Matt "The Hammer" Hamill
is a deaf American amateur wrestler and MMA fighter. He was a three-time NCAA
Wrestling Division III National Champion (167 lb. class in 1997, 190 lb. class in 1998, and 197 lb. class in 1999) while attending the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York. In November 2007, Matt was inducted into the RIT Athletics Hall of Fame. Matt also participated in the Deaflympics in 1997 (Denmark) where he won both golds in greco-roman style and freestyle. Then in 2001 at Rome, Italy, Matt earned a silver in greco-roman style along with a gold medal in freestyle. He was a contestant on the third season of The Ultimate Fighter reality television show, training under Tito Ortiz in the 205 lb (93 kg) weight class.
On June 24, 2006, Matt fought Jesse Forbes on Spike TV on the The Ultimate Fighter 3 Finale and won via TKO. Matt Hamill defeated Seth Petruzelli via unanimous decision at Ortiz vs. Shamrock 3: The Final Chapter on October 10, 2006. Matt Hamill fought Rex Holman at UFC 68: The Uprising where he won by TKO in the first round. Matt fought Michael Bisping at UFC 75 in London, England. Currently, Matt is training and waiting for his next opponent in the octagon!