was actually Hamill who was winning much of the stand up battle in the 3 round fight with Bisping. So much so that many fans were outraged at the judges awarding Bisping the decision. Hamill was a completely different fighter and impressed most of the MMA world with his newfound boxing arsenal he put on display that evening in England. It was something nobody including Bisping anticipated, and that element of surprise is a luxury fresh faces on the MMA scene can use to their advantage.

What new tricks will Hamill bring into this battle versus Rich Franklin? It'll be interesting to see. Sure Franklin definitely is not one to sit back and not learn more about the MMA game, but with 27 fights he has shown much of his arsenal and there's a whole library of tape to study. But for Hamill, the best footage may still be to come.

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Striking the "X" factor in Hamill vs Franklin at UFC 88

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