Matt Hamill got his start in the UFC on the third season of “The Ultimate Fighter.” Now, the Deaf Olympian will face off against his coach from that season, Tito Ortiz. The two are slated to face off at UFC 121 on Oct. 23 in Anaheim, Calif..
MMAFighting reported the contest on Thursday.
After three NCAA Division III wrestling titles at the Rochester Institute of Technology, Hamill represented the U.S. at the 2001 Deaflympics. He won a gold medal in freestyle and a silver in Greco-Roman. He then turned his attention to MMA. He won his only fight on TUF 3, but was forced out with an injury. Since the show, Hamill has put together an 8-2 record with wins over Keith Jardine and Mark Munoz.
Until recently, Ortiz held the record for most consecutive title defense in the UFC with five. He won the belt by defeating Wanderlei Silva at UFC 25, and held it until running into Randy Couture at UFC 44. In 2006, Ortiz earned a title shot against Chuck Liddell after picking up back-to-back victories his rival Ken Shamrock. Ortiz lost the bout and has not won a fight since. In his last bout, he dropped a decision to Forrest Griffin at UFC 106.
Headlining UFC 121 is a heavyweight title bout. Brock Lesnar will defend his belt against Cain Velasquez. Former Elite XC welterweight and Strikeforce middleweight champion Jake Shields will also make his UFC debut on the card against Martin Kampmann.