Matt Hamill had staph infection en meer *spoiler*

[Kebal]

With broken hand, blurred vision, staph infection, Matt Hamill says it's all about heart



LAS VEGAS – Now 10 fights into his UFC career, it's almost easy to forget the struggles that Matt Hamill (9-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) must face each and every time he steps into the cage.

Born deaf, Hamill has overcome the challenge of competing in both wrestling and mixed martial arts without the use of his hearing. But on Saturday night, in his main-card bout with Keith Jardine (15-8-1 MMA, 6-7 UFC) at The Ultimate Fighter 11 Finale in Las Vegas, Hamill entered the fight with a staph infection, broke his hand in the first round and was poked in the eye in the second.

No problem, Hamill said following the win. None of that affected his heart.

"The gameplan was to use movement then attack with the takedown," Hamill said. "But what happened in the first round was I broke my left hand, and I couldn't get the takedown. I had the death hook. But I tried. I kept going.

"I had to go to plan B – to out-strike him. I fought all my heart out. Then he poked me in the eye, and I thought I could be blind and deaf. It was too many handicaps, but I'm not giving up. I go all out."

Hamill was fighting for the first time since December, when he earned one of the most infamous "wins" in UFC history. Hamill was awarded a disqualification victory over Jon Jones despite being manhandled by "Bones" for the entire first round.

Things didn't exactly get off to a rousing start on Saturday, either, and Jardine took the opening round on all three judges' scorecards. But despite suffering a broken hand in the frame after punching his opponent's skull, Hamill came out re-energized in the second and looked as if he might finish the fight on his feet before the inadvertent eye-poke left his vision blurred.

"It was blurry," Hamill admitted. "I don't know. I thought I was going to knock him out in the second round. I had him, then he poked me in the eye, and I had to stop. It happened so fast."

Referee Herb Dean deducted one point from Jardine for the infraction, and Hamill took the frame 10-8 on all three judges' cards.

But there was still the matter of the final round. Despite bleeding profusely, "The Dean of Mean" certainly wasn't going to back down. But with his newfound ailments adding to the challenges of his deafness, would Hamill?

Absolutely not.

"It's all about heart," Hamill said. "The only way to beat me is my mind and my soul. I've been through it for so many years. I'm not a give-up person. I just want to go all out.

"I knew the first round that I wasn't doing really good. Then after he poked me in the eye, it was too much. I said, 'Forget it. I want to go all out.'"

In a thriller of a final frame, Hamill was awarded the round by judges Adalaide Byrd and Patricia Morse Jarmon. Judge Tony Weeks disagreed, but it was still enough for Hamill to earn the majority decision.

Then, at the evening's post-event press conference, Hamill admitted that the curious spot on his back first noticed by fans and media at Friday's official weigh-ins was indeed a staph infection.

"I have a staph infection," Hamill said. "I'll get put on antibiotics tomorrow."

Following the evening's press conference, Nevada State Athletic Commission executive director Keith Kizer told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that he was aware of Hamill's condition prior to the bout. Kizer said that a licensed doctor had viewed the wound on Friday. After weighing the potential risks to both Hamill and Jardine, the doctor cleared "The Hammer" to fight.

So the confirmed injuries included a staph infection, blurred vision and a broken hand, but Hamill was also limping as he entered the press conference. What else could possibly be wrong?

"I don't know," Hamill said. "I can't count. I can't feel the pain.

"I'll probably have to go the hospital tomorrow, but right now, the good thing is that I came here to catch up with all the interviews."

Good news, indeed. The inspirational Hamill smiled through every bit of the pain as he relived the action-packed bout. The 33-year-old said his current goal is just to crack the top-10 in the world at 205 pounds, and he implored UFC matchmaker Joe Silva to give him a top-10 opponent in his next outing.

And while his win over Jones was dubious – and his victory over Jardine razor-thin – Hamill said he wasn't worried as he waited in the cage for the judges to render their decisions. After battling through perhaps the toughest challenge of his career, Hamill knew he was already a winner.

