Matt Hamill vs. Keith Jardine officially tabbed as TUF 11 Finale headliner
by FiveKnuckles.com Staff on April 26, 2010

Two of the most celebrated alumni from The Ultimate Fighter 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 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, with the winner moving further up the ranks in the UFC's ultra-competitive light heavyweight division.

"Matt Hamill versus Keith Jardine is a battle between two fan favorites known for exciting fights," said Dana White, UFC President. "Hamill is a powerful wrestler and Jardine an unorthodox striker but both have shown knockout power. Both of these fighters know that they need to win this fight to continue on their way up the light heavyweight ranks."

Tickets for The Ultimate Fighter 11 Finale are $454, $354 and $204, plus any additional box office or service fees, and go on-sale Friday, April 30 at 12 p.m. PT. Please visit any Ticketmaster location, call 800-745-3000 or visit www.ticketmaster.com to purchase tickets.

UFC Fight Club members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to The Ultimate Fighter 11 Finale Wednesday, April 28 at 10 a.m. PT via the website UFCFIGHTCLUB.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, April 29 starting at 10 a.m. PT. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.

"Keith's a great fighter and has been one of the division's top contenders for a long time," said Hamill. "For me to get to the next level in my career, I have to beat him on June 19th and I'm going to do everything in my power to do that."

Hamill (9-2), fighting out of Utica, NY, has won three of his last four UFC bouts including a recent victory via disqualification over the previously undefeated Jon Jones last December. Prior to that bout, Hamill had scored wins over Mark Munoz at UFC 96 in March 2009 via knockout, and Reese Andy at UFC 92 in December 2008 via TKO.

"Matt is a good fighter and a good guy but this match is the first step in getting me back on top," said Jardine. "I got my start fighting on The Ultimate Fighter and I had one of my most memorable fights on the Finale. I got a lot fans from that fight and I'm honored to be fighting in the main event."

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, and a victory over Hamill will put him closer to 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.

 |  (27) Comments Ares: The headliner is between the guy who got his ass beat the last time he headlined a TUF finale and a guy who has been knocked out in his last two fights and has lost his last three? Boooooooooooooooooooooo! articmonkey: The only point i can see in this fight is who to cut. articmonkey: There is a good chance of Jardine going yeah, he doesnt have any real relevance anymore other than being Rashads warm up guy. Is a shame though, do like the guy. articmonkey: Probably right about Hamill yeah, he's still in the early stages of his career i suppose and he did beat Jones?!?! articmonkey: Technically? It was an MMA masterclass, never seen such productive elbow blocks with a head. Wandering_Minstrel: *Yawns* At least I'll get to go to bed a little early that night. mike5k: Guys like them aren't what makes the 205 division great but they are what makes it deep. They're on that, "bottom of the second tier/top of the third tier" of UFC light-heavyweights. I don't see much point to them fighting each other but I wouldn't cut either guy just yet. Jardine isn't great but he's dangerous as a gatekeeper, or maybe at this point a gatekeeper to get to the gatekeeper. Hamill's not as well-rounded as we'd like him to be but the strength of his wrestling provides a good matchup against a lot of guys. IwishIwasMMA: Of course Hamill beat Jones. When Mazzagatti refs, it is any fighters fight. This is why they say "you dont know what happens until they step into Maz's house!" The Hitman: 2 guys that just got their asses whooped by the 2 fastest rising stars in the UFC LHW division. Interesting. I'm going Hamill, but I'm not positive. GO HARD: this fight sucks... and what a horrible headliner. arlovskiviako: Hammill via TKO or UD. And after the fight Jardine will get cut. GO HARD: jardine by UD... by id much rather jardine by KO from head kick. Mickey knox: Hamill's gonna win this. And, although I think this fight is stupid, I also think it could turn out to be a fun fight to watch. You got a chin that is getting increasingly fragile with a an awkward hail mary striking style, vs a good wrestler who isn't exactly the greatest striker, but is willing to stand, hits with good power, and did manage to catch the ever dodging Bisping several times in a fight that he should have won. This fight is a pointless wildcard that could end up being boring, or a sloppy slugfest. Hopefully it's the ladder, but either way, I say hamill wins. GO HARD: i think jardine will try to do to matt what rich franklin did... chop him down. GO HARD: bader is a better and more well rounded fighter than hamill... alot more dangerous. IwishIwasMMA: ... Did I ever mention that this match up sucks donkey dick? Okay I will.. this match up sucks donkey dick. I hate it. A lot. I dont care what either fighter does after this. The only exciting part of this is finding out which fighter is worse.
HOW WILL THE THIAGO ALVES VS. MARTIN KAMPMANN FIGHT END AT UFC ON FX 2?
Alves def. Kampmann via TKO/KO
Alves def. Kampmann via submission
Alves def. Kampmann via decision
Kampmann def. Alves via TKO/KO
Kampmann def. Alves via submission
Kampmann def. Alves via decision
TAKE ANOTHER POLL!