“The Ultimate Fighter” Alums To Square Off Saturday, June 19 at 9:00pm ET/PT
New York, NY, April 26, 2010 – Two of “The Ultimate Fighter’s”® most celebrated alumni will finally meet inside the Octagon® in the live finale of Spike TV’s “The Ultimate Fighter: Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz” on Saturday, June 19 at 9:00pm ET/PT. Emanating from The Pearl at The Palms Casino and Resort in Las Vegas, the “Dean of Mean,” Keith Jardine (Season 2) takes on Matt “The Hammer” Hamill (season 3) in a matchup pitting Jardine’s unorthodox striking against Hamill’s powerhouse wrestling. The winner will move further up the ranks in the UFC’s ultra-competitive light heavyweight division, with the loser taking a tremendous step back in his pursuit of a title shot.
Hamill (9-2), fighting out of Utica, NY, has won three of his last four UFC bouts including a recent controversial victory over the previously undefeated Jon Jones last December. During their matchup, Jones was dominating Hamill in the first round when he was cited twice for illegal elbows to the head. When Hamill couldn’t continue due to an extreme laceration on his forehead, Jones was disqualified. Prior to that bout, Hamill bounced back from a loss to Rich Franklin at UFC 88 with wins over Mark Munoz at UFC 96 in March 2009 via knockout, and Reese Andy at UFC 92 in December 2008 via TKO.
Jardine (14-8-1), a protégé of legendary trainer Greg Jackson, fights out of Albuquerque, NM. Dubbed “The Dean of Mean,” the 34 year-old veteran has an impressive list of victories on his resume, including wins over Chuck Liddell at UFC 76, Forrest Griffin at UFC 66, and Brandon Vera at UFC 89. Those wins were countered by three consecutive losses heading into his bout with Hamill. A victory will put him back on the winning path towards a shot at the coveted light heavyweight belt.
Other bouts on the card will be announced at a later date, including “The Ultimate Fighter” finalists.
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