Hamill Retires at 34
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- Category: UFC News
- Published on Monday, 08 August 2011 05:00
- Written by By Thomas Gerbasi
He was the unlikeliest of sports heroes, but the idea of “can’t” just spurred Matt Hamill on.
What resulted was an impressive run in both amateur wrestling and mixed martial arts, but even more importantly, Hamill – who retired from MMA at the age of 34 Monday following his UFC 133 loss to Alexander Gustafsson last Saturday – was an inspiration to thousands of deaf people who looked to him as an example of what hard work and determination can do. But after years of wear and tear, the Utica, New York resident has decided to move on.
“Today is a sad day for me,” wrote Hamill in a statement on his website, matthamill.com. “After six years and 13 fights in the UFC I’m ready to hang up my gloves and retire from this amazing sport. The UFC has been extremely good to me and given me an opportunity to make a great living. That exposure has allowed me options outside the Octagon as well. I just don’t have it in me to fight anymore and my last two performances have shown that.”
A lifelong wrestler, Loveland, Ohio native Hamill won three National titles while at the Rochester Institute of Technology, and also excelled at the Deaflympics. He soon turned to mixed martial arts, really making a splash on the world scene during his stint on season three of The Ultimate Fighter, where he set the stage to become the first deaf fighter in the UFC. It was a monumental achievement.
“I had a lot of e-mails and letters from parents who thought their own deaf children would never be equal to the "hearing" world,” said Hamill in 2006. “I hope that I have showed them and others that you can rise to the best of your ability and even strive past that. It takes hard work and determination, but it can be done.”