"When the fight was over, I didn't know about the decision," Hamill said. "I just went all out the best I could. Whether my hand was raised or not, I knew I had fought my heart out."

[Kebal]

'TUF 11' Finale Aftermath: All the Right People Win Bonuses; Hamill Overcomes Staph, Broken Hand, Eye-Poke to Beat Jardine

http://cdn.cagepotato.com/www/sites/default/files/Court%20McGee.jpg

("The best part is, stick this baby in the freezer and it'll keep your drinks cold on a hot summer day." PicProps: UFC.com)

Matt Hamill fought and defeated Keith Jardine on Saturday night with a staph infection he didn’t know he had as well as a broken hand suffered early in the fight round and blurred vision from getting poked in the eye during the second, according to statements made at the "TUF 11" Finale post-fight press conference. That makes it a bit more noteworthy that their three-round battle rightfully claimed “Fight of the Night” honors.

“I thought I was going to be blind and deaf. Enough handicaps,” Hamill joked at the press conference about getting a thumb in the eye that caused Jardine to lose a point in the second stanza. Any laughter caused by that comment could probably best be described as “uneasy.”

Other post-fight bonuses – each amounting to $25,000 – went to Chris Leben for his come-from-behind knockout of Aaron Simpson and Court McGee for choking out Kris McCray in the “TUF” championship. As for the infection – which caused the nasty-looking lesion on his back you may have noticed during the broadcast – Hamill said he planned to get started with some antibiotics ASAP. Yeah, you might want to get on that. After the jump, a picture of Hamill's foulness.


http://cdn.cagepotato.com/www/sites/default/files/hamill_staph_2_large.jpg

(How could he possibly have known he had a staph infection? PicProps: Esther Lin/MMAFighting)

McGee took home his extra 25 Gs by virtue of crafting the only submission on Saturday night’s card. More importantly, he earned the job security that comes with being the “TUF” winner. The UFC will basically stick with those guys through anything. (Right, Mac?) McGee looked better than expected during the fight, taking McCray down at will en route to locking on the rear naked choke in the second round. With his hard-luck past and genuine outpouring of emotion after the fight, you kind of have to feel good for the guy. Still, in what the UFC insists on referring to as its “talent rich” middleweight division, matchmakers will probably have to take it pretty slow with McGee.

Kenny Florian – who, for the record, did an outstanding job on color commentary last night – called “The Crippler’s” KO of Simpson “classic Chris Leben,” and that sentiment was right on. Leben was certainly behind on the scorecards against Simpson and for all Mike Goldberg talked about him “sticking to a game plan” he looked very much like the same fighter we’ve become accustomed to seeing during his first 15 or so appearances in the Octagon: Like a guy whose “plan” boiled down to rushing forward throwing wild left hands. Luckily for Leben, sometimes that’s all it takes.

Rich Attonito’s defeat of Jamie Yager may have earned him the most admiration from fans last night. Doesn’t sound like too many people are crying over FroCop’s loss. I still contend Yager could have decent career in the UFC once he gets the mental side of the game figured out. He’ll likely have some time to do that now, either in prelim bouts or the minor leagues.

The unaired preliminary fights didn't serve up many surprises. Several “TUF” alums who could still have a future in the UFC – and weren’t recovering from horrible dog attacks – were in action. Kyle Noke defeated Josh Bryant by second-round TKO after what sounds like a pretty thorough ass-kicking. Chris Camozzi edged James Hammortree by narrow decision and Brad Tavares out-pointed Seth Baczynski.

Aside from Travis Browne’s knockout of James McSweeney, the only other non-TUF-related prelim saw John “Guns” Gunderson hand Mark “Boots” Holst a loss in his first UFC bout via UD.

