Matt Hamill’s return to the UFC will now see him face Vladimir Matyushenko after his original opponent Roger Hollett pulled out of their scheduled bout at UFC 152 due to an injury.
Hamill retired from the sport a year ago after back-to-back losses, but the 35 year-old had second thoughts about the decision and now finds himself in a challenging match-up as he looks to prove he’s still got what it takes to compete at the top level.
In Matyushenko he’s facing someone who could be contemplating retirement himself at the ripe old age of 41, yet ‘The Janitor’ continues to be a thorn in the side of many of the opponents he faces.
In fact, in his last seven bouts he’s lost only twice, to two of the division’s top talents in Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson, and Hamill will have to quickly shake off any ring rust if he’s going to get a result here.
With Matyushenko on-board, this bout is now starting to look like one that’s worthy of being on the main card of an event that could use another notable encounter after BJ Penn Vs Rory MacDonald was scratched from the line-up.
UFC 152 takes place on September 22nd and will be headlined by a flyweight title fight between Demetrious Johnson and Joseph Benavidez