The UFC claimed an attendance of 1,708 and a live gross gate of $430,250. I’m not an accountant, but a simple bit of long division tells me that would make the average paid ticket price $251.91. Makes me glad I stayed home.

[Ninurta]

leuk om na de wedstrijd te weten te komen als tegenstander... dit kan tog gewoon niet, hoe heeft hij mogen vechten???

[Kebal]

ja viel me ook op dat het allemaal luchtjes is ontvangen

[Vitor Belfort]

Is zoiets niet besmettelijk?

[O11]

Daar bij je ruggegraat lijkt me niet relaxed.

[Kebal]

van die dokter van mmajunkie

Dr. B: I love your articles and appreciate the fact that you will tackle the controversial topics and not wuss out or give the politically correct, popular answers. What did you make out of Matt Hamill being allowed to fight with a Staph infection? – Anonymous

Thank you for the kind words, and I definitely "call 'em like I see 'em."

When I saw Matt Hamill at The Ultimate Fighter 11 Finale weigh-ins with the suspicious lesion on his back, I found it quite obvious that it very well may be a Staph skin infection.

I then incorrectly concluded that there would be no possible way that he would be cleared to fight and potentially expose his opponent and everyone that entered the octagon after him to his contagious infection.

Once again, Staph skin infections and the more aggressive MRSA form are contagious and potentially very dangerous. Soft-tissue debridement (surgical removal), organ damage, amputation and death are very possible outcomes.

As I have written many times before, I have the utmost respect for Keith Kizer, the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) executive director. Mr. Kizer did exactly what he was supposed to do when he was alerted to the suspicious rash. He ordered his medical expert to assess the situation and to advise him on the most prudent course of action.

In my opinion, the NSAC was victim of a poor medical decision. Furthermore, every athlete (including Hamill) and referee that entered the octagon – with or after Hamill – was unnecessarily exposed to a potentially very serious and deadly infection by the "licensed doctor" who cleared him to compete.

Can I be any clearer?

As a physician tasked with the responsibility of promoting player/fighter safety, deciding to allow a clearly infected athlete to compete is astonishing to me. As a doctor, if there is any significant question in your mind regarding an athlete's health, you must err on the side of caution and disallow the fighter in question. The potential risks do not outweigh the potential benefit.

"Physician, first do no harm."

I am certain that I will be blasted for my assertions, but it will not be the first time. As a surgeon, I am accustomed to having my thought processes, decisions and actions challenged and critiqued. It is part of what I do.

This is not a failing of the NSAC or UFC president and event promoter Dana White. This shouldn't have been a difficult determination as a physician. An unpopular disqualification? No doubt. But clearly warranted, nonetheless. I don't know the identity of the physician, and it doesn't matter. Poor judgment is poor judgment regardless of stature.

Mr. Kizer and Mr. White: You should challenge my opinion and ask three board-certified orthopedic surgeons and three fellowship-trained infectious-disease specialists to go on the record and answer this simple question: If you examined a wrestler with an untreated active Staph skin infection, would you allow him to compete?

[Ninurta]

Quoteworthy:

"The doctors and the Commission were aware and repeatedly examined the red mark on Matt's back. They concluded that it was healing and hardened to the point that it posed no threat to Matt or anyone else inside the Octagon."

Well folks, there you have it. Everyone competing at Saturday night's TUF 11 Finale is out of the woods. Duff Holmes, manager of Matt Hamill, got the green light from the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) to let the staph infected "Hammer" compete against Keith Jardine on June 19 in Las Vegas despite a visible "boil" protruding from his back before, during and after his three round bloodbath with "The Dean of Mean." Anyone think (based on what we saw) that maybe the doc's blew the call? Or is perception not necessarily reality?

die 'doktoren' zijn gek man...

[Kebal]

ja of ze verdienen goed geld

[I_LOVE_KNOCKOUTS]

In ieder geval dikke kwarks voor Hamill!

Knappe prestatie, afgezien van de discussie of hij al dan niet had mogen vechten.